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 .
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5, 8, 10, 12 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 3 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 3 recites one definition “wherein both the sealing ring and the washer show an annular, oval, or rectangular form” followed by other broader definition for the sealing ring “wherein the cross section of the sealing ring can be circular, oval, rectangular or of any other shape, and wherein the cross section of the washer is basically rectangular” thus the claim contradicts itself.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 6, 7, 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sugihara et al. (JP 2009059812 A) hereafter referred to as Sugihara
In regard to claim 1 Sugihara teaches a [“FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a transfer mold type power module”] semiconductor power module comprising:
- one or more semiconductors [“power semiconductor element 5”] placed on a substrate [“power module substrate 4”] ;
- at least one contact pin [“external connection terminals 1 and 2 are each formed in a straight shape (straight) and are installed so as to stand in a direction crossing the power module substrate 4, and are sealed in the external connection terminals 1 and 2”] extending basically perpendicular to the substrate and electrically connected to the substrate [“a power semiconductor element bonded on one surface of the power module substrate 4. 5 and a pair of external connection terminals 1 and 2 electrically connected to each other through a conductor layer (not shown) formed on one surface of the power module substrate 4 with respect to the power semiconductor element 5”] or the semiconductor via a pin foot [i.e. “conductor layer”] , wherein a terminal end of the contact pin protrudes outside an encapsulation compound [see Fig. 1 “sealing resin 3 is molded”] encapsulating at least partially the substrate , the one or more semiconductors , and the contact pin , wherein
-at least one sealing ring [“overhanging jaw portion 8-1 that constitutes the sealing resin leakage preventing portion 8 that prevents the sealing resin from leaking to the externally exposed end portions 1-1 and 2-1 when the sealing resin 3 is molded. Is formed” “although the above-mentioned overhanging jaw part 8-1 was formed by expanding the boundary part of the external connection terminals 1 and 2 integrally, it is not limited to this, for example, as shown in FIG. It can be configured by press-fitting a separate insulator ring 8-4 such as a rubber ring into the boundary portion of the external connection terminals 1 and 2”] and at least one washer [see Figs. 12-17 “resin board or board 8-3 disposed on the overhanging jaw 8-1” “In this case, when the sealing resin 3 is molded, the insulator ring 8-4 and the insulator ring 8-3 slide appropriately when the upper mold 11 and the lower mold 12 are clamped. 8-4 can absorb the dimensional difference of the mold while adhering to the mold, and the externally exposed terminals 1-1 and 2-1 of the external connection terminals 1 and 2 are more reliable than the fitting part 11 a. Can be blocked”] are received by a pin shaft of the contact pin ,
-the washer is fixed [ see Figs. 12-17 is attached to sealing resin 3 “as shown in FIG. 14, when the semifinished product 9 is molded by pouring the sealing resin or the substrate 3 into the cavity 13, the sealing resin 3 is a resin plate. Or it is blocked by the board 8-3 and does not leak into the fitting portion 11a”] by the encapsulation compound , and
-the sealing ring is held in longitudinal direction of the pin shaft in an elastically deformed [see “8-4 can absorb the dimensional difference of the mold” “configured by press-fitting a separate insulator ring 8-4 such as a rubber ring”, thus because it is pressed and is absorbing the dimensional difference, thus it is deformed] state by the washer .
but does not state “such that they rest on the pin foot”.
However see the clamping force “the overhanging jaw portion 8-1 can be selected by appropriately selecting the thickness dimension thereof, as shown in FIG. 5, when the upper mold 11 and the lower mold 12 are both clamped. When pressure is applied to the lower mold 12 side by the clamping force of the mold 11, it can be configured to be deformed downward V-shaped from the center to both ends as shown in FIG” see that the purpose of the ring is to “the insulator ring 8-4 and the insulator ring 8-3 slide appropriately when the upper mold 11 and the lower mold 12 are clamped. 8-4 can absorb the dimensional difference of the mold while adhering to the mold”, see the absorbing, thus depending on the dimension of the ring it will stop sliding and press against the 8-3 on the top and the substrate 4 at the bottom, for example like in Fig. 16 the wider part 1-2 extends from the 8-3 on the top to the substrate 4 at the bottom.
Thus, it 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 to modify Sugihara to include “such that they rest on the pin foot”.
Thus it would be obvious to combine the references to arrive at the claimed invention.
The motivation is good structural strength and good sealing such that the rubber ring is properly pressed and sealed in the resin.
In regard to claim 2 Sugihara teaches wherein the pin shaft shows a [see Fig. 18 see 1, 2 are circular “the shape of the stepped jaw portion 8-2 and the overhanging jaw portion 8-1 is formed in a substantially cross-beam shape as shown in FIG. 18 in plan view”] circular, oval, or rectangular cross section.
In regard to claim 3 Sugihara teaches wherein the cross section of the sealing ring can be [see “rubber ring” is circular, see it goes around 1, 2 see Fig. 18 see 1, 2 are circular “the shape of the stepped jaw portion 8-2 and the overhanging jaw portion 8-1 is formed in a substantially cross-beam shape as shown in FIG. 18 in plan view”] circular, oval, rectangular or of any other shape, but does not state wherein both the sealing ring and the washer show an annular, oval, or rectangular form, and wherein the cross section of the washer is basically rectangular.
However see that the shape of board 8-3 is determined by the plan view of the package itself, and as any person of ordinary skill is aware dies are most commonly rectangular.
Thus, it 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 to modify Sugihara to include wherein both the sealing ring and the washer show an annular, oval, or rectangular form, and wherein the cross section of the washer is basically rectangular.
Thus it would be obvious to combine the references to arrive at the claimed invention.
The motivation is to accomodate rectangular dies, since any person of ordinary skill is aware dies are most commonly rectangular.
In regard to claim 4 Sugihara teaches wherein the sealing ring is sandwiched between [see Figs. 12-17 “resin board or board 8-3 disposed on the overhanging jaw 8-1” “In this case, when the sealing resin 3 is molded, the insulator ring 8-4 and the insulator ring 8-3 slide appropriately when the upper mold 11 and the lower mold 12 are clamped. 8-4 can absorb the dimensional difference of the mold while adhering to the mold, and the externally exposed terminals 1-1 and 2-1 of the external connection terminals 1 and 2 are more reliable than the fitting part 11 a. Can be blocked” see “rubber ring”] the washer and the pin foot .
In regard to claim 6 Sugihara teaches wherein the sealing ring is made of [see “rubber ring”] an elastomeric or silicone material, wherein the at least one washer or both washers are made of [see “resin plate or board 8-3”] metal, plastic, reinforced plastic, or elastic material.
In regard to claim 7 Sugihara teaches wherein the pin foot is fixed to the substrate by means of [“The tip ends of the element side connection ends 1-2 and 2-2 of the external connection terminals 1 and 2 are connected and installed by soldering or the like in contact with the power module substrate 4”] ultrasonic welding, laser welding, soldering, bonding, sintering or press-fit.
In regard to claim 9 Sugihara teaches wherein one or more of the washers are made of [see “resin plate or board 8-3”] electrically non-conducting material.
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sugihara et al. (JP 2009059812 A) hereafter referred to as Sugihara in view of Minotti et al. (US 20220108939 A1) hereafter referred to as Minotti
In regard to claim 11 Sugihara does not teach wherein the contact pin is of the press-fit pin type of construction.
See Minotti teaches see paragraph 0027 “The first end 10A of the pins 10 is preferably pointed and is force fitted into the axial cavity 6 of the respective pin holder 3 to obtain a press-fit” “The through openings 19 have conductive walls, for example have a surface metal coating (not shown), and are sized in such a way that the second end 10B of the pins 10 may be forced fitted and remain blocked into the through openings 19, due to its elasticity, with a press-fit coupling”.
Thus, it 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 to modify Sugihara to include wherein the contact pin is of the press-fit pin type of construction.
Thus it would be obvious to combine the references to arrive at the claimed invention.
The motivation is that press-fit is easy and gives good electrical connection and good mechanical strength.
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sugihara et al. (JP 2009059812 A) hereafter referred to as Sugihara in view of Iwatani et al. (US 20160289443 A1) hereafter referred to as Iwatani.
In regard to claim 13 Sugihara teaches a [“FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a transfer mold type power module”] method for manufacturing a semiconductor power module
having one or more semiconductors [“power semiconductor element 5”] placed on a substrate [“power module substrate 4”] to which at least one contact pin [“external connection terminals 1 and 2 are each formed in a straight shape (straight) and are installed so as to stand in a direction crossing the power module substrate 4, and are sealed in the external connection terminals 1 and 2”] extends perpendicularly,
wherein a terminal end of the contact pin protrudes outside an encapsulation [see Fig. 1 “sealing resin 3 is molded”] compound encapsulating at least partially the substrate , the one or more semiconductors , and the contact pin , the method comprising the steps of:
a) providing a substrate [“power module substrate 4”] with one or more semiconductors [“power semiconductor element 5”] placed on it,
b) fixing at least one contact pin [“external connection terminals 1 and 2 are each formed in a straight shape (straight) and are installed so as to stand in a direction crossing the power module substrate 4, and are sealed in the external connection terminals 1 and 2”] extending perpendicularly to the substrate [“a power semiconductor element bonded on one surface of the power module substrate 4. 5 and a pair of external connection terminals 1 and 2 electrically connected to each other through a conductor layer (not shown) formed on one surface of the power module substrate 4 with respect to the power semiconductor element 5”] via a pin foot [i.e. “conductor layer”] such that the substrate can be electrically connected [“a power semiconductor element bonded on one surface of the power module substrate 4. 5 and a pair of external connection terminals 1 and 2 electrically connected to each other through a conductor layer (not shown) formed on one surface of the power module substrate 4 with respect to the power semiconductor element 5”] via a terminal end of the contact pin ,
c) placing a sealing ring [“overhanging jaw portion 8-1 that constitutes the sealing resin leakage preventing portion 8 that prevents the sealing resin from leaking to the externally exposed end portions 1-1 and 2-1 when the sealing resin 3 is molded. Is formed” “although the above-mentioned overhanging jaw part 8-1 was formed by expanding the boundary part of the external connection terminals 1 and 2 integrally, it is not limited to this, for example, as shown in FIG. It can be configured by press-fitting a separate insulator ring 8-4 such as a rubber ring into the boundary portion of the external connection terminals 1 and 2”] and a washer [see Figs. 12-17 “resin board or board 8-3 disposed on the overhanging jaw 8-1” “In this case, when the sealing resin 3 is molded, the insulator ring 8-4 and the insulator ring 8-3 slide appropriately when the upper mold 11 and the lower mold 12 are clamped. 8-4 can absorb the dimensional difference of the mold while adhering to the mold, and the externally exposed terminals 1-1 and 2-1 of the external connection terminals 1 and 2 are more reliable than the fitting part 11 a. Can be blocked”] over a pin shaft of the contact pin,
d) placing the substrate [see Fig. 12 “The power module substrate 4, the power semiconductor element 5, the external connection terminals 1 and 2, and the heat plate 6 are molded together with the sealing resin 3 with the side exposed to the outside. Constitutes sealed by, the other surface of the heat plate 6, the heat sink 7 are joined”] with the contact pin , the sealing ring , and the washer in a first [“lower mold 12”] mold half ,
e) closing the first mold half [see Fig. 13 “as shown in FIG. 13, a cavity 13 is formed so as to surround the upper mold 11, the lower mold 12 and the semi-finished product 9”] in longitudinal direction of the pin shaft by means of a second mold half [“upper mold 11”] having a recess [“the fitting portion 11a is made large in a concave shape”] into which the terminal end [see top of Fig. 13] can protrude, thereby pressing the washer [see Fig. 13 “the shoulder of the resin plate or the substrate 8-3 Close to the molding surface 11b of the upper mold 11 and closes the fitting part 11a of the upper mold 11 to which the externally exposed end parts 1-1 and 2-1 of the external connection terminals 1 and 2 are fitted”] towards the pin foot by means of the second mold half ,
f) filling the cavity of the mold [“from this state, as shown in FIG. 14, when the semifinished product 9 is molded by pouring the sealing resin or the substrate 3 into the cavity 13, the sealing resin 3 is a resin plate. Or it is blocked by the board 8-3 and does not leak into the fitting portion 11a”] with an encapsulating compound,
h) removing the semiconductor power [see it is removed “As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, the transfer mold type power module is manufactured in a state where the sealing resin 3 is not attached to the externally exposed side ends 1-1, 2-1 of the external connection terminals 1, 2”] module from the mold.
but does not state “g) opening the mold after curing of the encapsulation compound, and” “elastically deforming the sealing ring by” “such that both the sealing ring and the washer rests on the pin foot and one of the sealing ring or the washer contacts the pin foot”.
However see the clamping force “the overhanging jaw portion 8-1 can be selected by appropriately selecting the thickness dimension thereof, as shown in FIG. 5, when the upper mold 11 and the lower mold 12 are both clamped. When pressure is applied to the lower mold 12 side by the clamping force of the mold 11, it can be configured to be deformed downward V-shaped from the center to both ends as shown in FIG” see that the purpose of the ring is to “the insulator ring 8-4 and the insulator ring 8-3 slide appropriately when the upper mold 11 and the lower mold 12 are clamped. 8-4 can absorb the dimensional difference of the mold while adhering to the mold”, see the absorbing, thus depending on the dimension of the ring it will stop sliding and press against the 8-3 on the top and the substrate 4 at the bottom, for example like in Fig. 16 the wider part 1-2 extends from the 8-3 on the top to the substrate 4 at the bottom.
Thus, it 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 to modify Sugihara to include “elastically deforming the sealing ring by” “such that both the sealing ring and the washer rests on the pin foot and one of the sealing ring or the washer contacts the pin foot”.
The motivation is good structural strength and good sealing such that the rubber ring is properly pressed and sealed in the resin.
Sugihara does not actually state “g) opening the mold after curing of the encapsulation compound, and”.
However this is implied, any person of ordinary skill in the art would know that the mold has to be opened to remove the molded article and that curing is an implied step in making a molded article in resin, however the Examiner provides a secondary reference, see Iwatani Fig. 7A, 7B see paragraph 0113 “In the transfer molding process, encapsulation resin 62 is produced in the mold, encapsulation resin 62 is heated and post-cured (“post-cure”) while the mold is closed, and then the mold is opened and semiconductor device 1 is taken out. Heating conditions for the post.sup.-cure include, for example, heating time in a range from 160 to 190° C., and heating time in a range from 2 to 8 hours”.
Thus, it 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 to modify Sugihara to include “g) opening the mold after curing of the encapsulation compound, and”.
Thus it would be obvious to combine the references to arrive at the claimed invention.
The motivation is that curing is a standard step in molding resin to make it hard and opening a mold is a known standard step to remove the item from the mold in order to use it.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SITARAMARAO S YECHURI whose telephone number is (571)272-8764. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-4:30 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Britt D Hanley can be reached at 571-270-3042. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SITARAMARAO S YECHURI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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