Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-6, 10, 13-16, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2008/0170819 A1.
Claim 1: '819 discloses an electronic device, comprising (see mainly fig. 10):
a photonic component 1120 comprising an optical channel 1150;
a first optical element 338 configured to optically couple with the optical channel; and
a second optical element 346 self-aligned with the optical channel and defined at a specific position to be configured to direct an optical signal between the optical channel and the first optical element. Microlens 346 is part of package substrate 320A, which is self-aligned to motherboard 1120 by solder reflow self-alignment effect ([0576], see also [0201], [0209], [0329]-[0331], [0382], and [0751] for more detail).
Claim 2: The electronic device further comprises a connecting element 320A connecting the photonic component to the second optical element, wherein the connecting element comprises a first connection 327, and the photonic component comprises a second connection 306 self-aligned with the first connection to self-align the second optical element with the optical channel.
Claim 3: The electronic device further comprises a soldering material 344 connecting the first connection to the second connection.
Claim 4: The electronic device further comprises a protective layer 348 encapsulating the soldering material and connecting the photonic component to the connecting element.
Claim 5: The connecting element 320A comprises a logic circuit (IC chip of [0567]).
Claim 6: The logic circuit is closer to an active surface (upper surface through which optical signals pass, via microlenses 1146a/1146b) of the photonic component 1120 than to a back surface opposite to the active surface of the photonic component.
Claim 10: '819 discloses an electronic device, comprising (see mainly fig. 10):
an electronic component 1120; and
a connecting structure 320A comprising an optical element 346,
wherein the connecting structure is configured to solder (see 343) to the electronic component and to conduct an optical transmission between the electronic component and the optical element.
Claim 13: The electronic component comprises an optical channel 1150 configured to optically couple to the optical element.
Claim 14: A portion of the connecting structure 320A is disposed over the optical channel 1150 (fig. 10).
Claim 15: '819 discloses an electronic device, comprising (see mainly fig. 10):
a first electronic component 320A;
a second electronic component 338 disposed above and electrically connected to the first electronic component; and
an optical element 338a supported by the second electronic component and configured to optically couple with the first electronic component.
Claim 16: The electronic device further comprises a carrier 1120 supporting the first electronic component and spaced apart from the optical element.
Claim 19: The second electronic component 338 is electrically connected to the carrier 1120 through the first electronic component 320A.
Claims 1-3 and 10-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2013/0084039 A1.
Claim 1: '039 discloses an electronic device, comprising (see mainly figs. 1-8):
a photonic component 200 comprising an optical channel 202;
a first optical element 400 configured to optically couple with the optical channel; and
a second optical element 102 self-aligned with the optical channel (by way of pads 602 / 606, [0034]) and defined at a specific position to be configured to direct an optical signal between the optical channel and the first optical element.
Claim 2: The electronic device further comprises a connecting element 100 connecting the photonic component to the second optical element, wherein the connecting element comprises a first connection 602, and the photonic component comprises a second connection 606 self-aligned with the first connection to self-align the second optical element with the optical channel.
Claim 3: The electronic device further comprises a soldering material connecting the first connection to the second connection ([0043]).
Claim 10: '039 discloses an electronic device, comprising (see mainly figs. 1-8):
an electronic component 200; and
a connecting structure 100 comprising an optical element 102,
wherein the connecting structure is configured to solder to the electronic component (using pads 602 / 606, [0043]) and to conduct an optical transmission between the electronic component and the optical element.
Claim 11: The connecting structure comprises a portion protruding beyond a side surface of the electronic component (fig. 2), and the optical element 102 is adjacent to the side surface and connected to the portion of the connecting structure.
Claim 12: The optical element 102 is spaced apart from the side surface of the electronic component (by at least a distance fl in fig. 2).
Claim 13: The electronic component 200 comprises an optical channel 202 configured to optically couple to the optical element.
Claim 14: A portion 104 of the connecting structure is disposed over the optical channel.
Claims 10, 15-16, and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2013/0330033 A1.
Claim 10: '033 discloses an electronic device, comprising (see mainly fig. 1):
an electronic component 102; and
a connecting structure 104 comprising an optical element 110,
wherein the connecting structure is configured to solder (at 106) to the electronic component and to conduct an optical transmission between the electronic component and the optical element.
Claim 15: '033 discloses an electronic device, comprising (see mainly fig. 3):
a first electronic component 306;
a second electronic component 302 disposed above and electrically connected to the first electronic component; and
an optical element (the light emitting / receiving surface, not labeled in fig. 3 but designated 112 in fig. 1) supported by the second electronic component and configured to optically couple with the first electronic component (note the beam paths in fig. 3).
Claim 16: The electronic device further comprises a carrier 310 supporting the first electronic component and spaced apart from the optical element.
Claim 19: The second electronic component 302 is electrically connected to the carrier 310 through the first electronic component (note the via labeled 308).
Claim 20: The electronic device further comprises a third electronic component 304 disposed over the first electronic component and electrically connected to the second electronic component 302 through the first electronic component (by via 308, solder ball 312, metal trace 314, another solder ball, and another via).
Claims 1-4 and 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US 2024/0369783 A1.
Claim 1: '783 discloses an electronic device, comprising (see mainly figs. 6 and 10):
a photonic component 110 comprising an optical channel 104;
a first optical element 154 (fig. 10) configured to optically couple with the optical channel; and
a second optical element 200 self-aligned with the optical channel and defined at a specific position to be configured to direct an optical signal between the optical channel and the first optical element.
Claim 2: The electronic device further comprises a connecting element 120 connecting the photonic component to the second optical element, wherein the connecting element comprises a first connection 201, and the photonic component comprises a second connection 116 self-aligned with the first connection to self-align the second optical element with the optical channel (fig. 6, [0041]).
Claim 3: The electronic device further comprises a soldering material connecting the first connection to the second connection ([0041]).
Claim 4: The electronic device further comprises a protective layer 128 (fig. 7) encapsulating the soldering material and connecting the photonic component to the connecting element.
Claim 8: The electronic device further comprises: a connecting element 120 (fig. 6) connecting the photonic component 110 to the second optical element 200; and a soldering material connecting the second optical element to the connecting element ([0041]).
Claim 9: The connecting element 120 supports the first optical element 154 (154 is bonded via adhesive 152 to structure 200, which in turn is solder bonded to 120).
Claim 10: '783 discloses an electronic device, comprising (see mainly figs. 6 and 10):
an electronic component 120; and
a connecting structure 200 comprising an optical element 212,
wherein the connecting structure is configured to solder to the electronic component ([0041]) and to conduct an optical transmission between the electronic component and the optical element (a beam path is depicted in fig. 10).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7 and 17-18 are 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 their respective base claims and all applicable intervening claims.
Conclusion
The additional references listed on the attached 892 form generally disclose other examples of electronic devices.
Contact Information
Examiner: 571-272-2360
Examiner's direct supervisor: 571-272-2397
Official correspondence by fax: 571-273-8300
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from Patent Center. Should you have questions about Patent Center, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free).
/Michael Stahl/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874
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