Detailed Action
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
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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Pat. No. 6348728 to Aiba et al. (Aiba).
Regarding Claim 1, Aiba teaches in Fig. 19 at least, a method comprising:
encapsulating a first device die and a second device (not numbered) die in a first encapsulant 28;
performing a first planarization process on the first encapsulant 7:42-51;
forming a first through-via (not numbered, vias from both first and second device die) starting from the first device die;
placing a third device die 82 over the first device die and the second device die through a die-attach film (not numbered, film under 82); and
forming a redistribution structure over 32/36 and electrically coupling to the first device die, the second device die, and the third device die.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-9 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: the cited prior art does not teach the specific limitations of the dependent claims..
Claims 11-20 are allowed.
Regarding Claim 20, U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20190074261 to Yu et al. teaches in Figs. 3A-3J method comprising:
placing a first device die comprising:
a first part comprising a first edge;
a second part comprising a second edge opposite to the first edge; and
a conductive pad in the first part;
placing a second device die adjacent to the first device die;
attaching a third device die on the first device die and the second device die through a die-attach film; and
encapsulating the first device die, the second device die, and the third device die in an encapsulant, wherein a bottom surface of the die-attach film contacts a top surface of the encapsulant to form a horizontal interface, and wherein the second edge of the first device die overlaps a part of the encapsulant.
However, Yu is not available as prior art.
Regarding Claim 18, U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20070126085 to Kawano et al. teaches in Figs. 3A-4C a method comprising:
encapsulating a first device die in a first encapsulant;
forming a first through-via contacting the first device die;
adhering a second device die on the first device die; and
encapsulating the second device die and the first through-via in a second encapsulant,
but does not teach the through-via comprising a first bottom surface contacting the first device die.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EVREN SEVEN whose telephone number is (571)270-5666. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:00- 5:00 Pacific.
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, Christine Kim can be reached at (571) 272-8458. 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.
/EVREN SEVEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812
Prosecution Insights