DETAILED ACTION
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.
Claims 1 and 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Watanabe et al. (US 2012/0138336 A1).
Pertaining to claim 1, Watanabe et al. discloses A printed circuit board (Abstract), comprising: a first insulating layer (100, see figs. 1A-1B) including a groove portion (110, see figs 1-5). on an upper side (see figs. 1-5); and a first wiring layer (150, see figs. 1A-1C) having an embedded portion embedded in the groove portion (see figs. 1A-2C) and a protruding portion (protruding portion of the circuit pattern 150, see figs. 1-2) protruding onto the first insulating layer (100), wherein the protruding portion of the first wiring layer (150) has a width of a lower end portion (see fig. 1C), narrower than a width of an upper end portion (see fig. 1C), the lower end portion being in contact with an upper surface of the first insulating layer (100, see paragraph [0041]).
Pertaining to claim 8, Watanabe et al. discloses, wherein a width of the embedded portion is narrower than a width of the protruding portion (see figs. 1-2).
Pertaining to claim 9, Watanabe et al. discloses, further comprising: a second wiring layer (120, see fig. 1-2) disposed below the first wiring layer (150), and spaced apart from the first wiring layer (150).
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.
Claims 2-3 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Watanabe et al. (US 2012/0138336 A1) in view of Furutani (US 2023/0171889 A1).
Pertaining to claim 2, Watanabe et al. discloses, wherein the first wiring layer (150) comprises a first metal layer (120, see figs. 1A-1B) disposed on an inner wall of the groove portion (110) and extending along a portion of the upper surface of the first insulating layer (100), and wherein a width of a portion (see fig. 1C), of the first metal layer, adjacent to the upper surface of the first insulating layer is narrower than a width of an upper surface of the first metal layer (150).
But, Watanabe et al. does not explicitly teach a second metal layer disposed on the first metal layer.
However, Furutani teaches a second metal layer (21p, see figs. 1 and 2I) disposed on the first metal layer (34, see fig. 1).
Therefore, At the time of the invention, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide a second metal layer disposed on the first metal layer in the device of Watanabe et al. based on the teachings of Furutani in order to improve device reliability and performance at advanced nodes, furthermore, higher conductivity and provide copper fill quality.
Pertaining to claim 3, Watanabe et al. discloses, wherein a width of a portion of the second metal layer (21p), adjacent to the upper surface of the first insulating layer (102, see fig. 2I) is narrower than a width of an upper surface of the second metal layer (21p).
Pertaining to claim 6, Watanabe et al. discloses, wherein the first metal layer (21 of Furutani) comprises substantially the same metal as the second metal layer (34 of Furutani).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 and 7 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 the base claim and any intervening claims. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: regarding claim 4, the specific limitations of “wherein at least a portion of a side surface of the second metal layer in the protruding portion and another portion of the side surface of the second metal layer in the protruding portion have different inclinations with respect to the upper surface of the first insulating layer.” ," in combination with the remaining elements, are not taught or adequately suggested by the prior art of record. Claim 5 depend from claim 4 is therefore allowed for at the same reasons.
Regarding claim 7, the specific limitations of "wherein the first wiring layer comprises a third metal layer disposed below the first metal layer, and the third metal layer comprises a different metal from the first metal layer," in combination with the remaining elements, are not taught or adequately suggested by the prior art of record.
7. Claims 10-12 and 14-20 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
a protruding portion protruding onto the insulating layer, wherein the wiring layer comprises a first metal layer disposed on an inner wall of the groove portion, a second metal layer disposed on the first metal layer, and a third layer disposed on the second metal layer, each of the first, second, and third metal layer includes a portion disposed in the groove portion and a portion protruding onto the insulating layer, and the second metal layer comprises a different metal than the first metal layer.
Conclusion
8. Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDARGIE M AYCHILLHUM whose telephone number is (571)270-1607. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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/ANDARGIE M AYCHILLHUM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847
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