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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 4 and 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 4 and 5 recites “the vias”, but there is only antecedent basis for a via.
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.
Claims 2, 5, 7 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Warashina et al (US 8,548,284 B2). Warashina teaches:
2. A packaging substrate (1, Figs. 1-13), comprising:
a core layer (2) comprising a glass substrate (C5 L58) having first surface (top) and second surface (bottom) facing each other and a cavity portion (2B1);
an insulating layer (6, 43) formed on the first surface (top); and
a light transmitting portion (8, C5 L65-67) formed on the upper surface of the insulating layer (6, 43),
wherein a light receiving portion (7) is disposed in the cavity portion (2B1),
the insulating layer (43, 6) comprises a via (MC, 2C) penetrating in a thickness direction,
a portion of a bottom surface of the light transmitting portion (8) abuts the via (MC, 2C) (see Fig. 13), and
wherein a signal of photo-energy output from the light transmitting portion (8) passes through the glass substrate (2) to the light receiving portion (7) (see arrows in Fig. 13).
5. A packaging substrate (1, Figs. 1-13), comprising:
a core layer (2) comprising a glass substrate (C5 L58) having first surface (top) and second surface (bottom) facing each other and a cavity portion (2B1);
an insulating layer (6, 43) formed on the first surface (top); and
a light transmitting portion (8, C5 L65-67) formed on the upper surface of the insulating layer (6, 43),
wherein a light receiving portion (7) is disposed in the cavity portion (2B1),
the insulating layer (43, 6) comprises a via (MC, 2C) penetrating in a thickness direction,
a portion of a bottom surface of the light transmitting portion (8) abuts the via (MC, 2C) (see Fig. 13), and
wherein the via (MC, 2C) comprise an inert gas (air in a hole, C6 L25-33).
7. The packaging substrate of Claim 2, wherein the cavity portion (2B1) is open in the direction of the second surface (bottom) of the glass substrate (2) and is formed in the form of a recessed surface (see Fig. 3), having a space in which the light receiving portion (7) is disposed (C7 L27-34).
9. A manufacturing method of a packaging substrate (1, Figs. 1-13), comprising operations of,
creating a cavity portion (2B1) in a glass substrate (2) with first surface (top) and second surface (bottom) facing each other;
placing a light receiving portion (7( in the cavity portion (2B1);
forming an insulating layer (43, 6) on the first surface (top);
creating a via (MC, 2C) in the insulating layer (43, 6); and
laminating a light transmitting portion (8) to the insulating layer (43, 6),
wherein a portion of a lower surface of the light transmitting portion (8) abuts on the via (MC, 2C) (Fig. 13), and
wherein a signal of photo-energy output from the light transmitting portion (8) passes through the glass substrate (2) to the light receiving portion (7) (see arrows of Fig. 13).
10. The manufacturing method of a packaging substrate of Claim 9, wherein the signal of photo-energy comprises visible (VSCEL, C5 L65 – C6 L6).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 3, 4 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Warashina. Warashina teaches the packaging substrate and method previously discussed, but does not state the light is visible or IR light or that the via has a width of 10 to 500 microns. Warashina teaches the light emitting device can be a laser, which is a known device for emitting visible or IR light. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to try using a visible light or IR light laser, since it has been held that “it is obvious to try - choosing from a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, with a reasonable expectation of success” is a rationale for arriving at a conclusion of obviousness. In re KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc. Warashina teaches using a laser and as discussed, lasers are known devices that can emit visible or IR light depending on the application needed.
Warashina does not state what the width of the via is, but it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to try a width in the range of 10 to 500 microns for the via, since it has been held that “it is obvious to try - choosing from a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, with a reasonable expectation of success” is a rationale for arriving at a conclusion of obviousness. In re KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc. Warashina teaches using the via for light transmission and a width of 10 to 500 microns is a predictable solution for a light guide because this is the range that would be large enough to transmit light and small enough to fit in the photonic circuit shown in Warashina.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Warashina and in view of Kunieda (WO 2023/068105 A1) and the machine translation provided.
Warashina teaches:
6. A packaging substrate (1, Figs. 1-13), comprising:
a core layer (2) comprising a glass substrate (C5 L58) having first surface (top) and second surface (bottom) facing each other and a cavity portion (2B1);
an insulating layer (6, 43) formed on the first surface (top); and
a light transmitting portion (8, C5 L65-67) formed on the upper surface of the insulating layer (6, 43),
wherein a light receiving portion (7) is disposed in the cavity portion (2B1),
the insulating layer (43, 6) comprises a via (MC, 2C) penetrating in a thickness direction,
a portion of a bottom surface of the light transmitting portion (8) abuts the via (MC, 2C) (see Fig. 13).
Warashina does not teach expressly wherein the via comprises a light-transmissive material, and the light-transmissive material has a coefficient of thermal expansion of 10 to 24 ppm/C.
Kunieda teaches a waveguide used in a photonic circuit wherein the waveguide is made of material with a coefficient of thermal expansion of 10 to 24 ppm/C (page 6 of the translation “The coefficient of thermal expansion of the optical waveguide 5 is, for example, 10 ppm/°C to 100 ppm/°C”). In the case where the claimed ranges ''overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art'' a prima facie case of obviousness exists. ln re Wertheim, 541 F.2d 257, 191 USPQ 90 (CCPA 1976); In re Woodruff, 919 F.2d 1575, 16 USPQ2d 1934 (Fed. Cir. 1990).
Warashina and Kunieda are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor, photonic circuits with waveguiding.
At the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the material of the via waveguide of Warashina to use the material taught by Kunieda.
The motivation for doing so would have been to reduce cost and complexity by using material already known in the art used as waveguides.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The following references teach packaging substrates with transmission through substrates or substrate with the same layers as applicant’s: US 6330377, US 7526152, US 2011/0299809, US 8076782, US 9417415, US 10439720, US 2021/0104812, US 2023/0087809, US 2023/0102481, US 11652039, US 2023/0178579, US 11967542, US 12181724, US 12392970, US 12402476, US 12456653, US 12546957.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RYAN A LEPISTO whose telephone number is (571)272-1946. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-6PM EST M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Thomas Hollweg can be reached at 571-270-1739. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RYAN A LEPISTO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874
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