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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-3, 5 and 13-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over United States Patent Application Publication No. US 2018/0204941 (hereinafter “Lester”), and further in view of United States Patent Application Publication No. US 2017/0221786 (hereinafter “Konishi”).Regarding claim 1 and 13-15 Lester teaches a multilayered device on an engineered substrate (abstract). Lester teaches the engineered (base) substrate 1200 comprises a polycrystalline ceramic core material (ceramic core layer) 1210, a barrier layer (impurity encapsulating layer) 1218 configured to encapsulate the polycrystalline ceramic core material (ceramic core layer) 1210, a bonding layer 1220 on the barrier layer (impurity encapsulating layer) 1218, and a single crystal layer (processed layer) 1222 on the bonding layer 1220, where the single crystal layer (processed layer) 1222 is suitable for use as a growth layer during an epitaxial growth process for the formation of epitaxial material 1230 (processed layer is a seed crystal layer) (paragraphs [0081], [0085], and [0091]; and Figure 12). Lester teaches the barrier layer (impurity encapsulating layer) 1218 comprises silicon nitride (Si3N4 or SiN1.3) (paragraph [0090]), which corresponds to a layer made of a composition represented by a composition formula SiOxNy, where x=0, y=1.3, and x+y>0, which falls within the claimed ranges. Lester teaches the bonding layer 1220 comprises a bonding material (paragraph [0111]). Lester teaches the barrier layer 1218 is a silicon nitride or ceramic layer (paragraph [0090]). Lester teaches SiO2, SiON, and the like adhere well to ceramic materials (paragraph [0094]). Lester does not explicitly teach the values of x’ and y’ in the composition formula SiOx’Ny’ of the bonding layer 1220 are different between a barrier layer (impurity encapsulating layer) 1218 side and a single crystal layer (processed layer) 1222 side, where the value of x’ in the composition formula SiOx’Ny’ of the bonding layer 1220 of the barrier layer (impurity encapsulating layer) 1218 side is 1.0 to 1.8, the value of y’ in the composition formula SiOx’Ny’ of the bonding layer 1220 of the barrier layer (impurity encapsulating layer) 1218 side is 1.0 to 2.0, the value of x’ in the composition formula SiOx’Ny’ of the bonding layer 1220 of the single crystal layer (processed layer) 1222 side is: 1.3 to 1.8; or 1.5 to 1.8, and the value of y’ in the composition formula SiOx’Ny’ of the bonding layer 1220 of the single crystal layer (processed layer) 1222 side is: 0.2 to 1.6; or 0.2 to 1.4. Konishi teaches a bonded substrate comprising a single-crystal semiconductor substrate on a silicon nitride sintered-body substrate (abstract and paragraph [0011]). Konishi teaches an amorphous film (bonding layer) bonds the sintered-body substrate to the single-crystal semiconductor substrate (paragraphs [0040] and [0041]). Konishi teaches the amorphous film includes multiple layers of two or more, the types of the films in each layer may be different materials or may be the same, and the amorphous film may be of a type that is typically used for the process of manufacturing semiconductor devices, such as SiOxNy (x and y are numbers satisfying 0<x<2.0, 0<y<1.3). The use of the amorphous film is desired because it can fill depressions on the surface of the sintered-body substrate without gaps and the substrate can have surface roughness suitable for bonding with a single-crystal semiconductor substrate, and when the types of the amorphous film are different between the first layer and the second layer, the surface of the sintered-body substrate can be covered more densely, which can prevent diffusion of metallic components from the substrate more favorably (paragraphs [0030] and [0031]), which corresponds to an embodiment where the amorphous film includes two layers, each of the two layers including SiOxNy (x and y are numbers satisfying 0<x<2.0, 0<y<1.3), which may be different or the same, which also corresponds to: a first layer of SiOx’Ny’ (x’ and y’ are numbers satisfying 0<x’<2.0, 0<y’<1.3) (which encompasses/overlaps the claimed ranges for the x’ and y’ values in the composition formula SiOx’Ny’ of the bonding layer on the impurity encapsulating layer side); and a second layer of SiOx’Ny’ (x’ and y’ are numbers satisfying 0<x’<2.0, 0<y’<1.3) (which encompasses/overlaps the claimed ranges for the x’ and y’ values in the composition formula SiOx’Ny’ of the bonding layer on the processed layer side). Lester and Konishi are analogous inventions in the field of bonding single crystal substrates to ceramic substrates. It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art at the time of the invention to modify the bonding layer 1220 of Lester with the multilayered configuration (including the first layer of SiOx’Ny’ (x’ and y’ are numbers satisfying 0<x’<2.0, 0<y’<1.3), and the second layer of SiOx’Ny’ (x’ and y’ are numbers satisfying 0<x’<2.0, 0<y’<1.3)) of the amorphous film of Konishi to: provide a bonding layer with the desired effect of filling depressions on the surface of the sintered-body substrate without gaps and the substrate can have surface roughness suitable for bonding with a single-crystal semiconductor substrate; and/or densely cover the surface of the silicon nitride or ceramic barrier layer 1218 of Lester, and to more favorably prevent diffusion of metallic components from the underlying layer. The combination of Lester and Konishi corresponds to a layered configuration where: (i) the first layer of SiOx’Ny’ (x’ and y’ are numbers satisfying 0<x’<2.0, 0<y’<1.3) (from Konishi) of the bonding layer 1220 (of Lester as modified by Konishi) is located on the single crystal layer (processed layer) 1222 side; and (ii) the second layer of SiOx’Ny’ (x’ and y’ are numbers satisfying 0<x<2.0, 0<y<1.3) (from Konishi) of the bonding layer 1220 (of Lester as modified by Konishi) is located on the barrier layer (impurity encapsulating layer) 1218 side.Regarding claim 2 In addition, Lester teaches the ceramic core material (ceramic core layer) 1210 is a polycrystalline AlN layer (paragraph [0081]). Lester also teaches the epitaxial material (group III-V compound) 1230 is a compound comprising GaN (paragraphs [0080] and [0081]).Regarding claim 3 In addition, Lester teaches the barrier layer (impurity encapsulating layer) 1218 consists of a number of sub-layers that are built up to form the barrier layer, and the barrier layer may include not only silicon nitride (Si3N4 or SiN1.3), but also amorphous materials including SiCN, SiON, AlN, SiC (paragraph [0089]), which corresponds to an embodiment where the barrier layer 1218 includes two sub-layers, where the first sub-layer comprises silicon nitride (Si3N4 or SiN1.3) and the second sub-layer comprises SiON. This embodiment corresponds to values of x and y in the composition formula SiOxNy of the barrier layer (impurity encapsulating layer) 1218 are different between a ceramic core material (ceramic core layer) 1210 side and a bonding layer 1220 side (Lester – Figure 12).Regarding claim 5 In addition, Lester teaches the single crystal layer (processed layer) 1222 is suitable for use as a growth layer during an epitaxial growth process for the formation of epitaxial material 1230 (containing a seed crystal), where the single crystal layer (processed layer) 1222 comprises Si, SiC, sapphire (Al2O3), GaN, AlN, etc. (paragraph [0091]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 20 January 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The applicant argued the composition of SiOx’Ny’ of the bonding layer excludes SiO2, which was used in the previous Office action to reject the claims. Upon review of the amendments provided by the applicant, the examiner agrees. However, Konishi does not limit the use of SiO2 for the amorphous bonding multilayer. The updated rejection of record considers a different embodiment disclosed by Konishi which does meet the scope of the claims. Moreover, the examiner’s reliance on there being an obvious matter of design choice to determine the placement of the layers is moot because the rejection of record now contemplates the use of two layers of SiOx’Ny’, each of which meet the scope of the claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 2017/0222058 teaches a film 3, 8 used for the process of manufacturing semiconductor devices and includes SiOxNy, where x<1.5 and y>0.5, which provides a low oxygen insulating layer (abstract; paragraphs [0110], [0111] and [0156]; and Figures 2 and 4).
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRIAN HANDVILLE whose telephone number is (571)272-5074. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Thursday, from 9 am to 4 pm.
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/BRIAN HANDVILLE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1783