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 the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
Claim 73 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
The specification and claims do not show the vertical device wherein the at least one contact electrically connects at least two of the plurality of doped nanopillars. The only such showing is in the instant Fig. 5A-4, which is a different device, differently embodied, and no such combination of the embodiments is suggested.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 64, 66, 70 and 74 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Pat. Pub. No 20210043795 to Turksi et al. (Turski) in view of U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20140353593 to Smets et al. (Smets).
Regarding Claim 64, Turski teaches in Fig. 6B at least, a vertical device comprising:
a substrate (bulk substrate);
a plurality of planar active layers (GaN(In):Mg -GaN n-type) formed on the substrate, wherein the plurality of planar active layers includes a plurality of doped layers and a multiple quantum well layer (active layer [0012]), and wherein the multiple quantum well layer includes a plurality of single quantum layers in a stack (definition of MQW);
a thin doped layer (tunnel junction) formed on a bottom surface of the plurality of planar active layers between the substrate and the plurality of planar active layers;
a conductive layer (bottom contact) coupled to the plurality of planar active layers;
a plurality of doped nanopillars (GaN N-type extending to contact) formed on the plurality of planar active layers; and
at least one contact (contact) on the plurality of doped nanopillars, wherein the at least one contact comprises one of: a stack of other doped layers, an ohmic contact and one or more contact pads.
Turski does not explicitly teach a passivation layer formed to cover part of the conductive layer such that at least one area of the conductive layer extends through the passivation layer on the plurality of planar active layers and in between the plurality of doped nanopillars. Turski teaches a gate dielectric only between the gate electrode and active nanopillar. However, in analogous art, Smets teaches a gate dielectric 125 between a gate electrode 126 and active layers beneath. It would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art before the time of filing to include the teaching of Smets to extend the gate dielectric to further protect the surface of the active layers from contamination.
Regarding Claim 66, Turski and Smets teach the vertical device of claim 64, wherein the passivation layer covers exposed defects (epitaxial layers GanN-N inherently have defects, and any exposed defects will be covered by the passivation of Turski modified by Smets, for evidence, see U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20030235970 to Hsu etal. (Hsu), Fig. 9, showing passivation 132 covering defects 126 in an epitaxial layer 122).
Regarding Claim 70, Turski and Smets teach the vertical device of claim 64, wherein at least one of the plurality of doped layers of the plurality of planar active layers is formed as a plurality of nanopillars, and wherein the multiple quantum well layer is formed underneath the plurality of nanopillars (see Fig. 6B).
Regarding Claim 74, Turski and Smets teach the vertical device according to claim 64, further comprising a conductive layer (gate) formed on the passivation layer.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/EVREN SEVEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812
