DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species Embodiment 2, with claims 1-2, 5-11, 13, and 15-20, in the reply filed on 04/29/2026 is acknowledged. However, claim 2 is directed to an nonelected species and claim 3 is rather directed to an elected species. As such, claims 2, 4, 12, and 14 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to nonelected Species Embodiments.
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.
(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, 6-11, 13, 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Liu et al. (US9,790,082 B1; hereinafter “Liu”).
Regarding claim 1, Liu teaches an integrated circuit (IC) structure (a pressure sensor system 20), comprising: a substrate (a SOI substrate 26); a device (a structural layer 48 including transistors 50 and piezoresistors 56) on the substrate; a first contact field plate (a dielectric structure 28 having electrical contacts 36) above the device; a dielectric layer (28 having a dielectric material 142) between the first contact field plate and the device; and a pressure/strain terminal (a metallization structure 30 including metallization layers 32) coupled to the first contact field plate (Figs. 1-19 and cols. 2-8).
Regarding claim 3, Liu teaches in which the device comprises a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) diffusion resistor and/or a polysilicon resistor (56 in a well/diffusion region 54 for the pressure sensor 24) (cols. 2-8).
Regarding claim 6, Liu teaches in which the first contact field plate comprises tungsten (W) (col. 7).
Regarding claim 7, Liu teaches in which the pressure/strain terminal comprises a first (M1) metal layer coupled to the first contact field plate (the lowest one of 32 of 30 having 36 is a first metal layer) (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 8, Liu teaches further comprising an external pressure/strain sense bump (exterior structures 40 such as interconnects or bond pads) coupled to the pressure/strain terminal (Fig. 1 and col. 3).
Regarding claim 9, Liu teaches further comprising: a second contact field plate (a second lowest one of 32 of 30 having 36) coupled to the dielectric layer; a third contact field plate (a third lowest one of 32 of 30 having 36) coupled to the dielectric layer; and a pressure transfer field plate (a top one of 32 of 30 having 36) coupled to the second contact field plate and the third contact field plate (Fig. 1 and cols. 3-4).
Regarding claim 10, Liu teaches further comprises an air cavity (a second cavity 62) between the substrate and the device (Figs. 1 and 19 and cols. 3 and 8).
Regarding claim 11, Liu teaches a method for fabricating a pressure/strain sensing device (a pressure sensor system 20) using an integrated circuit (IC) structure (a CMOS IC), the method comprising: forming an active/passive device (a structural layer 48 including transistors 50 and piezoresistors 56) on a substrate (a SOI substrate 26); forming a first contact field plate (a dielectric structure 28 having electrical contacts 36) above the active/passive device; depositing a dielectric layer (28 having a dielectric material 142) between the first contact field plate and the active/passive device; and forming a pressure/strain terminal (a metallization structure 30 including metallization layers 32) coupled to the first contact field plate (Figs. 1-19 and cols. 2-8).
Regarding claim 13, Liu teaches in which the device comprises a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) diffusion resistor and/or a polysilicon resistor (56 in a well/diffusion region 54 for the pressure sensor 24) (cols. 2-8).
Regarding claim 16, Liu teaches in which the first contact field plate comprises tungsten (W) (col. 7).
Regarding claim 17, Liu teaches in which the pressure/strain terminal comprises a first (M1) metal layer coupled to the first contact field plate (the lowest one of 32 of 30 having 36 is a first metal layer) (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 18, Liu teaches further comprising an external pressure/strain sense bump (exterior structures 40 such as interconnects or bond pads) coupled to the pressure/strain terminal (Fig. 1 and col. 3).
Regarding claim 19, Liu teaches further comprising: forming a second contact field plate (a second lowest one of 32 of 30 having 36) coupled to the dielectric layer; forming a third contact field plate (a third lowest one of 32 of 30 having 36) coupled to the dielectric layer; and forming a pressure transfer field plate (a top one of 32 of 30 having 36) coupled to the second contact field plate and the third contact field plate (Fig. 1 and cols. 3-4).
Regarding claim 20, Liu teaches further comprises an air cavity (a second cavity 62) between the substrate and the device (Figs. 1 and 19 and cols. 3 and 8).
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 5 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu.
Regarding claims 5 and 15, while Liu does not the dielectric layer (142) comprises fluorosilicate glass (FSG) oxide, silicon nitride (SiN), or titanium nitride (TiN), it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize one of FSG, SiN, and TiN as a readily available dielectric material known in the semiconductor art for having predictable dielectric characteristics.
Conclusion
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/DANIEL WHALEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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