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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-17 and 20 in the reply filed on 2/17/26 is acknowledged.
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.
Claim(s) 1-9, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Omaki (JP 2016033965).
With respect to claim 1, Omaki teaches a semiconductor device, comprising (see figs. 1-5, particularly figs. 1 and 4 and English translation):
a semiconductor member including a first semiconductor layer 12 including GaN and a second semiconductor layer 13 including AlGaN;
an electrode portion (middle vertical portion of fig. 1) including
a source electrode 21 extending along a first direction (y),
a gate electrode 23 including a first gate portion extending along the first direction, and
a drain electrode 22 extending along the first direction, the first gate portion being located between the source electrode and the drain electrode in a second direction (x) crossing the first direction;
a pad portion 42,41 including a drain pad 42 electrically connected to the drain electrode;
a first conductive member 53 electrically connected to the gate electrode, the first conductive member including a first conductive portion (bottom of 53), a position of the drain pad in the first direction being between a position of the electrode portion in the first direction and a position of the first conductive portion in the first direction; and
a second conductive member 51 electrically connected to the source electrode, the second conductive member including at least one of a first conductive region (bottom portion of 51), a second conductive region (left portion of 51), or a third conductive region (right portion of 51), a position of the first conductive portion in the first direction being between the position of the drain pad in the first direction and the position of the first conductive region in the first direction, a position of the electrode portion in the second direction being between a position of the second conductive region in the second direction and a position of the third conductive region in the second direction.
With respect to claim 2, Omaki teaches the second conductive region and the third conductive region are continuous with the first conductive region. See fig. 1 and associated English text.
With respect to claim 3, Omaki teaches the first conductive member 53 further includes a second conductive portion (left of 53) and a third conductive portion (right of 53), a position of the second conductive portion in the second direction (x) is between the position of the second conductive region (left of 51) in the second direction and the position of the electrode portion in the second direction, and a position of the third conductive portion (right of 53) in the second direction is between the position of the electrode portion in the second direction and the position of the third conductive region (right of 51) in the second direction. See fig. 1 and associated English text.
With respect to claim 4, Omaki teaches the second conductive portion (left of 53) and the third conductive portion (right of 53) are continuous with the first conductive portion. See fig. 1 and associated English text.
With respect to claim 5, Omaki teaches the pad portion 41,42 further includes a source pad 41 electrically connected to the source electrode 21, and the position of the electrode portion in the first direction (y) is between a position of the source pad in the first direction and the position of the drain pad 42 in the first direction. See fig. 1 and associated English text.
With respect to claim 6, Omaki teaches the pad portion 41,42 further includes a gate pad 43 electrically connected to the gate electrode, and the position of the electrode portion in the first direction is between a position of the gate pad in the first direction and the position of the drain pad 42 in the first direction. See fig. 1 and associated English text.
With respect to claim 7, Omaki teaches the first conductive member further includes a fourth conductive portion (top of 53), the second conductive member further includes a fourth conductive region (top 51). a position of the electrode portion in the first direction is between a position of the fourth conductive region in the first direction and the position of the drain pad 42 in the first direction, and a position of the fourth conductive portion in the first direction is between the position of the fourth conductive region in the first direction and the position of the electrode portion in the first direction. See fig. 1 and associated English text.
With respect to claim 8, Omaki teaches the fourth conductive portion is continuous with the first conductive portion, and the fourth conductive region is continuous with the second conductive region and the third conductive region. See fig. 1 and associated English text.
With respect to claim 9, Omaki teaches a third conductive member 61 electrically connected to the second conductive member 51, and at least a part of the first conductive member 53 being between the semiconductor member 11 and the third conductive member61 in a third direction (z) crossing a plane including the first direction and the second direction. See fig. 1, 2, and 3 and associated English text.
With respect to claim 20, Omaki teaches the first gate portion 23 is located between a part of the second semiconductor layer 11 (left) and another part of the second semiconductor layer (right) in the second direction (x). See fig. 1, 2, and 3 and associated English text.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-17 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Examiner’s Cited References
The cited references generally show the similar or related structure having an electrode portion having a gate electrode, source electrode, and drain electrode, having a drain pad outside of the electrode portion and having a gate electrode extension and a source electrode extension surrounding the electrode portion as presently claimed by applicant.
Conclusion
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LONG PHAM
Examiner
Art Unit 2823
/LONG PHAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2897
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