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 § 112
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 1-8 and 12 are 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.
With respect to claim 1, this claim recites a first cladding layer disposed over the plurality of SPADs and along the width and a second cladding layer disposed above the substrate and along the width. This appears to contradict the specification and drawings, as the SPADs are formed in the substrate, thus the use of both “above” and “over” indicate the both cladding layers are on the same side of the substrate in which the SPADs appear (cladding layers are generally understood to surround a core layer in a waveguide). If the claim is meant to differentiate the substrate in which the SPADs are located from a second substrate (such as element 204), this must be specified.
Claims 2-8 are rejected for reasons of dependency.
With respect to claims 4 and 12, these claims recite “and a thickness in a range of approximately 1 μm and approximately 10 μm”. It appears that the emphasized “and” should read “to”, as the thickness cannot be both values simultaneously.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-11 and 13-16 are allowed.
Claims 1-8 and 12 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Mazzillo et al. (US 2014/0339398 A1, cited by Applicant) discloses an avalanche photodiode structure comprising a substrate (2) and epitaxial layers (4/6/8). Mazzillo is silent with regard to cladding layers (the recited epitaxial layers are structural elements of the photodiodes themselves).
Frey et al. (US 2016/0365464 A1, cited by Applicant) discloses an SPAD photodiode structure (abstract) comprising upper and lower waveguide cladding (par. [0059]). Frey does not disclose at least one SPAD formed in or along a substrate which is adapted to function as a core of a waveguide, as claimed.
With respect to claims 1 and 9, the cited prior art does not appear to disclose or reasonably suggest a substrate adapted to function as a core layer of an optical waveguide; at least one single photon avalanche photodiode disposed in or along a width of the substrate; a first cladding layer disposed over the at least one SPAD and along the width; and a second cladding layer disposed beneath the substrate and along the width, wherein the optical waveguide comprises the substrate, the first cladding layer and the second cladding layer.
Claims 10-11 and 13-16 are allowable for reasons of dependency.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
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/MARK R GAWORECKI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2884 9 January 2026