DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group II, Species B (Fig. 3, claims 1-5, 7, 9-13) in the reply filed on 7/8/26 is acknowledged.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, reference number for “an active region,” “a frontside and a backside” of the power redistribution element of claims 1, 10 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
There is no reference number in the specification for an active region.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1-5, 7, 9-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0157787 (Kim), cited by Applicant in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019/0237430 (England).
Kim discloses
1. (Currently Amended) A structure comprising:
an active element 103 comprising:
a frontside (bottom) and a backside (top) opposite the frontside (bottom);
a plurality of vias 171 extending from the backside (top) vertically through a portion of the active element 103; and
an active region (substrate 131) nearer to the frontside (bottom) than the backside (173);
a power redistribution element 173 disposed on the backside (top) of the active element 103, wherein a frontside (bottom) of the power redistribution element 173 is bonded to the backside (top) of the active element 103.
Kim fails to disclose
hybrid bonding;
the power redistribution element comprising:
a second plurality of contact pads disposed on the backside, wherein a pitch of the first plurality of contact pads is smaller than a pitch of the second plurality of contact pads, wherein the first plurality of contact pads is electrically coupled to the plurality of vias.
England teaches
A structure comprising:
a frontside (bottom, 154) of the power redistribution element 152 is hybrid bonded ([0037]) to the backside (top) of the active element 102;
the power redistribution element 152 comprising:
a second plurality of contact pads 160 disposed on the backside (top, 156), wherein a pitch of the first plurality of contact pads 162 is smaller than a pitch of the second plurality of contact pads 160, wherein the first plurality of contact pads 162 is electrically coupled to the plurality of vias 131.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide hybrid bonding and a first plurality of contact pads having a smaller pitch than a second plurality of contact pads in Kim. The motivation would be to permit fine-pitch via connections to be interfaced with larger-pitch opposite side interconnections to accommodate any dense backside die connections and larger pitch connections on the opposite side and allow for a potential reduction in overall footprint as taught by England ([0026], [0043]). Further, hybrid bonding would be based on it suitability for the intended purpose. See MPEP 2144.07.
Kim discloses
2. (Original) The structure of Claim 1, further comprising:
a power delivery die 105 comprising a frontside (bottom) and a backside (top) opposite the frontside (bottom),
England teaches
wherein the frontside (bottom) is in electrical contact with the second plurality of contact pads 160 of the power redistribution element 152.
Kim discloses
3. (Original) The structure of Claim 1, wherein the power redistribution element 173 is configured to carry power and ground and is not configured to carry logic signals ([0023], no mention of logic).
England teaches
4. (Original) The structure of Claim 1, wherein the power redistribution element 152 comprises an interposer ([0037]).
England teaches
5. (Original) The structure of Claim 4, wherein the power redistribution element 152 further comprises a hybrid bonding layer 122 disposed on the frontside (bottom, 154) of the power redistribution element 152, and wherein the power redistribution element 152 further comprises a hybrid bonding layer 164 disposed on the backside (top, 156) of the power redistribution element 152 ([0037], [0038]).
Kim in view of England teaches
7. (Currently Amended) The structure of Claim 2, wherein the frontside (bottom, 154) of the power delivery die 105 (Kim) is hybrid bonded to the backside (top, 156) of the power redistribution element 152, and wherein the frontside (bottom, 154) of the power redistribution element 152 is hybrid bonded to the backside (top) of the active element 102.
Kim discloses
9. (Original) The structure of Claim 1, wherein power is delivered through the power redistribution element 173 to the backside (top) of the active element 103.
Kim discloses
10. (Original) A structure comprising:
an active element 103 having a frontside (bottom) and a backside (top) opposite the frontside (bottom), the active element 103 having active circuitry (substrate 131) nearer the frontside (bottom) than the backside (top); and
a power redistribution element 173 having a frontside (bottom) bonded to the backside (top) of the active element 103,
wherein the power redistribution element 173 is configured to supply at least one of power and ground to the active element 103 ([0023]).
Kim fails to disclose
hybrid bonding;
the power redistribution element comprising:
a first plurality of contact pads on the frontside of the power redistribution element and a second plurality of contact pads on a backside of the power redistribution element opposite the frontside of the power redistribution element,
wherein a pitch of the first plurality of contact pads is smaller than a pitch of the second plurality of contact pads.
England teaches
A structure comprising:
a frontside (bottom, 154) of the power redistribution element 152 is hybrid bonded ([0037]) to the backside (top) of the active element 102;
the power redistribution element 152 comprising:
a first plurality of contact pads 162 on the frontside (bottom, 154) of the power redistribution element 152 and a second plurality of contact pads 160 on a backside (top, 156) of the power redistribution element 152 opposite the frontside (bottom, 154) of the power redistribution element 152,
wherein a pitch of the first plurality of contact pads 162 is smaller than a pitch of the second plurality of contact pads 160.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide hybrid bonding and a first plurality of contact pads having a smaller pitch than a second plurality of contact pads in Kim. The motivation would be to permit fine-pitch via connections to be interfaced with larger-pitch opposite side interconnections to accommodate any dense backside die connections and larger pitch connections on the opposite side and allow for a potential reduction in overall footprint as taught by England ([0026], [0043]). Further, hybrid bonding would be based on it suitability for the intended purpose. See MPEP 2144.07.
Kim discloses
11. (Original) The structure of Claim 10, wherein the active element 103 comprises vias 171 extending from the backside (top) of the active element 103 to the active circuitry (substrate 131).
Kim in view of England teaches
12. (Original) The structure of Claim 10, further comprising:
a power delivery die 105 having a frontside (bottom) and a backside (top) opposite the frontside (bottom), wherein the frontside (bottom) of the power delivery die 105 is hybrid bonded to the backside of the power redistribution element 152 (Kim).
Kim discloses
13. (Original) The structure of Claim 10, wherein the at least one of power and ground is carried through the power redistribution element 173 and delivered to the backside of the active element 103 ([0023]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Hossen et. al, “Power Delivery Network (PDN) Modeling for Backside PDN Configurations With Buried Power Rails and µTSVs,” IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol. 67, No. 1, pp. 11-17 (2020), DOI 10.1109 / TED.2019.2954301, U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2023/0117642 (Chang), 2017/0250170 (Yu), 2013/0070437 (Mohammed) teach
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TERESA M ARROYO whose telephone number is (703)756-1576. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday (8:30 A.M. E.T. - 5:00 P.M. E.T.).
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sue Purvis can be reached at 571.272.1236. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/TERESA M. ARROYO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893
Prosecution Insights