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 .
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 9-11, 13-17 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.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-8, 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Swan et al. (US 8053872 B1) hereafter referred to as Swan in view of Danno et al. (US 20180182692 A1) hereafter referred to as Danno
In regard to claim 1 Swan teaches a semiconductor device [see Fig. 5, Fig. 15] comprising:
a first semiconductor [“die 20 resides on top of the die attach pad 12”] element;
a first terminal [see Fig. 5 reproduced below, it can be the corner 14 on sides A, B, C] electrically connected to the first semiconductor element;
a second terminal [see Fig. 5 reproduced below, it is the mirror image of the first terminal and it too can be the corner 14 on sides A, B, C] electrically connected to the first semiconductor element and spaced apart from the first terminal in a first [see Fig. 5 reproduced below, it is along the side A] direction; and
a overmold [“An overmold body 26 is formed over the semiconductor device package 10, covering the die 20, die attach pad 12, wire bonds 22, inside row of contact pads 14 and a portion of the outside row of contact pads 16. As illustrated, a portion of the outside row of contact pads 16 remains exposed. The die attach pad 12, the inside row of contact pads 14, and the outside row of contact pads 16 are held together by the overmold body 26”] covering the first semiconductor element and a part of each of the first terminal and the second terminal,
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wherein the overmold includes a first side surface [see Fig. 5 reproduced above, it is the side face of the resin on side A see Fig. 15] facing in a second direction [i.e perpendicular to side A] orthogonal to the first direction and located closest [see side A is closest to both the corner 14 on sides A, B, C] to the first terminal and the second terminal in the second direction, and
the first terminal and the second terminal are spaced apart [see Fig. 5 reproduced above, see that the corner 14 on sides A, B, C are spaced apart from the side face of the resin on side A] from the first side surface
but does not state that the overmold is a sealing resin.
See Danno Fig. 1, Fig. 2 see “In the semiconductor device, the two semiconductor chips are sealed with a sealing resin” “sealing body (sealing resin layer, sealing resin, sealing resin portion, or sealing body) 7 is made of, e.g., a resin material such as a thermosetting resin and may also contain a filler or the like”.
Thus, it 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 to modify Swan to include that the overmold is a sealing resin.
Thus it would be obvious to combine the references to arrive at the claimed invention.
The motivation is that resin is known to give excellent results as molding for semiconductor packages.
In regard to claim 2 Swan and Danno as combined teaches further comprising a die pad [“die 20 resides on top of the die attach pad 12”] on which the first semiconductor element is mounted,
wherein, as viewed in a third direction [vertical] orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction, the die pad includes a first edge [i.e. facing side A] extending in the first direction and located closest [i.e. it is facing side A] to the first side surface in the second direction, and the first terminal and the second terminal are located on opposite sides [see Fig. 5 reproduced above] of the first edge in the first direction.
In regard to claim 3 Swan and Danno as combined teaches wherein the first terminal and the second terminal are located opposite to the first side surface with respect to [see Fig. 5 reproduced above this is true, see the corner 14 on sides B, C] the first edge in the second direction.
In regard to claim 4 Swan and Danno as combined does not teach wherein, as viewed in the third direction, the first terminal overlaps with a first extension line extending from one end of the first edge in the first direction.
However see Danno Fig. 1, Fig. 5, Fig. 6 see that when there are a plurality of different size die, the output terminals in Fig. 1 on left and right overlap the top edge of the die pad “die pad 3”.
Thus, it 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 to modify Swan to include wherein, as viewed in the third direction, the first terminal overlaps with a first extension line extending from one end of the first edge in the first direction.
Thus it would be obvious to combine the references to arrive at the claimed invention.
The motivation is to include a plurality of dies in the package to increase the functionality in the package and thus to maximize the output pads by allowing output pads to overlap the extension line of the die pad edge.
In regard to claim 5 Swan and Danno as combined teaches wherein, as viewed in the third direction, the second terminal overlaps [see combination claim 4 see that in both Swan and Danno there is symmetrical output pads on left side and right side] with a second extension line extending from another end of the first edge in the first direction.
In regard to claim 6 Swan and Danno as combined does not teach wherein a dimension of the die pad in the first direction increases as the die pad extends away from a side on which the first side surface is located with respect to the first semiconductor element in the second direction.
However see Danno Fig. 1, Fig. 5, Fig. 6 see that when there are a plurality of different size die, the die pad “die pad 3” is not rectangular, see that bottom part of the die pad is wider.
Thus, it 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 to modify Swan to include wherein a dimension of the die pad in the first direction increases as the die pad extends away from a side on which the first side surface is located with respect to the first semiconductor element in the second direction.
Thus it would be obvious to combine the references to arrive at the claimed invention.
The motivation is to include a plurality of dies in the package to increase the functionality in the package and to shape the die pad to accomododate the different dies in an optimal manner for connectivity.
In regard to claim 7 Swan and Danno as combined teaches [see combination claim 6, see Danno Fig. 1, Fig. 5, Fig. 6 see that when there are a plurality of different size die, the die pad “die pad 3” is not rectangular, see that bottom part of the die pad is wider and protrudes to left and righ sides] wherein a portion of the die pad that is located opposite to the first edge with respect to the first semiconductor element in the second direction protrudes toward opposite sides in the first direction with respect to the first edge.
In regard to claim 8 Swan and Danno as combined teaches wherein at least a part of the die pad is covered with [see Swan Fig. 5, Fig. 15, see combination “An overmold body 26 is formed over the semiconductor device package 10, covering the die 20, die attach pad 12, wire bonds 22, inside row of contact pads 14 and a portion of the outside row of contact pads 16. As illustrated, a portion of the outside row of contact pads 16 remains exposed. The die attach pad 12, the inside row of contact pads 14, and the outside row of contact pads 16 are held together by the overmold body 26”] the sealing resin, the sealing resin includes a bottom surface [see Swan Fig. 5, Fig. 15] facing away from a side on which the first semiconductor element is located with respect to the die pad, and the first terminal and the second terminal are exposed [see Swan Fig. 5, Fig. 15 see the body 26 extends between 14, 16 and see that 14, 16 are exposed at the bottom] externally from the bottom surface.
In regard to claim 12 Swan and Danno as combined does not teach wherein the sealing resin includes a second side surface and a third side surface facing away from each other in the first direction, the first terminal is exposed externally from the second side surface, and the second terminal is exposed externally from the third side surface.
However this is because in claim 1 the corner 14 on sides A, B, C were identified as first terminal and second terminal. However see Swan Fig. 5, Fig. 15 see “Wire bonds 22 couple bond pads (not shown) from various devices on the die 20 to contact pads 24 within the inside row of contact pads 14 and the outside row of contact pads 16” however Swan also says “electromagnetic shield 34 reduces electromagnetic interference (EMI), especially when all or certain of the contact pads 24 of the outside row of contact pads 16 are grounded” “All or most of the contact pads 24 of the outside row of contact pads 16 are reserved for connecting to the shield 34 and should not be used for any other purpose” i.e. Swan seems to indicate that some contact pads 16 can be used for other purposes, and see the left and right edges of Fig. 5, Fig. 15 where the 16 are exposed from the sealing resin thus see Fig. 5 reproduced in claim 1, in Fig. 5 on all sides, the sides of contact pads 16 are exposed from the body 26, see that on the sides B, C can be the “a second side surface and a third side surface”.
Thus, it 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 to modify Swan to include wherein the sealing resin includes a second side surface and a third side surface facing away from each other in the first direction, the first terminal is exposed externally from the second side surface, and the second terminal is exposed externally from the third side surface.
Thus it would be obvious to combine the references to arrive at the claimed invention.
The motivation is that Swan seems to indicate that some contact pads 16 can be used for other purposes (such as ground connection).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SITARAMARAO S YECHURI whose telephone number is (571)272-8764. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-4:30 PM.
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/SITARAMARAO S YECHURI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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