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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on January 22, 2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
This Office Action is in response to Applicant's amendments filed January 8, 2026. Claims 1-2, 5, 8, 11-12, and 20 have been amended. No claims have been added. No claims have been canceled. Claims 6-7, 9, 14, 16-17, and 19-20 stand withdrawn. Currently, claims 1-5, 8, 10-13, 15, and 18 are pending.
Applicant’s Amendments to claim 11 overcomes the drawing objection outlined in the previous Office Action. The drawing objection has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s Amendments to claims 1, 8, and 12 overcome the claim objections outlined in the previous Office Action. The objections to claims 1, 8, and 12 have been withdrawn.
Applicant’s Amendment to claim 5 overcomes the 112(a) rejection outlined in the previous Office Action. The 112(a) rejection of claim 5 has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s Amendments to claims 1 and 11 overcome the 112(b) rejection outlined in the previous Office Action. The 112(b) rejection of claims 1-5, 8, and 10-11 has been withdrawn.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1 and 12 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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 1-5, 8, 10-13, 15, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang (CN 114914256 A) in view of Cheng et al. (US 20080185691 A1) herein after “Cheng”.
Regarding claim 1, Figs. 44, 52, and 61 of Yang disclose a structure comprising:
a trench structure (Fig. 44, first groove 21, ¶ [n0055]) in a semiconductor substrate (Fig. 44, semiconductor substrate 10, ¶ [0135]);
at least one fin structure (Fig. 52, “the epitaxial layer 32a in the second groove serves as the fin”, ¶ [0144]) comprising semiconductor material which extends from a bottom of the trench structure (21);
a photodetector material (Fig. 61, semiconductor layer 5, ¶ [0155]) within the trench structure (21) and extends from the at least one fin structure (32a);
a dielectric material (Fig. 52, dielectric layer 101, ¶ [n0031]) within the trench structure (21), the dielectric material (101) comprising a single material (“The dielectric layer 101 is silicon oxide”, ¶ [n0031]) being directly in contact with sidewalls of the photodetector material (51) and being directly in contact with the at least one fin structure (32a) and between an underside surface of the photodetector material (51) and a bottom surface of the trench structure (21).
Yang fails to disclose a first contact connected to and on a first side of the photodetector material; and
a second contact connected to the semiconductor substrate on a second side of the photodetector material.
In the similar field of endeavor of photodetectors, Fig. 11A of Cheng discloses a first contact (Fig. 11A, contacts 1120, ¶ [0069]) connected to and on a first side of the photodetector material (Fig. 10A, P+ doped layer 150, ¶ [0039]); and
a second contact (1120) connected to the semiconductor substrate (200) on a second side of the photodetector material (150).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filling date of the invention to modify the structure of Yang with the contacts as disclosed by Cheng, to electrically couple to the device (see Cheng, ¶ [0069]).
Regarding claim 2, Yang and Cheng together disclose the structure of claim 1 as applied above, but Yang fails to explicitly disclose wherein the at least one fin structure and the semiconductor substrate comprise a same semiconductor material and the photodetector material comprises a semiconductor material different than the at least one fin structure and the semiconductor substrate.
In the similar field of endeavor of photodetectors, Fig. 11A of Cheng discloses wherein the at least one fin structure (Fig. 11A, semiconductor fin 121, ¶ [0038]) and the semiconductor substrate (Fig. 11A, region 200, ¶ [0049]) comprise a same semiconductor material (Fig. 10A, “semiconductor fin 121 may project outwards from a surface of the N+ doped layer 120”, ¶ [0038], the semiconductor substrate and the fin structure are formed from the same layer. Therefore, they are inherently the same material) and the photodetector material (150) comprises a semiconductor material different than the fin structure (121) and the semiconductor substrate (200) (Fig. 10A, “each of N+ doped layer 120, fin 120… and P+ doped layer 150 may be made from different semiconductor materials”, ¶ [0043]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filling date of the invention to modify the structure of Yang with the materials as disclosed by Cheng, to obtain the desired device properties (see Cheng, ¶ [0042-0043]) and/or because the selection of a known material based on its suitability for its intended use is prima facie obvious (see MPEP 2144.07).
Regarding claim 3, Yang and Cheng together disclose the structure of claim 1 as applied above, but Yang fails to explicitly disclose wherein the photodetector material comprises a lattice constant different than the at least one fin structure and the semiconductor substrate.
In the similar field of endeavor of photodetectors, Fig. 11A of Cheng discloses wherein the photodetector material (150) comprises a lattice constant different than the at least one fin structure (121) and the semiconductor substrate (200) (Cheng discloses, in ¶ [0043], that the fin and semiconductor substrate may be made from different semiconductor materials than the photodetector material. Therefore, they would have different lattice constants).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filling date of the invention to modify the structure of Yang with the materials as disclosed by Cheng, to obtain the desired device properties (see Cheng, ¶ [0042-0043]) and/or because the selection of a known material based on its suitability for its intended use is prima facie obvious (see MPEP 2144.07).
Regarding claim 4, Yang and Cheng together disclose the structure of claim 3 as applied above, but Yang fails to explicitly disclose wherein the photodetector material comprises one of Ge, GaN, InGaAs and another III-V compound semiconductor material.
In the similar field of endeavor of photodetectors, Fig. 11A of Cheng discloses wherein the photodetector material (140, 150) comprises one of Ge, GaN, InGaAs and another III-V compound semiconductor material (Fig. 10A, “intrinsic layer 140, and P+ doped layer 150 may be made from… germanium”, ¶ [0043]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filling date of the invention to modify the structure of Yang with the materials as disclosed by Cheng, to obtain the desired device properties (see Cheng, ¶ [0042-0043]) and/or because the selection of a known material based on its suitability for its intended use is prima facie obvious (see MPEP 2144.07).
Regarding claim 5, Yang and Cheng together disclose the structure of claim 1 as applied above, and Fig. 69 of Yang further discloses wherein a top surface of the photodetector material (51) extends only above an upper surface of the semiconductor substrate (10).
Regarding claim 8, Yang and Cheng together disclose the structure of claim 1 as applied above, but Yang and Cheng fail to explicitly disclose wherein the fin structure includes a protuberance, and the photodetector material surrounds the protuberance.
However, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to arrive at the claimed structure through optimization of the fin configuration within the prior art and/or because it has been ruled that changes of shape are prima facie obvious absent persuasive evidence that the particular configuration is significant (MPEP 2144.04(IV)(B)).
Regarding claim 10, Yang and Cheng together disclose the structure of claim 1 as applied above, and Fig. 69 of Yang further discloses wherein the dielectric material (101) within the trench structure (21) surrounds and directly contacts the photodetector material (51) and the at least one fin structure (32a) including a bottom surface of the photodetector material (51).
Regarding claim 11, Yang and Cheng together disclose the structure of claim 1 as applied above, and Fig. 69 of Yang discloses wherein the dielectric material (101) fills a bottom portion of the trench structure (21) below the photodetector material (51).
Yang fails to disclose a polysilicon material is on top of the photodetector material and also contacts sidewalls of the photodetector material, and the first contact contacts the polysilicon material.
In the similar field of endeavor of photodetectors, Fig. 11A of Cheng discloses a polysilicon material (Fig. 11A, polysilicon stripe 1110, ¶ [0069]) is on top of the photodetector material (150) and also contacts the sidewalls of the photodetector material (150), and the first contact (1120) contacts the polysilicon material (1110).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filling date of the invention to modify the structure of Yang with the polysilicon material as disclosed by Cheng, to reduce electrical leakage (see Cheng, ¶ [0069]).
Regarding claim 12, Figs. 44, 52, and 61 of Yang disclose a structure comprising:
a trench structure (21) in a semiconductor material (10);
a fin structure (32a) comprising the semiconductor material (10) which extends from a bottom of the trench structure (21);
a photodetector material (51) which contacts the fin structure (32a) within the trench structure (21) and comprising a material with a different lattice constant than the fin structure (32a); and
a dielectric material (101) comprising a single material being directly in contact with sidewalls of the photodetector material (51) and being directly in contact with the fin structure (32a), and the dielectric material (101) being between an underside surface of the photodetector material (51) and a bottom surface of the trench structure (21).
Yang fails to disclose a conductive material over the photodetector material; and
a first contact connected to the conductive material on a side of the photodetector material.
In the similar field of endeavor of photodetectors, Fig. 11A of Cheng discloses a conductive material (1110) over the photodetector material (150); and
a first contact (1120) connected to the conductive material (1110) on a side of the photodetector material (150).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filling date of the invention to modify the structure of Yang with the contacts as disclosed by Cheng, to electrically couple to the device (see Cheng, ¶ [0069]).
Regarding claim 13, Yang and Cheng together disclose the structure of claim 12 as applied above, but Yang fails to disclose wherein the fin structure and the semiconductor material comprise a Si material and the photodetector material comprises one of Ge, GaN, InGaAs and another III-V compound semiconductor material.
In the similar field of endeavor of photodetectors, Fig. 11A of Cheng discloses wherein the fin structure (121) and the semiconductor material (200) comprise a Si material (Fig. 11A, “N+ doped layer 120, fin 121… may be made from silicon”, ¶ [0043]) and the photodetector material (150) comprises one of Ge, GaN, InGaAs and another III-V compound semiconductor material (Fig. 11A, “P+ doped layer 150 may be made from… germanium”, ¶ [0043]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filling date of the invention to modify the structure of Yang with the materials as disclosed by Cheng, to obtain the desired device properties (see Cheng, ¶ [0042-0043]) and/or because the selection of a known material based on its suitability for its intended use is prima facie obvious (see MPEP 2144.07).
Regarding claim 15, Yang and Cheng together disclose the structure of claim 12 as applied above, but Yang and Cheng fail to explicitly disclose wherein the fin structure includes a protuberance, and the photodetector material surrounds the protuberance.
However, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to arrive at the claimed structure through optimization of the fin configuration within the prior art and/or because it has been ruled that changes of shape are prima facie obvious absent persuasive evidence that the particular configuration is significant (MPEP 2144.04(IV)(B)).
Regarding claim 18, Yang and Cheng together disclose the structure of claim 12 as applied above, and Fig. 69 of Yang further discloses wherein the dielectric material (101) is within the trench structure (21) and surrounds and directly contacts an underside surface of the photodetector material (51) and sidewalls of the fin structure (32a).
Conclusion
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/C.A.N./Examiner, Art Unit 2893
/YARA B GREEN/Supervisor Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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