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 .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
In paragraph [0045], “the adhesive solution, the immiscible solvent, and the adhesive solution” should read “the adhesive solution and the immiscible solvent”, and in paragraph [0047], “[t]he amphiphilic solvent may be or include, or example, a solvent exhibiting hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity” should read “[t]he amphiphilic solvent may be or include, for example, a solvent exhibiting hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because in Fig. 8, step S300 recites “the adhesive solution” twice. 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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112(a)
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claim(s) 3-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
With respect to claim 3, as currently presented the claims require “applying heat to the adhesive mixture” and “thermally curing the adhesive mixture”. The specification, however, fails to provide any description of what constitutes a “thermally curing” step. Specifically, while the specification discusses in paragraph [0043] that “when heat is applied to cure the adhesive solution 310, the immiscible solvent 320 in the adhesive mixture 340 may vaporize”, the specification does not provide any discussion of thermal curing after heat is applied to the adhesive mixture. Accordingly, the claim contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Claims 4-10 which either directly or indirectly depend from claim 3, and which inherit issues of claim 3 are rejected for similar reasons.
With respect to claim 11, as currently presented the claims require “applying heat to the adhesive mixture” and “thermally curing the adhesive mixture”. The specification, however, fails to provide any description of what constitutes a “thermally curing” step. Specifically, while the specification discusses in paragraph [0043] that “when heat is applied to cure the adhesive solution 310, the immiscible solvent 320 in the adhesive mixture 340 may vaporize”, the specification does not provide any discussion of thermal curing after heat is applied to the adhesive mixture. Accordingly, the claim contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Claims 12-19 which either directly or indirectly depend from claim 11, and which inherit issues of claim 11 are rejected for similar reasons.
With respect to claim 20, as currently presented the claims require “applying heat to the adhesive mixture” and “thermally curing the adhesive mixture”. The specification, however, fails to provide any description of what constitutes a “thermally curing” step. Specifically, while the specification discusses in paragraph [0043] that “when heat is applied to cure the adhesive solution 310, the immiscible solvent 320 in the adhesive mixture 340 may vaporize”, the specification does not provide any discussion of thermal curing after heat is applied to the adhesive mixture. Accordingly, the claim contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112(b)
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(s) 3-20 is/are 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.
With respect to claims 3, 11 and 20, as currently presented the claims require “applying heat to the adhesive mixture” and “thermally curing the adhesive mixture”. The difference between the step of applying heat to the adhesive mixture and the step of thermally curing the adhesive mixture, however, is unclear. Review of the specification, and in particular paragraph [0043], suggests that applying heat to the adhesive mixture results in curing of the adhesive mixture. Accordingly, it is not clear how the steps of applying heat and thermally curing differ from one another. For purpose of compact prosecution, it will be assumed that applying heat to the adhesive mixture results in curing of the adhesive mixture. Claims 4-10 and 12-19, which either directly or indirectly depend from claims 3 and 11, respectively, and which inherit issues of claims 3 and 11 are rejected for similar reasons.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US 2022/0359466, hereinafter “Kim”) in view of Chang et al. (US 2016/0141260, hereinafter “Chang”), Jang et al. (US 2019/0211231, hereinafter “Jang”) and Chen et al. (US 2014/0117538, hereinafter “Chen”).
Regarding claim 1, Kim teaches in Figs. 7-18 (Figs. 8-10 shown below) and related text a method of manufacturing a semiconductor package, the method comprising:
providing an interposer substrate (200, Fig. 8 and ¶[0025]), the interposer substrate having first bonding pads (240, Fig. 8 and ¶[0031]) on a first surface thereof and second bonding pads (230, Fig. 8 and ¶[0031]) on a second surface thereof, the second surface opposite the first surface;
forming solder bumps (260, Fig. 9 and ¶[0035]) on the first bonding pads, respectively;
forming adhesive layer (F2, Fig. 10 and ¶[0094]);
attaching the interposer substrate onto a carrier substrate (C2, Fig. 10 and ¶[0094]) using the adhesive layer;
placing at least one semiconductor device (300, 400, Fig. 10 and ¶[0094]) on the second surface of the interposer substrate, the placed the at least one semiconductor device having conductive bumps (430, Fig. 10 and ¶[0095]) disposed on the second bonding pads (230, Fig. 10 and ¶[0095]).
PNG
media_image1.png
419
832
media_image1.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image2.png
442
833
media_image2.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image3.png
433
838
media_image3.png
Greyscale
Kim, however, does not explicitly teach that a release layer is applied on the solder bumps and that the adhesive layer is formed on the release layer, the adhesive layer being porous adhesive layer defining a plurality of pores therein. Kim also does not explicitly teach that a reflow process is performed on the conductive bumps to mount the placed at least one semiconductor device on the second surface of the interposer substrate.
Chang, in a similar field of endeavor, teaches in Figs. 1B-1R and related text that a release layer (152, Fig. 1H and ¶[0057]) may be formed on a solder bump layer similar to that disclosed by Kim, prior to forming of thermoplastic adhesive layer (154, Fig. 1H and ¶¶[0058]-[0059]) and carrier substrate (156, Fig. 1H and ¶[0058]) in order to facilitate separation of the carrier substrate from the interposer during manufacturing of the device. Moreover, Jang, in a similar field of endeavor, teaches that polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), which according to the Applicant is a porous materials (see ¶[0042] of the specification as published) is a known thermoplastic adhesive in the art (¶[0008]).
Thus, since the prior art teaches all the claimed method steps and materials, using such steps and materials would lead to predictable results and, as such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply a release layer on the solder bumps, disclosed by Kim, and to form an adhesive porous layer on the release layer, as disclosed by Chang and Jang, the adhesive layer being porous adhesive layer defining a plurality of pores therein, in order to facilitate separation of the carrier substrate from the interposer during manufacturing of the device, using well-known adhesive materials in the art.
Chen, in a similar field of endeavor, teaches that a reflow process can be performed on the conductive bumps (37, Fig. 3F and ¶[0054]), such as those disclosed by Kim, Chang and Jang, in order to mount a semiconductor device (8A, Fig. 3F and ¶[0056]) on the second surface of the interposer substrate (30, Fig. 3F and ¶[0054]).
Thus, since the prior art teaches all the claimed method steps, using such steps would lead to predictable results and as such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the reflow process disclosed by Chen on the conductive bumps disclosed by Kim, Chang and Jang, in order to mount a semiconductor device on the second surface of the interposer substrate.
Regarding claim 2 (1), the combined teaching of Kim, Chang, Jang and Chen further discloses disposing the interposer substrate (Kim, 200, Fig. 15) on a package substrate (Kim, 100, Fig. 15 and ¶[0107]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANETA B CIESLEWICZ whose telephone number is 303-297-4232. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM.
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.
/A.B.C/Examiner, Art Unit 2893
/SUE A PURVIS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2893
Prosecution Insights