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 Invention I (Claims 1-10) in the reply filed on 06/26/2025 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, 2, 4, 6-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(A1) as being anticipated by Jeong et al. (US 2014/0091312 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Jeopng (Fig. 1, 2, 11) discloses a Schottky barrier diode, comprising:
a substrate (20);
a heterojunction structure (30, 40) disposed on the substrate (20); and
a P-type semiconductor layer (50), an anode (70) and a cathode (60) disposed on the heterojunction structure (30, 40), wherein
the P-type semiconductor layer (50) comprises a plurality of P-type semiconductor sub-blocks (“The plurality of P-GaN layers 50 are separated from one another” layers 50 Fig. 11), the anode (70) and the cathode (60) are disposed at two ends in an extending direction of the plurality of P-type semiconductor sub-blocks (Fig. 11), respectively, and the plurality of P-type semiconductor sub-blocks (50) between the anode and the cathode are spaced apart. (Fig. 1, 2, 11) [0048-0049]
Regarding Claim 2, Jeopng (Fig. 1, 2, 11) discloses the Schottky barrier diode of claim 1, wherein
the plurality of P-type semiconductor sub-blocks (50) are distributed in parallel with each other between the anode (70) and the cathode (60). (See Fig. 1, 2, 11).
Regarding Claim 4, Jeopng (Fig. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 11) discloses the Schottky barrier diode of claim 1, wherein
for each of the plurality of P-type semiconductor sub-blocks (50), the P-type semiconductor sub-block (50) comprises a first end close to the anode and a second end close to the cathode (See 50 extending in a direction between anode and cathode) ; and
at least one of:.
the first end of at least one of the plurality of P-type semiconductor sub-blocks (see end of 50) has a tip,
or the second end of at least one of the plurality of P-type semiconductor sub-blocks (see end of 50) has a tip. (Fig. 1, 2, 11)
The Examiner notes that “a tip” is considered under broadest reasoanable interpretation. Ex a square tip (in flat head of screwdriver)
Regarding Claim 6, Jeopng (Fig. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 11) discloses the Schottky barrier diode of claim 1, further comprising:
a passivation layer (80), wherein
the passivation layer (80) integrally covers on the plurality of P-type semiconductor sub-blocks (50) and between the plurality of P-type semiconductor sub-blocks (50); and
the anode and the cathode (70, 40) pass through the passivation layer to contact the heterojunction structure. (40, 30) (Fig. 3)
Regarding Claim 7, Jeopng (Fig. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 11) discloses the Schottky barrier diode of claim 1, wherein
a side surface of at least one of the plurality of P-type semiconductor sub-blocks contacts the anode (70) and does not contact the cathode (60) (Fig. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 11); or
a side surface of at least one of the plurality of P-type semiconductor sub-blocks contacts the cathode and does not contact the anode; or
at least one of the plurality of P-type semiconductor sub-blocks is separated into a first section and a second section insulated from each other, wherein
a side surface of the first section contacts the cathode and does not contact the anode, and a side surface of the second section contacts the anode and does not contact the cathode.
Regarding Claim 8, Jeopng (Fig. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 11) discloses the Schottky barrier diode of claim 1, wherein
the anode (70) contacts side surfaces of the plurality of P-type semiconductor sub-blocks and an upper surface of at least one of the plurality of P-type semiconductor sub-blocks (50) (Fig. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 11);;
or the cathode contacts side surfaces of the plurality of P-type semiconductor sub-block and an upper surface of at least one of the plurality of P-type semiconductor sub-blocks.
Regarding Claim 9, Jeopng (Fig. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 11) discloses the Schottky barrier diode of claim 1, wherein
the heterojunction structure comprises:
a channel layer (30) close to the substrate (20); and
a barrier layer (40) away from the substrate (20); wherein
the anode (70) contacts the barrier layer (40), or contacts the channel layer, or contacts both the channel layer and the barrier layer; and
the cathode (60) contacts the barrier layer (40), or contacts the channel layer, or contacts both the channel layer and the barrier layer.
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.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jeong et al. (US 2014/0091312 A1).
Regarding Claim 3, Jeopng (Fig. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 11) discloses the Schottky barrier diode of claim 1, wherein
at least two of the plurality of P-type semiconductor sub-blocks (50) extend between the anode and the cathode (Fig. 1, 2, 11)
Jeopng does not explicitly disclose that at least two of the plurality of P-type semiconductor sub-blocks extend between the anode and the cathode for unequal lengths.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the Schottky barrier diode in Jeopng such that at least two of the plurality of P-type semiconductor sub-blocks extend between the anode and the cathode for unequal lengths a change in shape of an element was considered a matter of choice which a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found obvious absent persuasive evidence that the particular configuration was significant (In re Dailey, 357 F.2d 669, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1966) (MPEP §2144.04)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5 and 10 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Yu et al. (US 2013/0140578 A1) discloses P-type semiconductor layer comprises a plurality of P-type semiconductor sub-blocks.
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/DMITRIY YEMELYANOV/Examiner, Art Unit 2891