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 II, Species 2A, claims 1-15 and 21-25 in the reply filed on November 12, 2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 16-20 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on November 11, 2025.
Response to Amendment
This Office Action is in response to Applicant's amendments filed November 11, 2025. No claims have been amended. Claims 21-25 have been added. Claims 16-20 have been canceled. Currently, claims 1-15, and 21-25 are pending.
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)(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.
Claims 1-3, 5-6, 8-10, 12-15, 21, and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Solomko et al. (US 20230343531 A1) herein after “Solomko”.
Regarding claim 1, Figs. 11A and 12A of Solomko disclose a device, comprising:
a material layer (Fig. 12A, substrate 1200, ¶ [0068]);
a first conductive component (Fig. 12A, electrode 13A, ¶ [0034]) and a second conductive component (Fig. 12A, electrode 13B, ¶ [0034]) each disposed over the material layer (1200) in a cross-sectional side view (shown in Fig. 12A);
a heater component (Fig. 12A, heater 12, ¶ [0033]) disposed over the material layer (1200) in the cross-sectional side view, wherein a segment of the heater component (12) is disposed between the first conductive component (13A) and the second conductive component (13B) in the cross-sectional side view and in a planar top view (shown in Fig. 11A), and
wherein an upper surface of the heater component (12) is less elevated vertically than an upper surface of the first conductive component (13A) or the second conductive component (13B) in the cross-sectional side view (shown in Fig. 12A); and
a phase change material (PCM) (Fig. 12A, phase change material 11, ¶ [0033]) disposed over the segment of the heater component (12) and at least partially over the first conductive component (13A) and the second conductive component (13B) in the cross-sectional side view, wherein a resistivity of the PCM (11) changes in response to an application of heat (“phase change switches may be set to a crystalline phase state or an amorphous phase change, thus changing the resistance of the phase change material”, “the phase change material 11, by appropriate heating, is amorphous” ¶ [0029] and [0039]), wherein the heat is produced by the heater component (“By changing the state of phase change material 11 through heating with heater 12”, ¶ [0034]).
Regarding claim 2, Figs. 11A and 12A of Solomko disclose the device of claim 1 as applied above, and Fig. 12A further discloses wherein an entire bottom surface of the PCM (11) is substantially flat.
Regarding claim 3, Figs. 11A and 12A of Solomko disclose the device of claim 1 as applied above, and Fig. 12A further discloses wherein an entire top surface of the PCM (11) is substantially flat.
Regarding claim 5, Figs. 11A and 12A of Solomko disclose the device of claim 1 as applied above, and Fig. 12A further discloses comprising:
insulating materials (Fig. 12A, “reference numeral 1201 denotes a filler material like a silicon oxide or nitride”, ¶ [0068]) disposed between the heater component (12) and the first conductive component (13A) and between the heater component (12) and the second conductive component (13B) in the cross-sectional side view; and
a dielectric layer (Fig. 12A, electrically insulating layer 21, ¶ [0068]) disposed between the heater component (12) and the PCM (11) in the cross-sectional side view.
Regarding claim 6, Fig. 12A of Solomko disclose the device of claim 5 as applied above, and Fig. 12A further discloses wherein side surfaces of the dielectric layer (21) are in direct contact with the insulating materials (1201), but not with the PCM (11), in the cross-sectional side view (The side surface of the dielectric layer contacts a top portion of 1201 above the electrodes 13A and 13B as shown in Fig. 12A).
Regarding claim 8, Figs. 11A and 12A of Solomko disclose the device of claim 1 as applied above, and Fig. 12A further discloses comprising a capping layer (fig12A, resistive layer 1204, ¶ [0069]) disposed over the PCM (11) in the cross-sectional side view.
Regarding claim 9, Fig. 12A of Solomko disclose the device of claim 8 as applied above, and Fig. 12A further discloses wherein:
a bottom surface of the capping layer (1204) and an upper surface of the PCM (11) form an interface; and
an entirety of the interface is substantially flat (shown in Fig. 12A).
Regarding claim 10, Figs. 11A and 12A of Solomko disclose the device of claim 1 as applied above, and Fig. 12A further discloses wherein the device is an electrical switch in a radio-frequency (RF) circuit (“a signal to be switched, for example a radio frequency signal, is applied for example to electrode 13A”, ¶ [0034]).
Regarding claim 12, Figs. 11A and 12A of Solomko disclose a device, comprising:
a first conductive component (13A), a second conductive component (13B), and a heater component (12), wherein a segment of the heater component (12) is located between the first conductive component (13A) and the second conductive component (13B) in a cross-sectional side view (shown in Fig. 12A) and in a planar top view (shown in Fig. 11A);
a dielectric layer (21) located over the heater component (12) and between the first conductive component (13A) and the second conductive component (13B) in the cross-sectional side view, wherein the dielectric layer (21), the first conductive component (13A), and the second conductive component (13B) have substantially co-planar upper surfaces in the cross-sectional side view;
a phase change material (PCM) (11) located over the dielectric layer (21) and at least partially over the first conductive component (13A) and the second conductive component (13B) in the cross-sectional side view, wherein the PCM (11) is in a conductive state or a non-conductive state based on heat generated by the heater component (12) (“phase change switches may be set to a crystalline phase state or an amorphous phase change, thus changing the resistance of the phase change material”, “the phase change material 11, by appropriate heating, is amorphous” ¶ [0029] and [0039]); and
a capping layer (1204) located over the PCM (11).
Regarding claim 13, Figs. 11A and 12A of Solomko disclose the device of claim 12 as applied above, and Fig. 12A further discloses wherein:
an entirety of a top surface the PCM (11) is flat; and
an entirety of a bottom surface the PCM (11) is flat.
Regarding claim 14, Figs. 11A and 12A of Solomko disclose the device of claim 12 as applied above, and Figs. 11A and 12A further disclose wherein:
the segment of the heater component (12) is a middle segment;
the heater component (12) further includes a first end segment (top portion of 12 in Fig. 11A) and a second end segment (bottom portion of 12 in Fig. 11A);
the PCM (11) spans over the middle segment of the heater component (12) and partially over the first conductive component (13A) and the second conductive component (13B) in a first horizontal direction in a top view; and
the PCM (11) is located between the first end segment (top portion of 12 in Fig. 11A) and the second end segment (bottom portion of 12 in Fig. 11A) of the heater component (12) in a second horizontal direction in the top view.
Regarding claim 15, Figs. 11A and 12A of Solomko disclose the device of claim 12 as applied above, and Fig. 12A further discloses wherein:
the PCM (11) contains germanium telluride (“Suitable phase change materials used for such phase change switches include germanium telluride (GeTe)”, ¶ [0005]);
the PCM (11) reaches a crystal phase when the heat generated by the heater component (12) heats the PCM (11) to a first temperature (“The remaining phase change material may remain in a crystalline state”, ¶ [0039]); and
the PCM (11) reaches an amorphous phase when the heat generated by the heater component (12) heats the PCM (11) to a second temperature different from the first temperature (“the phase change material 11, by appropriate heating, is amorphous at least between lines 20A and 20B”, ¶ [0039]).
Regarding claim 21, Figs. 11A and 12A of Solomko disclose a device, comprising:
a material layer (1200);
a first conductive component (13A) and a second conductive component (13B) each disposed over the material layer (1200) in a cross-sectional side view defined by a first horizontal direction and a vertical direction;
a heater component (12) disposed over the material layer (1200) in the cross-sectional side view, wherein a segment of the heater component (12) is disposed between the first conductive component (13A) and the second conductive component (13B) in the cross-sectional side view and in a planar top view defined by the first horizontal direction and a second horizontal direction different from the first horizontal direction,
wherein the heater component (12) has a smaller dimension in the vertical direction than the first conductive component (13A) or the second conductive component (13B) in the cross-sectional side view (shown in Fig. 12A), and wherein the heater component (12) has a greater dimension in the second horizontal direction than the first conductive component (13A) or the second conductive component (13B) in the planar top view (shown in Fig. 11A);
a phase change material (PCM) (11) disposed over the segment of the heater component (12) and at least partially over the first conductive component (13A) and the second conductive component (13B) in the cross-sectional side view, wherein a resistivity of the PCM (11) changes in response to heat generated by the heater component (12) (“phase change switches may be set to a crystalline phase state or an amorphous phase change, thus changing the resistance of the phase change material”, “the phase change material 11, by appropriate heating, is amorphous” ¶ [0029] and [0039]); and
a capping layer (1204) disposed over the PCM (11) in the cross-sectional side view, wherein a bottom surface of the capping layer (1204) and an upper surface of the PCM (11) form a substantially flat interface.
Regarding claim 24, Figs. 11A and 12A of Solomko disclose the device of claim 21 as applied above, and Fig. 12A further discloses comprising:
insulating materials (1201) disposed between the heater component (12) and the first conductive component (13A) and between the heater component (12) and the second conductive component (13B) in the cross-sectional side view; and
a dielectric layer (21) disposed between the heater component (12) and the PCM (11) in the cross- sectional side view.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claims 4, 7, 22, and 25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Solomko (US 20230343531 A1) in view of Moon (US 20140191181 A1).
Regarding claim 4, Figs. 11A and 12A of Solomko disclose the device of claim 1 as applied above, but Solomko fails to disclose wherein the PCM is in direct contact with the first conductive component and the second conductive component.
In the similar field of endeavor of radio frequency switches, Fig. 1B of Moon discloses wherein the PCM (Fig. 1B, PCM 50, ¶ [0029]) is in direct contact with the first conductive component (Fig. 1B, first RF transmission line 42, ¶ [0029]) and the second conductive component (Fig. 1B, second RF transmission line 44, ¶ [0029]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filling date of the invention to modify the device of Solomko with the direct contact as disclosed by Moon, to improve reliability and packaging (see Moon, ¶ [0003]).
Regarding claim 7, Fig. 12A of Solomko disclose the device of claim 5 as applied above, and Fig. 12A of Solomko further discloses wherein:
a first portion of a bottom surface of the PCM (11) is in direct contact with an upper surface of the dielectric layer (21);
a second portion of a bottom surface of the PCM (11); and
the first portion of the bottom surface is substantially co-planar with a second portion of the bottom surface of the PCM (11).
Solomko fails to disclose the second portion of a bottom surface of the PCM is in direct contact with an upper surface of the first conductive component or the second conductive component.
In the similar field of endeavor of radio frequency switches, Fig. 1B of Moon discloses the second portion (left and right edges of 50 in Fig. 1B) of a bottom surface of the PCM (50) is in direct contact with an upper surface of the first conductive component (42) or the second conductive component (44).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filling date of the invention to modify the device of Solomko with the direct contact as disclosed by Moon, to improve reliability and packaging (see Moon, ¶ [0003]).
Regarding claim 22, Figs. 11A and 12A of Solomko disclose the device of claim 21 as applied above, and Fig. 12A of Solomko further discloses wherein a bottom surface of the PCM (11) is substantially flat.
Solomko fails to disclose that the bottom surface of the PCM extends to top surfaces of the first conductive component and the second conductive component.
In the similar field of endeavor of radio frequency switches, Fig. 1B of Moon discloses the bottom surface of the PCM (50) extends to top surfaces of the first conductive component (42) and the second conductive component (44).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filling date of the invention to modify the device of Solomko with the arrangement as disclosed by Moon, to improve reliability and packaging (see Moon, ¶ [0003]).
Regarding claim 25, Fig. 12A of Solomko disclose the device of claim 24 as applied above, and Fig. 12A of Solomko further discloses wherein:
side surfaces of the dielectric layer (21) extend to the insulating materials (1201), but not to the PCM, in the cross-sectional side view;
a first portion of a bottom surface of the PCM (11) extends to an upper surface of the dielectric layer (21);
a second portion of a bottom surface of the PCM (11); and
the first portion of the bottom surface is aligned with a second portion of the bottom surface of the PCM (11).
Solomko fails to disclose the second portion of a bottom surface of the PCM extends to an upper surface of the first conductive component or the second conductive component.
In the similar field of endeavor of radio frequency switches, Fig. 1B of Moon discloses the second portion (left and right edges of 50 in Fig. 1B) of a bottom surface of the PCM (50) extends to an upper surface of the first conductive component (42) or the second conductive component (44).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filling date of the invention to modify the device of Solomko with the arrangement as disclosed by Moon, to improve reliability and packaging (see Moon, ¶ [0003]).
Claims 11 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Solomko (US 20230343531 A1) in view of Rose et al. (US 20200091428 A1) herein after “Rose”.
Regarding claim 11, Figs. 11A and 12A of Solomko disclose the device of claim 1 as applied above, and Fig. 12A of Solomko further discloses wherein:
the heater component (12) each contains tungsten (“heaters may be made of a material like… tungsten”, ¶ [0005]); and
the PCM (11) contains germanium telluride (“Suitable phase change materials used for such phase change switches include germanium telluride (GeTe)”, ¶ [0005]).
Solomko fails to disclose the material layer contains a dielectric material; and
the first conductive component and the second conductive component each contains tungsten.
In the similar field of endeavor of RF switches, Fig. 1 of Rose discloses the material layer (Fig. 1, substrate 102, ¶ [0021]) contains a dielectric material (“substrate 102 is an insulator, such as silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2)”, ¶ [0021]); and
the first conductive component (Fig. 1, PCM contacts 118, ¶ [0020]) and the second conductive component (Fig. 1, heater contacts 120, ¶ [0020]) each contains tungsten (“PCM contacts 118 and heater contacts 120 can comprise tungsten”, ¶ [0029]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filling date of the invention to modify the device of Solomko with the conductive components as disclosed by Rose, to obtain the desired thermal properties (see Rose, ¶ [0023]) and/or because the use of conventional materials to perform their known function is prima-facie obvious (MPEP 2144.07).
Regarding claim 23, Figs. 11A and 12A of Solomko disclose the device of claim 21 as applied above, and Fig. 12A of Solomko further discloses wherein:
at least one of the first conductive component (13A), the second conductive component (13B), and the heater component (12) contains tungsten (“heaters may be made of a material like… tungsten”, ¶ [0005]);
the PCM (11) contains germanium telluride (“Suitable phase change materials used for such phase change switches include germanium telluride (GeTe)”, ¶ [0005]); and
the device is an electrical switch in a radio-frequency (RF) circuit (“a signal to be switched, for example a radio frequency signal, is applied for example to electrode 13A”, ¶ [0034]).
Solomko fails to disclose the material layer contains a dielectric material.
In the similar field of endeavor of RF switches, Fig. 1 of Rose discloses the material layer (102) contains a dielectric material (“substrate 102 is an insulator, such as silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2)”, ¶ [0021]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filling date of the invention to modify the device of Solomko with the substrate as disclosed by Rose, to support the subsequent layers (see Rose, ¶ [0021]) and/or because the use of conventional materials to perform their known function is prima-facie obvious (MPEP 2144.07).
Conclusion
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/C.A.N./ Examiner, Art Unit 2893
/YARA B GREEN/ Supervisor Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2893