DETAILED ACTION
General Remarks
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Amendment
The Amendment filed on 03/03/2026 has been entered. Claims 12-20 are withdrawn. Claims 1-
20 are pending.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments "Applicant Arguments/Remarks Made in an Amendment" with the
"Amendment/Req. Reconsideration-After Non-Final Reject" filed on 03/03/2026, related to: “…the p-type ion activation region, which is referred to as an oxygen-doped region, is not an oxidation region. The chemical reaction principle of the present disclosure is different from that of Ozaki…” and “…The oxygen-doped region in claim 1 should not be equivalent to the oxidized region (first oxidized region) 4X of Ozaki…” and “…the objective of the present disclosure is to realize selective activation of the p-type ion doped layer to avoid etching of the p-type ion doped layer, thereby avoiding etching losses…”. The Applicant’s arguments have been fully considered; however, the arguments are not persuasives and some of them are moot because do not apply to some reference of the record, US 20210167202 A1 to Lu and US 20140264451 A1 to Osaki.
Lu discloses a p-type ion region 50b doped with Mg in [0040] and comprising hydrogen in [0007] but it does not disclose “p-type ion activation region is an oxygen-doped region”, however, Osaki discloses an oxygen-doped region formed in a GaN layer by oxygen annealing or oxygen ion implantation in [0121], then, the combination of Lu and Osaki results in “the p-type ion activation region is an oxygen-doped region with hydrogen doped in the p-type ion doping layer replaced by oxygen through oxygen ion-implantation to release and activate p-type ions doped in the p-type ion activation region” being used in the current rejection, see detail below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of AIA 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 of this title, 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.
Claim(s) 1-4,8 and 9 is/are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lu (US 20210167202 A1, of the record) in view of Ozaki (US 20140264451 A1, hereinafter Ozaki, of the record).
Re: Independent Claim 1, Lu discloses a semiconductor structure (transistor structure 1 in [0033], Fig 1A-C), comprising:
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Lu’s Figure 1C-Annotated.
a substrate (10 substrate in [0037], Fig. 1C);
a first semiconductor layer (40-B channel formed by AlGaN, wherein channel 40 is formed by GaN/AlGaN in [0039], Fig. 1C-Annotated) and a second semiconductor layer (40-A channel formed by GaN in [0039], Fig. 1C-Annotated) sequentially disposed on the substrate (10); and
a p-type ion doping layer (50b top layer doped with Mg, as p-type doping in [0040], Fig. 1C-Annotated) disposed on the second semiconductor layer (40-A),
Lu does not expressly disclose wherein the p-type ion doping layer comprises a p-type ion activation region and a p-type ion passivation region enclosing the p-type ion activation region, and the p-type ion activation region is an oxygen-doped region with hydrogen doped in the p-type ion doping layer replaced by oxygen through oxygen ion-implantation to release and activate p-type ions doped in the p-type ion activation region.
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Osaki’s Figure 7-Annotated.
However, in the same semiconductor device field of endeavor, Osaki discloses a GaN capping layer (4 [0030], Fig.7) comprises a p-type ion activation region (4X oxidized region activated by oxygen annealing or oxygen ion implantation in [0121], Fig.7-Annotated) and a passivation region (areas of capping layer 4 around 4X, Fig. 7) enclosing the p-type ion activation region (4X), and the p-type ion activation region (4X) is an oxygen-doped region ([0121]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the Osaki’s feature of GaN layer comprises a p-type ion region and a passivation region enclosing the a p-type ion activation region, and the a p-type ion activation region is an oxygen-doped region to Lu’s device to have wherein the p-type ion doping layer comprises a p-type ion activation region and a p-type ion passivation region enclosing the p-type ion activation region, and the p-type ion activation region is an oxygen-doped region with hydrogen doped in the p-type ion doping layer replaced by oxygen through oxygen ion-implantation to release and activate p-type ions doped in the p-type ion activation region to obtain a high threshold while a decrease in drain current is suppressed ([0128], Osaki).
Re: Claim 2, Lu modified by Osaki discloses the semiconductor structure according to claim 1, wherein an upper surface, a lower surface and sidewalls of the p-type ion activation region of the p-type ion doping layer are enclosed by the p-type ion passivation region; or an upper surface and sidewalls of the p-type ion activation region are enclosed by the p-type ion passivation region (regions of layer 4 around 4X, Fig. 7-Annotated, Osaki applied to Lu) of the p-type ion doping layer.
Re: Claim 3, Lu modified by Osaki discloses the semiconductor structure according to claim 1, wherein a p-type ion doped (50b, Lu) in the p-type ion doping layer comprises a magnesium ion (50b, [0040], Lu).
Re: Claim 4, Lu modified by Osaki discloses the semiconductor structure according to claim 3, wherein the number of magnesium hydrogen bonds (hydrogen included in 50b top layer’s Lu in [0007], Lu) in the p-type ion activation region (4X’s Osaki applied to 50b top layer’s Lu) is less (the oxygen impurity reduces the magnesium hydrogen bonds wherein in 4X’s Osaki is applied to 50b top layer’s Lu) than that in the p-type ion passivation region (the region around of the 4X’s Osaki applied to 50b top layer’s Lu).
Re: Claim 8, Lu modified by Osaki discloses the semiconductor structure according to claim 1, wherein a material of the p- type ion doping layer is one of or a combination of GaN, InGaN, AlGaN, or InAlGaN (50b made of III-nitride semiconductors selected from AlGaN, InAlN, AlN or InAlGaN in [0040], Lu).
Re: Claim 9, Lu modified by Osaki discloses the semiconductor structure according to claim 1, further comprising: a protective layer (50a a top layer as a protection layer in [0040], Lu) disposed on the p-type ion doping layer (50b), wherein a material of the protective layer is AlN or AlGaN (50a made of III-nitride semiconductors selected from AlGaN, InAlN, AlN or InAlGaN in [0040], Lu).
Claim(s) 5-6 is/are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lu in view of Osaki and further in view of Yonkee et al. (US 20180374699 A1, hereinafter Yonkee, of the record).
Re: Claim 5, Lu modified by Osaki discloses the semiconductor structure according to claim 1,
Lu modified by Osaki does not expressly disclose wherein along a direction away from the substrate, a variation trend of a content of an oxygen element doped in a material of the p-type ion activation region comprises one of the following: uniformly decreasing, decreasing in a hopping manner, decreasing in a step-like manner, or first increasing and then decreasing.
However, in the same semiconductor device field of endeavor, Yonkee discloses wherein along a direction away from the substrate (206 substrate in [0050], Fig.2), a variation trend of a content of an oxygen element doped in a material of the p-type ion activation region (220 delta-doped layer using at least one donor atom selected from oxygen in [0052], Fig.2) comprises one of the following: uniformly decreasing, decreasing in a hopping manner, decreasing in a step-like manner, or first increasing and then decreasing (oxygen doping having a profile of increasing and then decreasing, having a density from about 2×10.sup.20 cm.sup.−3 to about 4×10.sup.21 cm.sup.−3 in [0054], Fig.3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the Yonkee’s feature of wherein along a direction away from the substrate, a variation trend of a content of an oxygen element doped in a material of the p-type ion activation region comprises one of the following: uniformly decreasing, decreasing in a hopping manner, decreasing in a step-like manner, or first increasing and then decreasing to the combination of Lu and Osaki device for improving the performance of III-nitride devices ([0012], Yonkee).
Re: Claim 6, Lu modified by Osaki discloses the semiconductor structure according to claim 1,
Lu modified by Osaki does not expressly disclose wherein a content of an oxygen element doped in a material of the p-type ion activation region is less than 1E21 atoms/cm3.
However, in the same semiconductor device field of endeavor, Yonkee discloses wherein a content of an oxygen element doped in a material of the p-type ion activation region is less than 1E21 atoms/cm3 (oxygen doping having a density of about 2×10.sup.20 cm.sup. −3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the Yonkee’s feature of wherein a content of an oxygen element doped in a material of the p-type ion activation region is less than 1E21 atoms/cm3 to the combination of Lu and Osaki device for improving the performance of III-nitride devices ([0012], Yonkee).
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lu in view of Ozaki and further in view of Su et al. (US 20230326996 A1, hereinafter Su, of the record).
Re: Claim 7, Lu modified by Osaki discloses the semiconductor structure according to claim 1,
Lu modified by Osaki does not expressly disclose wherein a ratio of a content of an oxygen element doped in a material of the p-type ion activation region to a content of a p-type ion doped in the material of the p-type ion activation region is greater than 0.1 and less than 10.
However, in the same semiconductor device field of endeavor, Su discloses a wherein a ratio of a content of an oxygen element doped (auxiliary doping element is oxygen in [0034]) in a material of the p-type ion activation region (62 second sublayer in [0045]) to a content of a p-type ion doped (main doping element is Mg in [0034]) in the material of the p-type ion activation region (62) is greater than 0.1 and less than 10 (ratio of the dopant concentration of the main doping element to the dopant concentration of the auxiliary doping element in the second sublayer 62 is 2:1 in [0045]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the Su’s feature of wherein a ratio of a content of an oxygen element doped in a material of the p-type ion activation region to a content of a p-type ion doped in the material of the p-type ion activation region is greater than 0.1 and less than 10 to the combination of Lu and Osaki device to obtain a gallium nitride-based high electron mobility transistor epitaxial wafer ([0002], Su).
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lu in view of Ozaki and further in view of Hsiung (US 20140203288 A1, hereinafter Hsiung, of the record).
Re: Claim 11, Lu modified by Osaki discloses the semiconductor structure according to claim 1,
Lu modified by Osaki does not expressly disclose wherein the p-type ion doping layer comprises a plurality of p-type ion activation regions, and the plurality of p-type ion activation regions are arranged at intervals in a plane parallel to the substrate with the plurality of p-type ion activation regions enclosed by the p-type ion passivation region respectively.
However, in the same semiconductor device field of endeavor, Hsiung discloses a plurality of p-type ion activation regions (146 regions formed by ion bombardment using oxygen with active deep level state in [0021], Fig.7), and the plurality of p-type ion activation regions (146) are arranged at intervals in a plane parallel (Fig.7) to the substrate (110 substrate in [0016], Fig.7).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the Hsiung’s feature of a plurality of p-type ion activation regions, and the plurality of p-type ion activation regions are arranged at intervals in a plane parallel to the substrate to the combination of Lu and Osaki device to have the p-type ion doping layer comprises a plurality of activation regions, and the plurality of activation regions are arranged at intervals in a plane parallel to the substrate with the plurality of p-type ion activation regions enclosed by the p-type ion passivation region respectively to create regions with active deep level state ([0021], Hsiung).
Second ground of rejections
Claim(s) 1 and 10 is/are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lu in view of Ozaki.
Re: Independent Claim 1, Lu discloses a semiconductor structure (transistor structure 1 in [0033], Fig 1A-C), comprising:
a substrate (10 substrate in [0037], Fig. 1C);
a first semiconductor layer (40 channel formed by AlGaN, wherein channel 40 is formed by GaN/AlGaN in [0039], Fig. 1C) and a second semiconductor layer (50b made of III-nitride semiconductors selected from AlGaN, InAlN, AlN or InAlGaN in [0040], Lu) sequentially disposed on the substrate (10); and
a p-type ion doping layer (50a doped with Mg, as p-type doping in [0040], Fig. 1C) disposed on the second semiconductor layer (50b),
Lu does not expressly disclose wherein the p-type ion doping layer comprises a p-type ion activation region and a p-type ion passivation region enclosing the p-type ion activation region, and the p-type ion activation region is an oxygen-doped region with hydrogen doped in the p-type ion doping layer replaced by oxygen through oxygen ion-implantation to release and activate p-type ions doped in the p-type ion activation region.
However, in the same semiconductor device field of endeavor, Osaki discloses a GaN capping layer (4 [0030], Fig.7) comprises a p-type ion activation region (4X oxidized region activated by oxygen annealing or oxygen ion implantation in [0121], Fig.7-Annotated) and a passivation region (areas of capping layer 4 around 4X, Fig. 7) enclosing the p-type ion activation region (4X), and the p-type ion activation region (4X) is an oxygen-doped region ([0121]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the Osaki’s feature of GaN layer comprises a p-type ion region and a passivation region enclosing the a p-type ion activation region, and the a p-type ion activation region is an oxygen-doped region to Lu’s device to have wherein the p-type ion doping layer comprises a p-type ion activation region and a p-type ion passivation region enclosing the p-type ion activation region, and the p-type ion activation region is an oxygen-doped region with hydrogen doped in the p-type ion doping layer replaced by oxygen through oxygen ion-implantation to release and activate p-type ions doped in the p-type ion activation region to obtain a high threshold while a decrease in drain current is suppressed ([0128], Osaki).
Re: Claim 10, Lu modified by Osaki discloses the semiconductor structure according to claim 1, further comprising: a source electrode (100 source in [0039], Lu) disposed on the second semiconductor layer (50b, Lu) and in ohmic contact (the source contact 100 and the drain contact 120 form ohmic contacts to layer 50b in [0033], Lu) with the second semiconductor layer (50b, Lu); a drain electrode (120 drain in [0039], Lu) disposed on the second semiconductor layer (50b, Lu) and in ohmic contact (in [0033], Lu) with the second semiconductor layer (50b, Lu); and a gate electrode (100 source in [0039], Lu) disposed on the p-type ion doping layer (50a, Lu) and in Schottky contact (Schottky contact in [0043], Lu) with the p- type ion doping layer (50a, Lu).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Wang et al. (US 20200111876 A1) teaches “ALGAN/GAN HETEROJUNCTION HEMT DEVICE COMPATIBLE WITH SI-CMOS PROCESS AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREFOR”. This document is related to an AlGaN/GaN heterojunction HEMT device comprising: an AlGaN/GaN heterojunction epitaxial layer, a passivation layer, a gate dielectric layer, a gold-free gate electrode and gold-free source and drain electrodes. The AlGaN/GaN heterojunction epitaxial layer comprises a substrate, a nitride nucleating layer, a nitride buffer layer, a GaN channel layer, an AlGaN intrinsic barrier layer and an AlGaN heavily-doped layer from bottom to top in sequence.
Anderson et al. (US 20140264582 A1) teaches “800 V SUPERJUNCTION DEVICE”. This document is related to a superjunction device including a substrate, a first doping concentration of a first dopant, a first semiconductor layer, a second semiconductor layer and trenches in the second semiconductor layer having an oxygen doping.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SANDRA M RODRIGUEZ VILLANUEVA whose telephone number is (571)272-1936. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday 8:00am-5:00pm (EST).
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/SANDRA MILENA RODRIGUEZ VILLANUEVA/Examiner, Art Unit 2898
/JESSICA S MANNO/SPE, Art Unit 2898
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