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 .
Status of the Claims
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, Claims 1-8, in the reply filed on November 18, 2025 is acknowledged.
Non-Elected inventions, Claims 9-20 have been withdrawn from consideration. Claims 1-20 are pending.
Action on merits of Elected Invention, Claims 1-8 follows.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on August 17, 2022 and December 06, 2023 have been considered by the examiner.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested:
A MONOLITHIC MICROWAVE INTEGRATED CIRCUIT (MMIC) HAVING A SUPERCONDUCTING PASSIVE ELEMENT COMPRISING TANTALUM NITRIDE COUPLED TO A FIRST AND SECOND CIRCUIT ELEMENTS
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 1-2 and 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CASPER et al. (US. Pub. No. 2004/0080021) of record.
With respect to claim 1, CASPER teaches a device as claimed including:
a monolithic microwave integrated circuit comprising a superconducting passive element (1011, 1012, 1014) coupled to a first circuit element and to a second circuit element, wherein a material of the superconducting passive element (1011, 1012, 1014) comprises Tantalum Nitride. (See FIGs. 10, 15, 16).
With respect to claim 2, the superconducting passive element of CASPER comprises an inductor (1012) coupled to the first circuit element and to the second circuit element.
With respect to claim 7, the device of CASPER further comprises: a metal contact (0604) on the superconducting passive element.
With respect to claim 8, the metal contact (0604) of CASPER comprises at least one of Gold, Copper or Aluminum.
Claims 1 and 3-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by TILMANS et al. (US. Pub. No. 2003/0042567).
With respect to claim 1, TILMANS teaches a device as claimed including:
a monolithic microwave integrated circuit comprising a superconducting passive element (40, 41, 43) coupled to a first circuit element and to a second circuit element, wherein a material of the superconducting passive element comprises Tantalum Nitride. (See FIGs. 7-10).
With respect to claim 3, the superconducting passive element (41) of TILMANS comprises a transmission line coupled to the first circuit element and to the second circuit element.
With respect to claim 4, the superconducting passive element (41) of TILMANS comprises an interconnect coupled to the first circuit element and to the second circuit element.
With respect to claim 5, the superconducting passive element (41) of TILMANS comprises a coplanar waveguide coupled to the first circuit element and to the second circuit element.
With respect to claim 6, the superconducting passive element (41) of TILMANS comprises a microstrip coupled to the first circuit element and to the second circuit element.
With respect to claim 7, the device of TILMANS further comprises: a metal contact (44) on the superconducting passive element (41).
With respect to claim 8, the metal contact (44) of TILMANS comprises at least one of Gold, Copper or Aluminum.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claims 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over TILMANS ‘567 as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of CASPER ‘021.
TILMANS teaches the device as described in claim 1 above including the superconducting passive element comprises Tantalum Nitride, wherein the superconducting passive element coupled to the first circuit element and to the second circuit element.
Thus, TILMANS is shown to teach all the features of the claim with the exception of explicitly disclosing the superconducting passive element comprising an inductor.
However, CASPER teaches a device including a superconducting passive element (1012) comprises an inductor coupled to the first circuit element and to the second circuit element. (See FIG. 10).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention was made to form the superconducting passive element of TILMANS comprising the inductor coupled to the first circuit element and to the second circuit element as taught by CASPER to provide a high reliability passive element.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANH D MAI whose telephone number is (571)272-1710 (Email: Anh.Mai2@uspto.gov). The examiner can normally be reached 10:00-4:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sue A Purvis can be reached at 571-272-1236. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANH D MAI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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