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 .
DETAILED ACTION
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.
Claims 9, 14, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cohen et al. (20210035639). Cohen et al. discloses (claim 9) a device with a substrate 102, a first and second electrode 118 on the substrate 102, a first phase change layer 112 on the first and second electrode 118, a heating element 106 on the first phase change layer 112, a second phase change layer 112 on the heating element 106, the heating element 106 being between the first and second phase change layer 112.
Cohen et al. discloses (claim 14) a method, comprising; forming a first and second electrode 118 on a substrate 102, forming a first phase change layer 112 on the first and second electrode 118, forming a heating element 106 on the first phase change layer 112, forming a second phase change layer 112 on the heating element 106, the heating element 106 being between the first and second phase change layer 112 (Fig. 10).
Regarding claim 15, Cohen et al. discloses that forming the first and second electrode 112,114 includes forming the first electrode 118 spaced from the second electrode 118 by a dimension and forming the first phase change layer 112 overlapping the first electrode 118, the second electrode 118, and completely over the dimension between the first and second electrodes 118.
Prior Art
Prior art made of record but not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant's disclosure for showing other phase change material switch devices with heating elements, substrates, electrodes, and insulating layers.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-8 are allowed. The improvement comprises (claim 1) a plurality of pillars extending in the first region of the phase-change material, the pillars being made of a material having a thermal conductivity greater than that of the phase-change material.
Claims 10-13 and 16-18 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. The improvements comprise (claim 10) a plurality of pillars extending in the first phase change layer, the pillars being made of a material having a thermal conductivity greater than that of the first phase change layer and (claim 16) forming a first insulating layer on the first phase change layer and forming a second insulating layer on the first insulating layer, on the first electrode, and on the second electrode.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communication from the examiner should be directed to Thomas Lazo whose telephone number is (571) 272-4818. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor Nathaniel Wiehe, can be reached on (571) 272-8648. The fax phone number for this Group is (571) 273-8300.
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/THOMAS E LAZO/Primary Examiner,
Art Unit 3745
January 24, 2026