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 .
Response to Amendment
Claims 1-20 remain pending in the application in response to the applicant’s amendments to the rejections previously set forth in the Non-Final Office Action mailed 12/17/2025.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pg. 6-11, filed 03/05/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1 under 35 U.S.C. 103 (Bruestle in view of Weekamp) have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar (see below).
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.
Claims 1, 7, and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen et al. (US 20190282207 A1, published September 19, 2019) in view of Hageman et al. (US 20180028159 A1, published February 1, 2018), Xu et al. (US 20200185300 A1, published June 11, 2020), Richard et al. (US 20170095230 A1, published April 6, 2017), Nikoozadeh et al. (US 20210405172 A1, published December 30, 2021), Miyakoshi et al. (US 20150279759 A1, published October 1, 2015), and Maydar et al. (US 20150303173 A1, published October 22, 2015), hereinafter referred to as Chen, Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar, respectively.
Regarding claim 1, Chen teaches an apparatus, comprising:
a handheld ultrasound probe (Fig. 2, ultrasonic transducer assembly 110), the handheld ultrasound probe containing:
a handheld housing (Fig. 2, probe housing 102a and 102b as handheld housing);
a rear cap coupled to the handheld housing (Fig. 2, cable assembly 108 as rear cap coupled to housing 102);
a shroud coupled to the handheld housing (Fig. 2, shroud 106 coupled to housing 102);
a lens coupled to the shroud (Fig. 2, lens 104 coupled to shroud 106), wherein the handheld housing, rear cap, shroud, and lens are coupled to define an enclosed space (Fig. 2, housing 102, cable assembly 108 (rear cap), shroud 106, and lens 104 coupled to define enclosed space within probe 100);
a semiconductor chip or chip stack disposed behind the lens within the enclosed space (Fig. 2, chip device 112 disposed behind lens 104 within enclosed space of housing 102) and comprising an array of microscale ultrasonic transducers and integrated circuitry (see para. 0027 – “…an ultrasound-on-chip device 112 having an ultrasonic transducer array that is covered by the acoustic lens 104 when the ultrasound probe 100 is assembled.”; see para. 0027 – “The circuit boards 114 and 116 [integrated circuitry] may include circuitry configured to operate the ultrasonic transducer arrangement 110 in a transmit mode to transmit ultrasound signals, or receive mode, to convert received ultrasound signals into electrical signals.”; Fig. 3; see para. 0028 – “The ultrasonic transducer substrate 302 has a plurality of cavities 306 formed therein, and is an example of a CMUT device [microscale ultrasonic transducers] as described above.”).
Chen teaches an interposer within the probe (see para. 0033 – “…the handheld probe embodiment of FIGS. 1-2 in which the ultrasonic transducer assembly 110 includes an interposer circuit board 402…”), and it is inherent to dispose an interposer behind the chip in order to connect the chip to the rest of the probe circuitry and apparatus, but does not explicitly teach an interposer disposed behind the semiconductor chip or chip stack.
Whereas, Hageman, in an analogous field of endeavor, teaches an interposer disposed behind the semiconductor chip or chip stack within the enclosed space; and at least one circuit board disposed behind the interposer within the enclosed space and electrically coupled to the interposer (Fig. 4; see para. 0041 – “The interposer circuit board 402 serves as an electrical interface between the ultrasound-on-chip device 112 and the first and second circuit boards 114, 116 shown in FIG. 2”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the interposer, as disclosed in Chen, by having the interposer between the chip and the circuit boards, as disclosed in Hageman. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order for the interposer to serve as an electrical interface between the chip and the circuit board, as taught in Hageman (see para. 0035).
Chen in view of Hageman teaches an interposer in an ultrasound probe, but does not explicitly teach where the interposer comprises a plurality of epoxy-filled copper-plated thermal vias.
Whereas, Xu, in an analogous field of endeavor, teaches wherein the interposer comprises a plurality of epoxy-filled copper-plated thermal vias (Fig. 1A-1B; see para. 0032 – “In some embodiments, thermal trench vias 101 comprise high-k materials such as, but not limited to, copper, nickel and aluminum. Thermal trench vias 101 are embedded in package substrate 102, which comprises dielectric materials such as epoxy and phenolic resins.”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the interposer, as disclosed in Chen in view of Hageman, by including a plurality of epoxy-filled copper-plated thermal vias to the interposer, as disclosed in Xu. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to exhibit high thermal resistance, and perform as an insulating sheath surrounding trench vias, allowing heat flowing from dies to be channeled through thermal trench vias without spreading significantly through the surrounding dielectric material, as taught in Xu (see para. 0032).
Chen in view of Hageman and Xu teaches a handheld ultrasound probe, and it is inherent to have a handheld probe lightweight and small enough for a person to carry with ease, but does not explicitly teach the handheld ultrasound probe weighing between 100 grams and 500 grams, having a length of less than 300 mm, and being couplable to a smartphone or tablet.
Whereas, Richard, in an analogous field of endeavor, teaches handheld ultrasound probe weighing between 100 grams and 500 grams (see para. 0035 – “The weight of the housing 22, with all internal components discussed below, preferably does not exceed 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds).” Which is within 100 grams and 500 grams), having a length of less than 300 mm (see para. 0035 – “The housing 22 is preferably sized to be carried in one hand of an adult, and preferably does not exceed a size of 30 cm by 30 cm (12 inches by 12 inches)…” which is less than 300 mm), and being couplable to a smartphone or tablet (Fig. 2, first display 30 as tablet coupled to ultrasound probe 40).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the handheld ultrasound probe, as disclosed in Chen in view of Hageman and Xu, by having the probe handheld-sized, as disclosed in Richard. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to allow the housing to fit and easily be carried in a standard size pocket on a medical personnel lab coat, as taught in Richard (see para. 0035).
Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, and Richard teaches a handheld ultrasound probe, and it is inherent for an ultrasound probe to operate long enough and with enough power to perform ultrasound imaging, but does not explicitly teach the handheld ultrasound probe is configured to operate in a runtime mode with a power consumption of at least 5 Watts for at least 15 minutes.
Whereas, Nikoozadeh, in an analogous field of endeavor, teaches wherein the handheld ultrasound probe is configured to operate in a runtime mode with a power consumption of at least 5 Watts for at least 15 minutes (see para. 0020 – “The handheld ultrasound imaging system may comprise a weight of no more than 300 grams (g) and draw power of no more than about 15 watts (W) [which is at least 5 watts] when performing real-time imaging of the tissue with a resolution capable of resolving the tissue structure displayed in the image.”; see para. 0274 – “The energy storage 2028 may be configured to deliver in a single charge cycle (e.g., a period of operation without recharging) sufficient power to operate the handheld ultrasound probe for a period of time (e.g., a range of 30 minutes to one hour) [which is at least 15 minutes] sufficient to perform a typical ultrasound scan.”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified a handheld ultrasound probe, as disclosed in Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, and Richard, by having the handheld ultrasound probe configured to operate in a runtime mode with a power consumption of at least 5 Watts for at least 15 minutes, as disclosed in Nikoozadeh. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to perform a plurality of typical ultrasound scans during the course of a work day or hospital shift, as taught in Nikoozadeh (see para. 0274).
Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, and Nikoozadeh teaches thermal vias in an interposer, and it is inherent for thermal vias to have a diameter and a pitch, but does not explicitly teach the diameter and pitch of the thermal vias.
Whereas, Miyakoshi, in an analogous field of endeavor, teaches thermal vias having inner diameters between 5 mil and 15 mil, spaced from each other at a pitch between 10 mil and 30 mil (Fig. 1; see para. 0078 – “The thermal vias each had a diameter of 0.15 [mm] [0.15 mm is 5.9 mil, which is between 5 mil and 15 mil] and were formed of Cu. A total of 96 thermal vias were located in one line inner to the vias 16 at a pitch of 0.4 [mm] [0.4 mm is 15.7 mil, which is between 10 mil and 30 mil] all around the chip in the bottom package.”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified thermal vias in an interposer, as disclosed in Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, and Nikoozadeh, by having the diameter and pitch range of the thermal vias, as disclosed in Miyakoshi. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order for the conductive layer and the thermal vias to allow the heat generated in the chip in the bottom package to be transferred to below the bottom package, as taught in Miyakoshi (see para. 0082).
Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, and Miyakoshi teaches thermal vias in an interposer, and it is inherent for thermal vias to cover a side of an interposer, but does not explicitly teach thermal vias covering in combination between 5% and 15% of an area of one side of the interposer.
Whereas, Maydar, in an analogous field of endeavor, teaches thermal vias covering in combination between 5% and 15% of an area of one side of the interposer (see para. 0069 – “…a interposer structure including silicon substrate with copper vias implemented in 11% of its surface area [which is between 5% and 15% of an area]…”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified thermal vias in an interposer, as disclosed in Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, and Miyakoshi, by having thermal vias covering in combination between 5% and 15% of an area of one side of the interposer, as disclosed in Maydar. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to ensure mechanical stability of the integrated mechanical stability of the integrated circuit device under a wide/extreme range of temperatures, as taught in Maydar (see para. 0020).
Furthermore, regarding claim 7, Miyakoshi further teaches wherein the plurality of epoxy-filled copper-plated thermal vias comprises between 400 and 500 epoxy-filled copper-plated thermal vias (see para. 0045 – “In FIG. 3, eight thermal vias 15 in total are provided in the vicinity of four corners of the area 50 and in the vicinity of the center of each of four sides of the area 50. The number and the locations in the area 50 of the thermal vias 15 are not limited to the above [includes between 400 and 500 thermal vias].”).
Furthermore, regarding claim 9, Chen further teaches wherein the handheld ultrasound probe is wirelessly operatively couplable to the smartphone or tablet (see para. 0031 – “The probe 400 is shown coupled to a patient 500 in FIG. 5, and may be configured to wirelessly communicate with one or more external devices [such as a smartphone/tablet].”).
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar, as applied to claim 1 above, and in further view of Jin et al. (US 20190008486 A1, published January 10, 2019), hereinafter referred to as Jin.
Regarding claim 2, Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar teaches all of the elements disclosed in claim 1 above, and
Chen teaches wherein the handheld housing has a single piece construction (Fig. 1, housing 102 as single piece construction).
Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar teaches housing of an ultrasound probe, and it is inherent for housing material to have a thermal conductivity coefficient, but does not explicitly teach wherein the handheld housing is formed of a material having a thermal conductivity coefficient of at least 50 W/mK at 20°C and 1 bar.
Whereas, Jin, in an analogous field of endeavor, teaches wherein the handheld housing is formed of a material having a thermal conductivity coefficient of at least 50 W/mK at 20°C and 1 bar (Fig. 5; see para. 0013 – “The anisotropic heat conductive member may be configured such that the heat conductivity thereof in the lengthwise direction of the housing is 50 W/mK or more…”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified housing of an ultrasound probe, as disclosed in Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar, by having the handheld housing is formed of a material having a thermal conductivity coefficient of at least 50 W/mK at 20°C and 1 bar, as disclosed in Jin. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to for heat from the acoustic module may be discharged to the back of the housing without an interference of the image processor of relatively high temperature, as taught in Jin (see para. 0119).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar, as applied to claim 1 above, and in further view of Adam et al. (US 20120095347 A1, published April 19, 2012), hereinafter referred to as Adam.
Regarding claim 3, Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar teaches all of the elements disclosed in claim 1 above.
Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar teaches a circuit board in probe housing, but does not explicitly teach a chassis disposed within the handheld housing and coupled to the at least one circuit board.
Whereas, Adam, in an analogous field of endeavor, teaches a chassis disposed within the handheld housing and coupled to the at least one circuit board (Fig. 2-2A; see para. 0076 – “In some embodiments, the backing plate 201 may also be used to complete a separate electrical grounding circuit, which will be referred to herein as a chassis ground.”; see para. 0085 – “The flex/PC board 218 may also include grounding pads 223 which may be electrically connected to the chassis ground circuit.”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified a circuit board in probe housing, as disclosed in Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar, by including a chassis disposed within the handheld housing and coupled to the at least one circuit board, as disclosed in Adam. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to provide further shielding surrounding a section of cable group bundles between the probe housing and a distal connector, as taught in Adam (see para. 0017).
Claims 4-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar, as applied to claim 1 above, and in further view of Sams et al. (US 20200093463 A1, published March 26, 2020), hereinafter referred to as Sams.
Regarding claim 1, Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar teaches all of the elements disclosed in claim 1 above.
Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar teaches a shroud coupled to the housing, but does not explicitly teach a shroud adapter between the housing and the interposer.
Whereas, Sams, in an analogous field of endeavor, teaches a shroud adapter positioned between the interposer and the handheld housing, the shroud adapter having a thermal conductivity coefficient of at least 50 W/mK at 20°C and 1 bar (Fig. 2A, tabs 219 and posts 214 as shroud adapters; see para. 0032 – “FIG. 5 illustrates the shroud 106 and its interior surfaces, including tabs 219 [shroud adapter], whereas FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the heat spreader element 204 that mates with the shroud 106…Again, the posts 214 of the shroud 106 are configured to receive the openings 212 of the heat spreader element 204.” Where the tabs and posts are within the probe housing, and between interposer 208 and housing; see para. 0025 – “In one embodiment, both the probe body 102 and the shroud 106 are formed from a same material, such as anodized aluminum or anodized aluminum alloys [at least 50 W/mK at 20°C and 1 bar], for example.”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified a shroud coupled to the housing, as disclosed in Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar, by having a shroud adapter between the housing and the interposer, as disclosed in Sams. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to ensure heat away from the transducing end of ultrasound imaging device to the probe body via the heat spreader element, as taught in Sams (see para. 0029).
Furthermore, regarding claim 5, Sams further teaches wherein the plurality of epoxy-filled copper-plated thermal vias of the interposer contact the shroud adapter (see para. 0028 – “FIG. 2A further illustrates a packaged ultrasound transducer assembly 202 and a heat spreader element 204 that are configured to reside within an interior region of the shroud 106.” Shroud 106 includes tabs 219 and posts 214 (shroud adapter), and assembly 202 includes interposer 208, and assembly 202 is within shroud 106, so interposer 208 is in contact with shroud adapter).
The motivation for claim 5 was shown previously in claim 4.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar, as applied to claim 1 above, and in further view of Adam and Sams.
Regarding claim 6, Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar teaches all of the elements disclosed in claim 1 above.
Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar a circuit board in probe housing, but does not explicitly teach a chassis disposed within the handheld housing and coupled to the at least one circuit board.
Whereas, Adam in an analogous field of endeavor, teaches a chassis disposed within the handheld housing and coupled to the at least one circuit board (Fig. 2-2A; see para. 0076 – “In some embodiments, the backing plate 201 may also be used to complete a separate electrical grounding circuit, which will be referred to herein as a chassis ground.”; see para. 0085 – “The flex/PC board 218 may also include grounding pads 223 which may be electrically connected to the chassis ground circuit.”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified a circuit board in probe housing, as disclosed in Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar, by including a chassis disposed within the handheld housing and coupled to the at least one circuit board, as disclosed in Adam. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to provide further shielding surrounding a section of cable group bundles between the probe housing and a distal connector, as taught in Adam (see para. 0017).
Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar teaches a shroud coupled to the housing, but does not explicitly teach a shroud adapter between the housing and the interposer.
Whereas, Sams, in an analogous field of endeavor, teaches a shroud adapter positioned between the interposer and the handheld housing, the shroud adapter having a thermal conductivity coefficient of at least 50 W/mK at 20°C and 1 bar, wherein the handheld housing is formed of a material having a thermal conductivity coefficient of at least 50 W/mK at 20°C and 1 bar and has a single piece construction (Fig. 2A, tabs 219 and posts 214 as shroud adapters; see para. 0032 – “FIG. 5 illustrates the shroud 106 and its interior surfaces, including tabs 219 [shroud adapter], whereas FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the heat spreader element 204 that mates with the shroud 106…Again, the posts 214 of the shroud 106 are configured to receive the openings 212 of the heat spreader element 204.” Where the tabs and posts are within the probe housing, and between interposer 208 and housing; see para. 0025 – “In one embodiment, both the probe body 102 and the shroud 106 are formed from a same material, such as anodized aluminum or anodized aluminum alloys, for example.”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified a shroud coupled to the housing, as disclosed in Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar, by having a shroud adapter between the housing and the interposer, as disclosed in Sams. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to ensure heat away from the transducing end of ultrasound imaging device to the probe body via the heat spreader element, as taught in Sams (see para. 0029).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar, as applied to claim 1 above, and in further view of Vindasius et al. (US 6098278 A, published August 8, 2000), hereinafter referred to as Vindasius.
Regarding claim 8, Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar teaches all of the elements disclosed in claim 1 above.
Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar teaches integrated circuitry on a chip, and a chip connected to an interposer inherently has a number of pins and nets (wires), but does not explicitly teach number of nets and pins.
Whereas, Vindasius, in an analogous field of endeavor, teaches wherein the integrated circuitry of the semiconductor chip or chip stack includes between 80 and 120 nets, and wherein the interposer comprises a pin connector having between 100 and 200 pins (see col. 14, lines 26-34 - “As an example, if two separate chips each with 100 pins [200 pins] were to be stacked…With the present invention, with the flip chip assembly of one die to another, only 100 wires [nets] are being bonded (instead of 200 wires).”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the chip and interposer, as disclosed in Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar, by specifying a number of pins and nets, as disclosed in Vindasius. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to provide a direct connection between one chip and another chip via the DCP process, as taught in Vindasius (see col. 14, lines 34-36).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar, as applied to claim 1 above, and in further view of Heinz et al. (US 20040048414 A1, published March 11, 2004), hereinafter referred to as Heinz.
Regarding claim 10, Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar teaches all of the elements disclosed in claim 1 above.
Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar teaches thermal vias covering an area of the interposer, but does not explicitly teach a specific area value of thermal vias covering the interposer.
Whereas, Heinz, in an analogous field of endeavor, teaches wherein the plurality of epoxy-filled copper-plated thermal vias are spread over an area between 80 mm2 and 150 mm2 (see para. 0019 – “The thermal vias 7 are thereby respectively arranged in arrays 21, whereby one array 21, for example comprises 64 thermal vias 7 on a surface of 9.5 mmx9.5 mm [area of 90.25 mm2, which is between 80 mm2 and 150 mm2].”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified thermal vias covering an area of the interposer, as disclosed in Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Richard, Nikoozadeh, Miyakoshi, and Maydar, by having a specific area value of thermal vias covering the interposer, as disclosed in Heinz. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order for a vertical discharge of the dissipation power generated in the operation of the electronic package (see para. 0019).
Claims 11 and 16-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, and Maydar.
Regarding claim 11, Chen teaches a method of operating an ultrasound apparatus, comprising:
with a semiconductor chip or chip stack comprising an array of microscale ultrasonic transducers and integrated circuitry, transmitting and receiving ultrasound signals through a lens of the ultrasound apparatus (see para. 0027 – “…an ultrasound-on-chip device 112 having an ultrasonic transducer array that is covered by the acoustic lens 104 when the ultrasound probe 100 is assembled.”; see para. 0027 – “The circuit boards 114 and 116 [integrated circuitry] may include circuitry configured to operate the ultrasonic transducer arrangement 110 in a transmit mode to transmit ultrasound signals, or receive mode, to convert received ultrasound signals into electrical signals.”; Fig. 3; see para. 0028 – “The ultrasonic transducer substrate 302 has a plurality of cavities 306 formed therein, and is an example of a CMUT device [microscale ultrasonic transducers] as described above.”).
Chen teaches an interposer within the probe (see para. 0033 – “…the handheld probe embodiment of FIGS. 1-2 in which the ultrasonic transducer assembly 110 includes an interposer circuit board 402…”), and it is inherent to dispose an interposer behind the chip in order to connect the chip to the rest of the probe circuitry and apparatus, but does not explicitly teach an interposer disposed behind the semiconductor chip or chip stack.
Whereas, Hageman, in an analogous field of endeavor, teaches an interposer coupled to a back of the semiconductor chip or chip stack (Fig. 4; see para. 0041 – “The interposer circuit board 402 serves as an electrical interface between the ultrasound-on-chip device 112 and the first and second circuit boards 114, 116 shown in FIG. 2”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the interposer, as disclosed in Chen, by having the interposer between the chip and the circuit boards, as disclosed in Hageman. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order for the interposer to serve as an electrical interface between the chip and the circuit board, as taught in Hageman (see para. 0035).
Chen in view of Hageman teaches an interposer in an ultrasound probe, but does not explicitly teach where the interposer comprises a plurality of epoxy-filled copper-plated thermal vias.
Whereas, Xu, in an analogous field of endeavor, teaches dissipating heat generated by the semiconductor chip or chip stack through a plurality of epoxy-filled copper-plated thermal vias disposed in an interposer (Fig. 1A-1B; see para. 0032 – “In some embodiments, thermal trench vias 101 comprise high-k materials such as, but not limited to, copper, nickel and aluminum. Thermal trench vias 101 are embedded in package substrate 102, which comprises dielectric materials such as epoxy and phenolic resins. Such materials generally exhibit high thermal resistance, and perform as an insulating sheath surrounding trench vias 101, allowing heat flowing [dissipating] from dies 108 and 109 [chip] to be channeled through thermal trench vias 101 without spreading significantly through the surrounding dielectric material.”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the interposer, as disclosed in Chen in view of Hageman, by including a plurality of epoxy-filled copper-plated thermal vias to the interposer, as disclosed in Xu. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to exhibit high thermal resistance, and perform as an insulating sheath surrounding trench vias, allowing heat flowing from dies to be channeled through thermal trench vias without spreading significantly through the surrounding dielectric material, as taught in Xu (see para. 0032).
Chen in view of Hageman and Xu teaches thermal vias in an interposer, and it is inherent for thermal vias to cover a side of an interposer, but does not explicitly teach thermal vias covering in combination between 5% and 15% of an area of one side of the interposer.
Whereas, Maydar, in an analogous field of endeavor, teaches the thermal vias covering in combination between 5% and 15% of an area of one side of the interposer (see para. 0069 – “…a interposer structure including silicon substrate with copper vias implemented in 11% of its surface area [which is between 5% and 15% of an area]…”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified thermal vias in an interposer, as disclosed in Chen in view of Hageman and Xu, by having thermal vias covering in combination between 5% and 15% of an area of one side of the interposer, as disclosed in Maydar. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to ensure mechanical stability of the integrated mechanical stability of the integrated circuit device under a wide/extreme range of temperatures, as taught in Maydar (see para. 0020).
Regarding claim 16, Chen teaches an ultrasound imaging apparatus, comprising:
a semiconductor chip or chip stack comprising an array of microscale ultrasonic transducers and integrated circuitry (see para. 0027 – “…an ultrasound-on-chip device 112 having an ultrasonic transducer array that is covered by the acoustic lens 104 when the ultrasound probe 100 is assembled.”; see para. 0027 – “The circuit boards 114 and 116 [integrated circuitry] may include circuitry configured to operate the ultrasonic transducer arrangement 110 in a transmit mode to transmit ultrasound signals, or receive mode, to convert received ultrasound signals into electrical signals.”; Fig. 3; see para. 0028 – “The ultrasonic transducer substrate 302 has a plurality of cavities 306 formed therein, and is an example of a CMUT device [microscale ultrasonic transducers] as described above.”).
Chen teaches an interposer within the probe (see para. 0033 – “…the handheld probe embodiment of FIGS. 1-2 in which the ultrasonic transducer assembly 110 includes an interposer circuit board 402…”), and it is inherent to dispose an interposer behind the chip in order to connect the chip to the rest of the probe circuitry and apparatus, but does not explicitly teach an interposer disposed behind the semiconductor chip or chip stack.
Whereas, Hageman, in an analogous field of endeavor, teaches an interposer coupled to the semiconductor chip or chip stack (Fig. 4; see para. 0041 – “The interposer circuit board 402 serves as an electrical interface between the ultrasound-on-chip device 112 and the first and second circuit boards 114, 116 shown in FIG. 2”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the interposer, as disclosed in Chen, by having the interposer coupled to the chip, as disclosed in Hageman. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order for the interposer to serve as an electrical interface between the chip and the circuit board, as taught in Hageman (see para. 0035).
Chen in view of Hageman teaches an interposer in an ultrasound probe, but does not explicitly teach where the interposer comprises a plurality of epoxy-filled copper-plated thermal vias.
Whereas, Xu, in an analogous field of endeavor, teaches dissipating heat generated by the semiconductor chip or chip stack through a plurality of epoxy-filled copper-plated thermal vias disposed in an interposer (Fig. 1A-1B; see para. 0032 – “In some embodiments, thermal trench vias 101 comprise high-k materials such as, but not limited to, copper, nickel and aluminum. Thermal trench vias 101 are embedded in package substrate 102, which comprises dielectric materials such as epoxy and phenolic resins. Such materials generally exhibit high thermal resistance, and perform as an insulating sheath surrounding trench vias 101, allowing heat flowing [dissipating] from dies 108 and 109 [chip] to be channeled through thermal trench vias 101 without spreading significantly through the surrounding dielectric material.”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the interposer, as disclosed in Chen in view of Hageman, by including a plurality of epoxy-filled copper-plated thermal vias to the interposer, as disclosed in Xu. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to exhibit high thermal resistance, and perform as an insulating sheath surrounding trench vias, allowing heat flowing from dies to be channeled through thermal trench vias without spreading significantly through the surrounding dielectric material, as taught in Xu (see para. 0032).
Chen in view of Hageman and Xu teaches thermal vias in an interposer, and it is inherent for thermal vias to cover a side of an interposer, but does not explicitly teach thermal vias covering in combination between 5% and 15% of an area of one side of the interposer.
Whereas, Maydar, in an analogous field of endeavor, teaches the thermal vias covering in combination between 5% and 15% of an area of one side of the interposer (see para. 0069 – “…a interposer structure including silicon substrate with copper vias implemented in 11% of its surface area [which is between 5% and 15% of an area]…”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified thermal vias in an interposer, as disclosed in Chen in view of Hageman and Xu, by having thermal vias covering in combination between 5% and 15% of an area of one side of the interposer, as disclosed in Maydar. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to ensure mechanical stability of the integrated mechanical stability of the integrated circuit device under a wide/extreme range of temperatures, as taught in Maydar (see para. 0020).
Furthermore, regarding claim 17, Chen further teaches wherein the microscale ultrasonic transducers are capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) (Fig. 3; see para. 0028 – “The ultrasonic transducer substrate 302 has a plurality of cavities 306 formed therein, and is an example of a CMUT device [microscale ultrasonic transducers] as described above.”).
Furthermore, regarding claim 18, Xu further teaches wherein the plurality of dedicated epoxy-filled copper-plated thermal vias are thermally connected on the side of the interposer to a conductive sheet region (Fig. 1A; see para. 0033 – “Vertical vias may extend between conductive layers and interconnect two or more conductive layers within the package substrate.”).
Furthermore, regarding claim 19, Xu further teaches a heat spreader disposed between the semiconductor chip or chip stack and the interposer; and a heat sink, wherein the interposer comprises an opening and wherein a portion of the heat sink extends through the opening and makes contact with the heat spreader (Fig. 1A; see para. 0031 – “In some embodiments, IHS [integrated heat spreader] 105 extends over dies 108 and 109, providing a high thermal conductivity interface between dies 108 and 109 [chip] and a thermal solution such as a heat sink (not shown), with which the IHS may be in contact when IC package 100 is mounted (e.g., see FIG. 7).”).
The motivation for claims 18-19 was shown previously in claim 16.
Claims 12 and 14 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, and Maydar, as applied to claim 11 above, and in further view of Jin.
Regarding claim 12, Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, and Maydar teaches all of the elements disclosed in claim 11 above.
Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, and Maydar teaches a plurality of epoxy-filled copper-plated thermal vias, and it is inherent for the thermal vias to produce heat, and for housing material to have a thermal conductivity coefficient, but does not explicitly teach the housing having a thermal conductivity coefficient of at least 50 W/mK at 20°C and 1 bar.
Whereas, Jin, in an analogous field of endeavor, teaches conducting heat from the plurality of epoxy-filled copper-plated thermal vias to a housing of the ultrasound apparatus, the housing having a thermal conductivity coefficient of at least 50 W/mK at 20°C and 1 bar (Fig. 5; see para. 0013 – “The anisotropic heat conductive member may be configured such that the heat conductivity thereof in the lengthwise direction of the housing is 50 W/mK or more…”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified housing of an ultrasound probe, as disclosed in Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, and Maydar, by having the handheld housing is formed of a material having a thermal conductivity coefficient of at least 50 W/mK at 20°C and 1 bar, as disclosed in Jin. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to for heat from the acoustic module may be discharged to the back of the housing without an interference of the image processor of relatively high temperature, as taught in Jin (see para. 0119).
Furthermore, regarding claim 14, Jin further teaches conducting the heat along a length of the housing (Fig. 5; see para. 0013 – “The anisotropic heat conductive member may be configured such that the heat conductivity thereof in the lengthwise direction of the housing is 50 W/mK or more…”).
The motivation for claim 14 was shown previously in claim 12.
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Maydar, and Jin, as applied to claim 12 above, and in further view of Sams.
Regarding claim 13, Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Maydar, and Jin teaches all of the elements disclosed in claim 12 above.
Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Maydar, and Jin teaches a plurality of epoxy-filled copper-plated thermal vias, and it is inherent for the thermal vias to produce heat, and for housing material to have a thermal conductivity coefficient, but does not explicitly teach a shroud adapter having a thermal conductivity coefficient of at least 50 W/mK at 20°C and 1 bar.
Whereas, Sams, in an analogous field of endeavor, teaches wherein conducting the heat from the plurality of epoxy-filled copper-plated thermal vias to the housing of the ultrasound apparatus comprises conducting the heat through a shroud adapter of the ultrasound apparatus, the shroud adapter having a thermal conductivity coefficient of at least 50 W/mK at 20°C and 1 bar (Fig. 2A, tabs 219 and posts 214 as shroud adapters; see para. 0032 – “FIG. 5 illustrates the shroud 106 and its interior surfaces, including tabs 219 [shroud adapter], whereas FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the heat spreader element 204 that mates with the shroud 106…Again, the posts 214 of the shroud 106 are configured to receive the openings 212 of the heat spreader element 204.”; see para. 0025 – “In one embodiment, both the probe body 102 and the shroud 106 are formed from a same material, such as anodized aluminum or anodized aluminum alloys [at least 50 W/mK at 20°C and 1 bar], for example.”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified housing, as disclosed in Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, Maydar, and Jin, by having a shroud adapter conducting heat, as disclosed in Sams. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to ensure heat away from the transducing end of ultrasound imaging device to the probe body via the heat spreader element, as taught in Sams (see para. 0029).
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, and Maydar, as applied to claim 11 above, and in further view of Adam.
Regarding claim 15, Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, and Maydar teaches all of the elements disclosed in claim 11 above.
Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, and Maydar teaches absorbing heat generated by a circuit board of the ultrasound apparatus (Chen: Fig. 8; see para. 0033 – “…the ultrasound-on-chip device 112 and heat sink device 404 are attached directly to a first circuit board 1802.”), but does not explicitly teach absorbing heat via a chassis.
Whereas, Adam, in an analogous field of endeavor, teaches absorbing heat generated by a circuit board of the ultrasound apparatus using a chassis to which the circuit board is mounted (Fig. 2-2A; see para. 0076 – “In some embodiments, the backing plate 201 may also be used to complete a separate electrical grounding circuit, which will be referred to herein as a chassis ground.”; see para. 0085 – “The flex/PC board 218 may also include grounding pads 223 which may be electrically connected to the chassis ground circuit.”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified absorbing heat generated by a circuit board in a probe, as disclosed in Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, and Maydar, by having the heat absorbed via a chassis, as disclosed in Adam. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to provide further shielding surrounding a section of cable group bundles between the probe housing and a distal connector, as taught in Adam (see para. 0017).
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, and Maydar, as applied to claim 16 above, and in further view of Sams.
Regarding claim 20, Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, and Maydar teaches all of the elements disclosed in claim 16 above, and
Xu further teaches a heat spreader disposed between the semiconductor chip or chip stack and the interposer; a heat sink; and wherein the heat sink is disposed between the heat spreader and the shroud adapter (Fig. 1A; see para. 0031 – “In some embodiments, IHS [integrated heat spreader] 105 extends over dies 108 and 109, providing a high thermal conductivity interface between dies 108 and 109 [chip] and a thermal solution such as a heat sink (not shown), with which the IHS may be in contact when IC package 100 is mounted (e.g., see FIG. 7).”).
Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, and Maydar teaches a plurality of epoxy-filled copper-plated thermal vias, and it is inherent for the thermal vias to produce heat, and for housing material to have a thermal conductivity coefficient, but does not explicitly teach a shroud adapter having a thermal conductivity coefficient of at least 50 W/mK at 20°C and 1 bar.
Whereas, Sams, in an analogous field of endeavor, teaches a shroud adapter having a thermal conductivity coefficient of at least 50 W/mK at 20°C and 1 bar (Fig. 2A, tabs 219 and posts 214 as shroud adapters; see para. 0032 – “FIG. 5 illustrates the shroud 106 and its interior surfaces, including tabs 219 [shroud adapter], whereas FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the heat spreader element 204 that mates with the shroud 106…Again, the posts 214 of the shroud 106 are configured to receive the openings 212 of the heat spreader element 204.” Where the tabs and posts are within the probe housing, and between interposer 208 and housing; see para. 0025 – “In one embodiment, both the probe body 102 and the shroud 106 are formed from a same material, such as anodized aluminum or anodized aluminum alloys [at least 50 W/mK at 20°C and 1 bar], for example.”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified housing, as disclosed in Chen in view of Hageman, Xu, and Maydar, by having a shroud adapter conducting heat, as disclosed in Sams. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to ensure heat away from the transducing end of ultrasound imaging device to the probe body via the heat spreader element, as taught in Sams (see para. 0029).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Shimakawa (US 20180331012 A1, published November 15, 2018) discloses a total increased area of a conductor foil which increases due to the plurality of thermal vias is 50 mm2 or greater with respect to an area of 100 mm2 in the mounting surface.
Kuroda et al. (US 20120061850 A1, published March 15, 2012) discloses the semiconductor device has about 100 pins.
Shimanuki et al. (US 20060060965 A1, published March 23, 2006) discloses the semiconductor chip has 144 lead pins, but can be reduced to 120 pins or 100 pins.
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/N.C./Examiner, Art Unit 3798
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