Ex parte Kurihara

Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences

Aug 30, 2000

08539069 (B.P.A.I. Aug. 30, 2000)

1
The opinion in support of the decision being entered
today was not written for publication and is not binding
precedent of the Board.
Paper No. 17
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
_____________
BEFORE THE BOARD OF PATENT APPEALS
AND INTERFERENCES
_____________
Ex parte KENICHI KURIHARA
_____________
Appeal No. 1998-2878
Application No. 08/539,069
______________
ON BRIEF
_______________
Before HAIRSTON, JERRY SMITH, and LEVY, Administrative Patent
Judges.
HAIRSTON, Administrative Patent Judge.
DECISION ON APPEAL
This is an appeal from the final rejection of claims
7 through 12.
The disclosed invention relates to a semiconductor device
that has a chip bonded to lead terminals via an insulating
layer. Each of the lead terminals includes a bonding part
that is
Appeal No. 1998-2878
Application No. 08/539,069
2
adhered to the insulating layer, and each of the lead
terminals has a portion that is smaller in width than the
width of the bonding part.
Claim 7 is illustrative of the claimed invention, and it
reads as follows:
7. A semiconductor device comprising: a semiconductor
chip having at least one bonding pad; an insulating
layer selectively formed on said semiconductor chip;
at least
one lead terminal provided for said at least one
bonding
pad, said at least one lead terminal including a
bonding
part adhered to said insulating layer and an inner
lead,
said inner lead having a first portion projecting
from said insulating layer toward said bonding pad
and a second
portion disposed between said bonding part and said
first portion and adhered to said insulating layer;
said second portion extending from said bonding part
in
a first direction toward said first portion with a
width
that is smaller than a width of said bonding part,
and
having a first bent segment on said insulating layer
extending in a second direction perpendicular to
said first direction and a second bent segment on said
insulating
layer extending in said first direction and joining
said first portion; and at least one bonding wire
connecting said at least one bonding pad to said
bonding part of said at least one lead terminal.
Appeal No. 1998-2878
Application No. 08/539,069
Copies of the translations of the Japanese Patent1
Applications are attached.
3
The references relied on by the examiner are:1
Mitsui et al. (Mitsui) 2-18956 Jan. 23, 1990
(published Japanese Kokai Koho Application)
Kinoshita 4-165661 Jun. 11,
1992
(published Japanese Kokai Koho Application)
Appeal No. 1998-2878
Application No. 08/539,069
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Claims 7 through 12 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103
as being unpatentable over Kinoshita in view of Mitsui.
Reference is made to the final rejection, the briefs and
the answer for the respective positions of the appellant and
the examiner.
OPINION
The obviousness rejection of claims 7 through 12 is
reversed.
The examiner is of the opinion (final rejection, pages 2
and 3) that Kinoshita discloses all of the claimed structure
except that “Kinoshita does not disclose that the bent
segments of the lead extend in different directions.” In view
of Mitsui’s teaching of “a semiconductor device having a lead
(1) having a first bent segment (11) and a second bent segment
(12),” the examiner concludes (final rejection, page 3) that
“it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in
this art at the time the invention was made to use leads
having bent segments that extend in different directions in
Kinoshita to prevent the mechanical breakdown of the device by
absorbing the expansion and contraction of the lead at the
time of molding as taught by Mitsui” (final rejection, page
Appeal No. 1998-2878
Application No. 08/539,069
5
3).
Appeal No. 1998-2878
Application No. 08/539,069
6
Mitsui clearly explains (translation, page 3) that
because “the shaped-altered section made in the tip end of the
inner lead absorbs the expansion or contraction of the lead
generated in the heating process at the time of bonding or
molding, the mechanical damage or defective connection can be
prevented.”
Appellant’s argument (Brief, pages 6 and 7) to the
contrary notwithstanding, we agree with the examiner that it
would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to
alter the shape of the tip end of the inner lead of Kinoshita
for the advantage noted by Mitsui. On the other hand, we
agree with appellant that the claims would still not be met by
the combined teachings of the references because claim 7
“requires that the recited inner lead have a second portion
that is (a) relatively narrower than the bonding part, (b)
adhered to the insulating layer, and (c) composed of first and
second bent segments on the insulating layer” (Brief, page 5),
claim 9 requires that “the lead terminal has a first portion
which is narrower than the bonding part and a second portion
extending perpendicular thereto, with each of the first and
second portions being adhered to the insulating layer,”
Appeal No. 1998-2878
Application No. 08/539,069
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(Brief, page 6), and claim 11 requires
Appeal No. 1998-2878
Application No. 08/539,069
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“a cut-off portion of the inner lead which exposes a part of
the
underlying insulating layer between the first bonding part and
a remaining part of the recited first portion” (Brief, page
7).
Inasmuch as the applied references neither teach nor
would have suggested the recited inner lead structure and
relative widths, we will reverse the obviousness rejection of
claims
7 through 12.
DECISION
The decision of the examiner rejecting claims 7 through
12 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 is reversed.
REVERSED
)
KENNETH W. HAIRSTON )
Administrative Patent Judge )
)
)
) BOARD OF PATENT
JERRY SMITH )
Administrative Patent Judge ) APPEALS AND
)
Appeal No. 1998-2878
Application No. 08/539,069
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) INTERFERENCES
)
STUART S. LEVY )
Administrative Patent Judge )
KWH:hh
Appeal No. 1998-2878
Application No. 08/539,069
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