Texas Instruments IncorporatedDownload PDFPatent Trials and Appeals BoardMay 29, 20202019004424 (P.T.A.B. May. 29, 2020) Copy Citation UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE United States Patent and Trademark Office Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS P.O. Box 1450 Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450 www.uspto.gov APPLICATION NO. FILING DATE FIRST NAMED INVENTOR ATTORNEY DOCKET NO. CONFIRMATION NO. 14/671,727 03/27/2015 Reynaldo Corpuz Javier TI-75615 5200 23494 7590 05/29/2020 TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED P O BOX 655474, MS 3999 DALLAS, TX 75265 EXAMINER SEFER, AHMED N ART UNIT PAPER NUMBER 2893 NOTIFICATION DATE DELIVERY MODE 05/29/2020 ELECTRONIC Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding. The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication. Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the following e-mail address(es): uspto@ti.com PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07) UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE ____________ BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD ____________ Ex parte REYNALDO CORPUZ JAVIER, ALOK KUMAR LOHIA, and ANDY QUANG TRAN Appeal 2019-004424 Application 14/671,727 Technology Center 2800 ____________ Before JEFFREY T. SMITH, JAMES C. HOUSEL, and MICHAEL G. McMANUS, Administrative Patent Judges. McMANUS, Administrative Patent Judge. DECISION ON APPEAL Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 134(a), Appellant1 seeks review of the Examiner’s decision to reject claims 20 and 21. We have jurisdiction under 35 U.S.C. § 6(b). We reverse. 1 We use the word “Appellant” to refer to “applicant” as defined in 37 C.F.R. § 1.42. Appellant identifies the real party in interest as Texas Instruments Incorporated. Appeal Brief dated Aug. 14, 2018 (“Appeal Br.”) 3. Appeal 2019-004424 Application 14/671,727 2 CLAIMED SUBJECT MATTER The present application relates to an integrated circuit (IC) package as follows: The IC package includes a thermal pad having a top surface and a bottom surface and at least one peripheral surface portion extending transversely of and continuously with the bottom surface. The IC package also includes a layer of mold compound through which the bottom surface and the at least one peripheral surface are exposed. Spec. ¶ 2. The application further relates to a method of inspecting a solder bond that connects the thermal pad of an IC package to a printed circuit board. Id. ¶ 3. Figure 5 of the Drawings, reproduced below, is illustrative. Figure 5 shows a top isometric view of exposed pad integrated circuit package 110. Id. ¶ 25. The Specification teaches that the thermal pad “has an upwardly extending front flange 122 with an exposed front surface 123.” Id. The Specification additionally teaches that “[a] solder fillet 148 is formed . . . where the solder has wicked up the front surface 123 of the front flange 123.” Id. ¶ 29. Appeal 2019-004424 Application 14/671,727 3 Claim 20 is the sole independent claim at issue. It is reproduced below with certain portions bolded for emphasis: 20. A method of inspecting a solder fillet bonding a thermal pad of an exposed pad IC package to a printed circuit board comprising: providing the exposed pad IC package having the thermal pad bonded by the solder fillet to the a printed circuit board; and optically inspecting the solder fillet. Appeal Br. 10 (Claims App.). DISCUSSION The Examiner maintains the rejection of claims 20 and 21 under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(2) as anticipated by Koschmieder (US 2014/0151865 Al, published June 5, 2014). Non-Final Action dated Apr. 12, 2018 (“Non-Final Act.”) 2–3. In support of the rejection, the Examiner finds that “Kos[c]hmieder discloses in [F]ig. 2 a method of inspecting a solder fillet (e.g.[,] element 285) bonding a thermal pad (e.g.[,] element 244) of an exposed pad IC package to a printed circuit board (e.g.[,] element 220).” Id. at 3. Figure 2 of Koschmieder is reproduced below. Appeal 2019-004424 Application 14/671,727 4 Figure 2 depicts a semiconductor device mounted to a printed circuit board. Koschmieder ¶ 28. Koschmieder teaches that “semiconductor device package 210 can be a QFN package having electrical contacts 230 and 240.” Id. Appellant argues that Koschmieder does not teach a solder fillet bonding a thermal pad to a printed circuit board. Appeal Br. 6–7. Appellant contends that Koschmieder teaches only that contacts 230, 240 are bonded to a printed circuit board. Id. Appellant asserts that these contacts are not thermal pads. Id. Appellant contends that the “thermal pad” of claim 20 is analogous to the die pad 310 of Figures 3 and 4 and die pad 1130 of Figure 11 “because the claimed ‘thermal pad’ is coupled to a die 130 (paragraph 0027; FIG. 8) and the die pads 310 and 1130 of Koschmieder are also coupled to a semiconductor device die.” Id. at 6. In the Answer, the Examiner determines that element 244 of Koschmieder is equivalent to the thermal pad of the claims. Examiner’s Answer dated Dec. 5, 2018 (“Answer”), 3. The Examiner states as follows: any thermally conductive pad would read on the claimed “thermal pad” and there is nothing in Applicant’s disclosure to suggest otherwise or exclude Koschmieder’s element 244 from functioning as a thermal pad. . . . [Further,] the pad[s] 234/244 are reasonably considered thermal pads and heat from the die will be conducted through the pad[s] 234/244 and into the PC board where it dissipates. Answer 3. Thus, the Examiner and Appellant differ as to the proper construction of the term “thermal pad.” The Specification uses the term “thermal pad” a number of times. See Spec., generally. We have abstracted a number of these uses (emphasis added) as follows: Appeal 2019-004424 Application 14/671,727 5 Fig. 3 is a top isometric view of a thermal pad 12 and leads 18. Id. ¶ 21. A die 20 having a top surface 22 and a bottom surface 24 is bonded by a solder layer 28 to the top surface 14 of the thermal pad 12. Id. Front and rear tie bars 30 each have proximal ends 32 attached to the thermal pad 12. Id. ¶ 22. Thermal pad 118 has an upwardly extending front flange 122 with an exposed front surface 123. Id. ¶ 25. A top surface 142 of the PC board 140 has a metal pattern thereon including a large central metal pad portion 144 that corresponds in length and width to the thermal pad 118 of the IC package 110. Id. ¶ 28. The method includes, as shown at block 401, attaching a die to a top surface of a thermal pad. Id. ¶ 38. Thus, the Specification consistently differentiates between the “thermal pad 12” and the “leads 18.” Further, the Specification consistently uses the term “thermal pad” to mean the structure on which the integrated circuit (die) is placed. Accordingly, we determine that the contacts (leads) 234 and 244 of Koschmieder do not fall within the ambit of the term “thermal pad.” As a consequence, we determine that Koschmieder does not teach each element of claim 20. Because the Examiner relies upon the same reasoning in the rejection of dependent claim 21, we similarly determine that Koschmieder does not teach each element of claim 21. Appeal 2019-004424 Application 14/671,727 6 CONCLUSION The Examiner’s rejection is reversed. In summary: Claims Rejected 35 U.S.C. § Reference(s)/Basis Affirmed Reversed 20, 21 102(a)(2) Koschmieder 20, 21 REVERSED Copy with citationCopy as parenthetical citation