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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) was submitted on 9/06/24. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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.
Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yu et al. (US PGPub 2019/0148340, hereinafter referred to as “Yu”).
Yu disclose the semiconductor device as claimed. See figures 1A-6 and corresponding text, where Yu teaches, in claim 1, a semiconductor package comprising: (figures 1A-1F; [0013-0047])
a package substrate comprising a first interconnection;
an interposer on the package substrate, wherein the interposer comprises a second interconnection connected to the first interconnection;
a first chip structure (20A) and a second chip structure on the interposer, wherein the first chip structure and the second chip structure are connected to each other through the second interconnection, and wherein the second chip structure (120B) comprises:
a base chip; a chip stack on the base chip; and a first encapsulant surrounding a side surface of the chip stack, the first encapsulant comprising first pores in a surface thereof; a first underfill layer between the interposer and the first chip structure, between the interposer and the second chip structure, and in contact with at least a portion of a side surface of each of the first and second chip structures, wherein the first underfill layer comprises a pit in a surface thereof; a second encapsulant covering at least a portion of the side surface of each of the first chip structure and the second chip structure and covering the surface of the first underfill layer, wherein the second encapsulant comprises a second pore in a surface thereof; and a second underfill layer between the package substrate and the interposer, the second underfill layer in contact with at least a portion of a side surface of the second encapsulant, wherein at least a portion of the first underfill layer fills one or more of the first pores, wherein at least a portion of the second encapsulant fills one or more of the first pores and the pit, and wherein at least a portion of the second underfill layer fills the second pore.
Yu teaches, in claim 2, wherein at least one of the first pores among the one or more of the first pores filled by at least a portion of the first underfill layer is positioned in a lower region of the first encapsulant, wherein at least one of the first pores among the one or more of the first pores filled by at least a portion of the second encapsulant is positioned in an upper region of the first encapsulant, and wherein the second pore is positioned in a lower region of the second encapsulant (figures 1A-1F; [0013-0047]).
Yu teaches, in claim 3, wherein a volume of the at least a portion of the first underfill layer is less than a volume of the at least a portion of the second encapsulant(figures 1A-1F; [0013-0047]).
Yu teaches, in claim 4, wherein the second encapsulant further comprises a second pore in a surface thereof, and wherein the second pore is positioned in an upper region of the second encapsulant and is not filled with any material (figures 1A-1F; [0013-0047]).
Yu teaches, in claim 5, wherein the first encapsulant comprises a first filler, and wherein the second encapsulant comprises a second filler having a volume substantially the same as a volume of the first filler (figures 1A-1F; [0013-0047]).
Yu teaches, in claim 6, wherein the first encapsulant comprises a first filler, and wherein the second encapsulant comprises a second filler having a volume less than a volume of the first filler (figures 1A-1F; [0013-0047]).
Yu teaches, in claim 7, wherein the second filler is positioned in a first pore among the first pores (figures 1A-1F; [0013-0047]).
Yu teaches, in claim 8, wherein the first encapsulant comprises a first filler, and wherein the first underfill layer comprises a binder having a volume less than a volume of the first filler (figures 1A-1F; [0013-0047]).
Yu teaches, in claim 9, wherein the binder is positioned in a first pore among the first pores (figures 1A-1F; [0013-0047]).
Yu teaches, in claim 10, wherein the second encapsulant comprises a filler, and wherein the filler is not disposed in the pit (figures 1A-1F; [0013-0047]).
Yu teaches, in claim 11, wherein the second encapsulant comprises fillers, wherein the first underfill layer comprises binders, wherein one or more of the first pores are positioned in an upper region of the first encapsulant and are filled by the fillers, wherein one or more of the first pores are positioned in a lower region of the first encapsulant and are filled by the binders, and wherein a number of binders is greater than a number of fillers (figures 1A-1F; [0013-0047]).
Yu teaches, in claim 12, wherein the first encapsulant comprises a first filler, the second encapsulant comprises a second filler, the first underfill layer comprises a first binder, and the second underfill layer comprises a second binder, and wherein the first filler, the second filler, the first binder, and the second binder have a spherical shape (figures 1A-1F; [0013-0047]).
Yu teaches, in claim 13, wherein the first encapsulant and the second encapsulant comprise different insulating resins (figures 1A-1F; [0013-0047]).
Yu teaches, in claim 14, wherein the first encapsulant and the second encapsulant include an insulating resin (figures 1A-1F; [0013-0047]).
Yu teaches, in claim 15, a semiconductor package comprising: a base chip; a semiconductor chip on the base chip; a bump structure disposed between the base chip and the semiconductor chip; an underfill layer surrounding the bump structure, the underfill layer comprising first pits in a surface thereof; and a first encapsulant in contact with a side surface of the semiconductor chip and the surface of the underfill layer, wherein at least some first pits, among the first pits, are connected to each other to form a first pit tunnel leading inwardly from the surface of the underfill layer, and wherein at least a portion of the first encapsulant fills the first pit tunnel (figures 1A-1F; [0013-0047]).
Yu teaches, in claim 16, wherein a side surface of the first encapsulant comprises first pores, wherein the semiconductor package further comprises: a base substrate below the base chip; a connection bump between the base chip and the base substrate, the connection bump connecting the base chip and the base substrate to each other; and a second underfill layer surrounding the connection bump, the second underfill layer in contact with at least a portion of the side surface of the first encapsulant and having second pits in a surface thereof, wherein at least some first pores, among the first pores, are connected to each other to form a first pore tunnel in a lower region of the side surface of the first encapsulant, the first pore tunnel leading inwardly from the side surface of the first encapsulant, and wherein at least a portion of the second underfill layer fills the first pore tunnel (figures 1A-1F; [0013-0047]).
Yu teaches, in claim 17, further comprising: a second encapsulant in contact with the side surface of the first encapsulant and a side surface of the second underfill layer, wherein at least some second pits, among the second pits, are connected to each other to form a second pit tunnel leading inwardly from the surface of the second underfill layer, wherein at least some first pores, among the first pores, are connected to each other to form a second first pore tunnel in an upper region of the side surface of the first encapsulant, the second first pore tunnel leading inwardly from the side surface of the first encapsulant, and wherein at least a portion of the second encapsulant fills the second pit tunnel and the second first pore tunnel (figures 1A-1F; [0013-0047]).
Yu teaches, in claim 18, wherein the first encapsulant comprises a first insulating resin and a first filler, and wherein the second encapsulant comprises a second insulating resin different from the first insulating resin, and a second filler having a volume less than a volume of the first filler (figures 1A-1F; [0013-0047]).
Yu teaches, in claim 19, wherein the first encapsulant comprises a first insulating resin and first fillers, the second encapsulant comprises a second insulating resin, the underfill layer comprises first binders, and the second underfill layer comprises a third insulating resin and second binders, wherein the first insulating resin is in contact with a fragment of a first binder among the first binders in a first pit among the first pits, wherein the second insulating resin is in contact with a fragment of a first filler, among the first fillers, in a first pore among the first pores, wherein the third insulating resin is in contact with a fragment of a first filler, among the first fillers, in a first pore among the first pores, and wherein the second insulating resin is in contact with a fragment of a second binder among the second binder in a second pit among the second pits (figures 1A-1F; [0013-0047]).
Yu teaches, in claim 20, a semiconductor package comprising: (figures 1A-1F; [0013-0047])
a base substrate;
a first semiconductor chip on the base substrate;
a connection bump between the base substrate and the first semiconductor chip; a second semiconductor chip on the first semiconductor chip;
a first encapsulant in contact with a side surface of the second semiconductor chip, wherein the first encapsulant comprises first pores in a surface thereof;
a first underfill layer surrounding the connection bump, wherein the first underfill layer is in contact with a side surface of a lower region of the first encapsulant, and wherein the first underfill layer comprises a first pit in a surface thereof; and a second encapsulant, wherein the second encapsulant is in contact with a side surface of an upper region of the first encapsulant, wherein the first underfill layer fills a first pore, among the first pores, positioned in the lower region of the first encapsulant, and wherein the second encapsulant fills the first pit and a first pore, among the first pores, positioned in the upper region of the first encapsulant.
Conclusion
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/STANETTA D ISAAC/Examiner, Art Unit 2898 September 5, 2026
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