Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 15, 2026
Application No. 18/946,926

PACKAGING SUBSTRATE AND SEMICONDUCTOR PACKAGE COMPRISING THE SAME

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Nov 14, 2024
Priority
Nov 23, 2023 — provisional 63/602,436
Examiner
BURNS, TREMESHA WILLIS
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Absolics Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
78%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
9m
Est. Remaining
95%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 78% — above average
78%
Career Allowance Rate
695 granted / 890 resolved
+18.1% vs TC avg
Strong +17% interview lift
Without
With
+17.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
51 currently pending
Career history
936
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
33.7%
-6.3% vs TC avg
§102
46.2%
+6.2% vs TC avg
§112
18.4%
-21.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 890 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 § 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 1 – 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Fujikawa et al. (JP 2000-200789). Regarding claim 1, in Figure 2, Fujikawa discloses a packaging substrate comprising a silica-based core (2, insulating film layer 2 is formed of silicon dioxide, paragraph [0014]), wherein the silica-based core comprises a through via portion (comprising 2A, 2B) passing through the silica-based core in a thickness direction of the silica-based core, the through via portion comprises a via space (2A) which is a space where an electrode (2B) is disposed and a via inner diameter surface (the inner side walls of insulating film layer 2) surrounding the via space, wherein the silica-based core comprises an upper surface (top surface of layer 2) and a lower surface (bottom surface of layer 2) facing the upper surface, the via space comprises a first opening which is in contact with the upper surface of the silica-based core, and a second opening which is in contact with the lower surface of the silica-based core (Figures 1 – 2), the packaging substrate comprises a through electrode (3) disposed in the via space, and the through electrode comprises metal grain (3, polycrystalline copper film 3 has fine crystal grains/particles that are subjected to a heat treatment under atmospheric pressure; fine pores are interposed between the fine copper crystal particles, and when these pores are heated, the copper crystal particles grow, paragraph [0016]) having a preferential growth orientation in the thickness direction of the silica-based core at one end and other end of the through electrode (the copper crystal particles are disposed at both ends of the through hole 2A). Regarding claim 2, Fujikawa discloses wherein the silica-based core comprises a surface, and a contact angle of the surface of the silica-based core for pure water is 40º or less (Figure 2). Regarding claim 3, Fujikawa discloses wherein, when observed in a cross-section in a thickness direction of the packaging substrate, a cross-sectional area of the through electrode compared to a cross-sectional area of the via space is 95% or more (Figure 2). Regarding claim 4, Fujikawa discloses wherein the via space further comprises a minimum inner diameter portion which is a portion having the smallest inner diameter, and the minimum inner diameter portion is disposed between the first opening and the second opening (Figure 2). Regarding claim 5, Fujikawa discloses wherein a thickness of the silica-based core is 200 µm to 1,000 µm, and a diameter of the through electrode is 40 µm to 200 µm (paragraph [0014]). Regarding claim 6, Fujikawa discloses a first redistribution layer disposed on the silica-based core, wherein the first redistribution layer comprises one electrically conductive layer and another electrically conductive layer disposed on the one electrically conductive layer, and a width of the another electrically conductive layer is narrower than or equal to a width of the one electrically conductive layer (Figure 3). Regarding claim 7, in Figure 2, Fujikawa discloses a method of manufacturing a packaging substrate, comprising: a preparation operation of preparing a silica-based core (2, insulating film layer 2 is formed of silicon dioxide, paragraph [0014]) comprising a through via portion (comprising 2A, 2B) passing through the silica-based core in a thickness direction of the silica-based core; a through electrode formation operation of forming a through electrode (3) in the through via portion to prepare a through electrode silica-based core; and a manufacturing operation of manufacturing a packaging substrate from the through electrode silica-based core, wherein the through via portion comprises a via space (2A) which is a space where an electrode (2B) is disposed and a via inner diameter surface (the inner side walls of insulating film layer 2) surrounding the via space, and in the through electrode formation operation, metal ions are deposited in PNG media_image1.png 48 85 media_image1.png Greyscale the thickness direction of the silica-based core in the via space to form the through electrode (paragraph [0015]), wherein the silica-based core comprises an upper surface (top surface of layer 2) and a lower surface (bottom surface of layer 2) facing the upper surface, the via space comprises a first opening which is in contact with the upper surface of the silica-based core, and a second opening which is in contact with the lower surface of the silica-based core (Figure 2), and the through electrode comprises metal grain (3, polycrystalline copper film 3 has fine crystal grains/particles that are subjected to a heat treatment under atmospheric pressure; fine pores are interposed between the fine copper crystal particles, and when these pores are heated, the copper crystal particles grow, paragraph [0016]) having a preferential growth orientation in the thickness direction of the silica-based core at one end and other end of the through electrode (the copper crystal particles are disposed at both ends of the through hole 2A). Regarding claim 8, Fujikawa discloses wherein the silica-based core comprises one surface in an in-plane direction of the silica-based core, and the through electrode formation operation comprises an electrode seed layer disposition process of disposing an electrode seed layer in parallel with the one surface in the in-plane direction of the silica-based core, and a plating process of depositing the metal ions in the one thickness direction of the silica-based core from the electrode seed layer to form the through electrode (Figures 1 – 2). Regarding claim 9, Fujikawa discloses wherein the silica-based core comprises a surface, and a contact angle of the surface of the silica-based core for pure water is 400 or less (Figure 2). Regarding claim 10, Fujikawa discloses wherein a thickness of the silica-based core is 200 µm to 1,000 µm, and a diameter of the through electrode is 50 µm to 150 µm (paragraph [0014]). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TREMESHA W BURNS whose telephone number is (571)270-3391. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am - 4:30 pm EST. 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, Timothy Thompson can be reached at (571) 272-2342. 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. TREMESHA W. BURNS Primary Examiner Art Unit 2847 /TREMESHA W BURNS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 14, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 22, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12701899
DISPLAY DEVICE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF
2y 8m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12696819
ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD
2y 10m to grant Granted Jul 28, 2026
Patent 12683071
NOISE/VIBRATION REDUCTION DEVICE FOR TRANSFORMERS
3y 7m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12676463
ADJUSTABLE-DEPTH RING ASSEMBLY
2y 7m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12668374
DOUBLE-SHELL LIGHTNING PROTECTION CAP WITH IMPROVED ASSEMBLY
3y 0m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
78%
Grant Probability
95%
With Interview (+17.3%)
2y 6m (~9m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 890 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month