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 Group I (claims 1-4) in the reply filed on 08/26/2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 5-17 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 08/26/2025.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Chiang (US 2008/0197410).
Regarding claim 1, Chiang discloses a semiconductor device comprising: a field oxide layer (Fig.7, numeral 42) formed on a substrate (10); a gate insulating layer (46) formed on a surface portion of the substrate (10) adjacent to one side of the field oxide layer (42); a gate electrode (48) formed on the gate insulating layer (46) and a portion of the field oxide layer (42); a source region(51) formed in a surface portion of the substrate (10) adjacent to one side of the gate electrode (48); and a drain region (52) formed in a surface portion of the substrate (10) adjacent to another side of the field oxide layer (42), wherein a surface portion (40) of the substrate (10) on which the field oxide layer (41) is formed is convex upward (Fig.6, numeral 38; note: “upward” depends on a viewer’s direction).
Regarding claim 2, Chiang discloses wherein the field oxide layer (Fig.7, numeral 42) has a width that gradually increases downward (“downward” depends on viewer’ direction; note: a width field oxide inside recesses (38) increases).
Regarding claim 3, Chiang discloses a drift region (Fig.7, numeral 30) formed in the substrate (10); and a body region (36) formed in the substrate (10), wherein the source region (51) is formed in a surface portion of the body region (36), and the drain region (52) is formed in a surface portion of the drift region (30).
Regarding claim 4, Chiang discloses a body contact region (53) formed in a surface portion of the body region (36) adjacent to one side of the source region (51).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JULIA SLUTSKER whose telephone number is (571)270-3849. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9 am-6 pm.
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/JULIA SLUTSKER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2891
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