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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lin et al. [US PGPUB 20140084445] (hereinafter Lin).
Regarding claim 1, Lin teaches a three-dimensional device structure comprising:
a first die (interposer 100, Para 21; wherein the interposer is structurally capable of being referred to as a die) comprising:
a first semiconductor substrate (120 to include via 126 in it, Para 22);
a first interconnect structure (142, Para 25) disposed on the first semiconductor substrate (Fig. 1/6A); and
a first seal ring (144, Para 24) surrounding the first interconnect structure (Fig. 6A);
a second die (lowermost die 10, Para 21) disposed on the first die (Fig. 6A) and comprising:
a second semiconductor substrate (20 to include via 26 in it, Para 13, Para 12);
a second interconnect structure (42, Para 15) disposed on the second semiconductor substrate (Fig. 6A); and
a second seal ring (44, Para 16) surrounding the second interconnect structure (Fig. 6A); and
a first connection circuit (metal lines 164, Para 25) electrically coupling the first seal ring to the second seal ring (Fig. 6A, Para 34),
wherein the first seal ring and the second seal ring do not vertically overlap in a direction perpendicular to an upper surface of the first semiconductor substrate (Fig. 6A).
Regarding claim 4, Lin teaches a three-dimensional device structure wherein the first seal ring is electrically grounded to the first semiconductor substrate (Para 20).
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.
Claims 5 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin.
Regarding claim 5, Lin teaches a three-dimensional device structure wherein the first connection circuit comprises copper (Para 25).
Lin does not specifically disclose wherein the first seal ring, the second seal ring, and the first connection circuit comprise the same conductive material.
However, in another embodiment of Lin, Lin discusses thermal dissipation within the device package (Para 33/34, Fig.7), wherein at least path of the thermal dissipation includes metal wires 72 and pillars 54/56/58 which comprise copper (Para 19/32).
In view of such teaching regarding thermal dissipation and material used for thermal dissipation components as that by Lin, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the first seal ring and the second seal ring be consist of copper similar to the first connection circuit, at least based on the rationale of using known material to improve similar devices (methods, or products) in the same way (MPEP 2143) –wherein copper is known for excellent thermal and electrical conductance.
Regarding claim 6, modified invention of Lin discloses a three-dimensional device structure wherein the first seal ring, the second seal ring, and the first connection circuit comprise at least 95% copper (Para 19/32 –wherein the material is copper).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-20 are allowed.
Claims 2-3 and 7-10 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:
Claims 11-15 are allowed because all prior arts of record and related prior arts not of record either singularly or in combination fail to anticipate or render obvious a three-dimensional device structure comprising:
a first contact line extending from the first seal ring toward the first interconnect structure, in a first direction parallel to an upper surface of the first semiconductor substrate;
a second contact line extending from the second seal ring toward the second interconnect structure in the first direction; and
via structures and bonding pads extending from the first contact line to the second contact line in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction (as claimed in claim 11), in combination with the rest of claim limitations as claimed and defined by the Applicant.
Claims 16-20 are allowed because all prior arts of record and related prior arts not of record either singularly or in combination fail to anticipate or render obvious a three-dimensional device structure comprising:
a redistribution layer structure disposed over the second die and comprising a third seal ring;
a second connection circuit electrically coupling the second seal ring to the third seal ring,
wherein the first seal ring and the second seal ring do not overlap in a stacking direction of the first and second dies (as claimed in claim 16), in combination with the rest of claim limitations as claimed and defined by the Applicant.
Conclusion
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/ISMAIL A MUSE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812
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