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 with traverse of Group I, claims 1-9, and 16-17 in the reply filed on November 5, 2025 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that there is no undue burden upon the Examiner. This is not found persuasive because Applicant’s conclusory statement does not overcome the burden Examiner has shown in the requirement for restriction dated September 23, 2025.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Examiner note: Under MPEP 215.02(a), “Applicants continue to bear the ultimate responsibility for ensuring that the priority document is filed during the pendency of the application and before the patent is issued.”
Drawing Objections
As discussed in drawing objection 5 below the drawings are not being entered as the subject matter of claim 8 is not shown. In regards to drawing objections 1-4, based upon the claim amendments and based upon replacement figure 2 Examiner would withdraw these objections if new figures removing all the drawing objections were presented.
The drawings are objected to because:
In figure 2 at step 4 Applicant adds the source 5 and the drain. The drain is unlabeled. According to the specification on page 6 at line 8 the drain electrode should be labeled in the drawings as 9.
In figure 2 at step 5, Applicant adds the gate 8, and has an element labeled as 9. This element 9 is not the drain electrode as discussed on page 6 at line 8. Applicant needs to add a different element number to this mis-labeled element 9, and add said element number in the specification.
On page 7 at line 10, Applicant discusses a gate dielectric. There is no element number for the gate dielectric. Further, figure 2 at step 5 does not indicate what the element is under element 9 in the figures. Applicant needs to label the gate dielectric in the figure and in the specification.
In claim 1 Applicant claims “a heavily doped contact layer”. However, this claimed matter is not shown in the drawings. Under 37 CFR 1.83(a), the drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. No new matter should be entered.
In claim 8, Applicant claims a “high-resistance layer” the drawings do not show a high-resistance layer. The drawings show an oxide layer. However, the oxide layer is formed by annealing in an oxygen environment. Where the claimed high-resistance layer is formed by implanting nitrogen into the Ga2O3 substrate. Therefore, the oxide layer shown in the drawings is not the high-resistance layer being claimed. Under 37 CFR 1.83(a), the drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. No new matter should be entered.
Applicant’s replacement sheets do not remove the 5th drawing objection. Applicant appears to have replaced figure 3’’s oxidized layer with a “high-resistance layer” label. This is insufficient to show the process steps of claim 8. Because the claimed subject matter is not shown, and because Examiner cannot partially enter the drawings remain objected to.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification Objections
Because the drawings are not entered, and because the amendments to the specification rely upon the not entered drawings, the specification will not be entered.
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
1. On page 6 at line 4, "the defective layer 3" should be "the defective layer 2".
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112(a)
Examiner withdraws the 35 USC § 112(a) based upon Applicant’s amendment to claim 8.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112(b)
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-7, and 16-17 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 1,
The term “a heavily doped” in claim 1 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “a heavily doped” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention.
On page 3 at the last two lines, Applicant states the doping range. However, it is not clear whether this is the heavily doped or not. Based upon Examiner’s reading of the specification there are no other doping ranges disclosed to determine what is not a heavily doped range. Under In re Steele, Examiner cannot speculate as to an interpretation about the meaning of this relative claim term. See MPEP 2143.03.
Remarks dated March 5, 2026
Applicant cites a reference which has not been made of record. Nor, has the reference been incorporated into the specification. In addition, there is no evidence that the references term “heavily doped” has the same meaning as Applicant’s use of the term; nor, is there any evidence this is how Applicant intended the term to be used. Therefore, this reference is not persuasive to remove this rejection. Thus, without evidence of the above, Applicant’s remarks are being treated as attorney arguments. MPEP 2145(I), and MPEP 716.01(c).
Regarding claim 3,
Claim 3 is rejected for the same reason as claim 1 in step 3-1.
Regarding claim 6,
Claim 6 is rejected for the same reasons as claim 1 and 3 above.
Regarding claim 8,
Claim 8 is rejected for the same reasons as claim 1 above.
Regarding claim 16,
Claim 16 is rejected for the same reason as claim 1 above.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-7, and 16-17 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Regarding claim 1,
As shown in Applicant’s figure 1b (prior art), the end device is known in the art. However, the specific method steps claimed in claim 1 appear to be novel and non-obvious. Specifically steps 1 and 2 of claim 1.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 2014/0217469 A1, a Ga2O3 device;
US 2014/0217405 A1, a Ga2O3 device; and
US 10,230,007 B1, a Ga2O3 device;
The above prior art do not teach the claimed method of claim 1.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
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/VINCENT WALL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2898