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 .
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.
(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, 2, 4 – 6, 8, 12, 13 15, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by US Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0187530 to Zhang et al.
Regarding claim 1, Zhang et al. teach a microelectronic assembly, comprising:
a first microelectronic component (30a); and
a second microelectronic component (30b) coupled to the first microelectronic component by a direct bonding region (¶ [0038]), wherein the direct bonding region comprises at least part of a conductive trace (74) of an inductor (Fig. 5B-5E).
Regarding claims 2 and 17, Zhang et al. teach a microelectronic assembly and system, wherein the conductive trace comprises a metal contact of the first microelectronic component bonded with a metal contact of the second microelectronic component (¶ [0056], Fig. 5E ).
Regarding claim 4, Zhang et al. teach a microelectronic assembly, wherein the conductive trace comprises a first portion provided by the first microelectronic component and a second portion provided by the second microelectronic component, the first portion in contact with the second portion (Figs. 5B-5E).
Regarding claim 5, Zhang et al. teach a microelectronic assembly, wherein the conductive trace is a first conductive trace, the first conductive trace is provided by the first microelectronic component, the direct bonding region further comprises at least part of a second conductive trace of the inductor, and the second conductive trace is provided by the second microelectronic component (Figs. 5B-5E).
Regarding claim 6, Zhang et al. teach a microelectronic assembly, wherein the first conductive trace and the second conductive trace are spaced apart in the direct bonding region (Fig. 5E).
Regarding claim 8, Zhang et al. teach a microelectronic assembly, comprising:
a first microelectronic component (30a); and
a second microelectronic component (30b) coupled to the first microelectronic component by a direct bonding region (¶ [0038]), wherein the direct bonding region comprises at least part of a dielectric region (64) of an inductor.
Regarding claim 12, Zhang et al. teach a microelectronic assembly, wherein the dielectric region comprises a first portion provided by the first microelectronic component and a second portion provided by the second microelectronic component (Figs. 5B-5E).
Regarding claim 13, Zhang et al. teach a microelectronic assembly, wherein the first portion is in contact with the second portion (Fig. 5E).
Regarding claim 15, Zhang et al. teach a system comprising:
a first die (30a); and
a second die (30b) coupled to the first die in a direct bonding region, wherein the direct bonding region comprises at least part of a conductive trace (74) of an inductor.
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 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang et al.
Regarding claim 16, Zhang et al. teach a system, wherein solder balls are attached to the microelectronic assembly for the purpose of connection to a system or device in which it will be used (¶ [0050]). Zhang et al. further teach “[a]ny other suitable packaging scheme can be implemented in accordance with principles of the present disclosure. Zhang et al., ¶ [0050]. Zhang et al. do not explicitly teach the system further comprising a circuit board communicatively coupled to the first die. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to communicatively couple the first die to a circuit board since Zhang et al. teach that the microelectronic assembly is intended to be connected to an external system or device.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 7, 9, 10, 11, 14 and 18 – 20 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US Patent Application Publication No. 2019/0221345 to Vadlamani et al. teach a microelectronic assembly and system including an inductor embedded in a substrate. Vadlamani et al. do not teach that the direct bonding region comprises part of a conductive trace or dielectric region of an inductor.
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DOUGLAS W. OWENS, Esq.
Primary Patent Examiner
Art Unit 2897
/DOUGLAS W OWENS/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2897