DETAILED ACTION
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 1-12 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.
Claim 1 recites “at least one insertion layer, formed on a side of the top electrode away from the piezoelectric layer and/or on the side of the bottom electrode away from the piezoelectric layer.” It is unclear as to whether (1) there is at least one insertion layer on top of the top electrode, (2) there is at least one insertion layer at the bottom of the bottom electrode, or (3) there is at least two insertion layers on both sides of the top and bottom electrodes. For the purpose of examination, Examiner considers any one of the three options described above. Claims 2-12 are rejected due to claim dependency.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 13, 14 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Wu (CN 113872555; machine translation).
Regarding claim 1, Wu discloses a piezoelectric resonator, in figure 1, comprising:
a bottom electrode 1;
a piezoelectric layer 2, formed on a side of the bottom electrode 1;
a top electrode 3, formed on a side of the piezoelectric layer 2 away from the bottom electrode 1;
an acoustic wave reflection structure 42, formed on a side of the bottom electrode 1 away from the piezoelectric layer 2,
wherein the top electrode 3, the piezoelectric layer 2, the bottom electrode 1, and the acoustic wave reflection structure 42 overlap to form a resonant region A;
at least one insertion layer 5, formed on a side of the top electrode 3 away from the piezoelectric layer 2 and/or on the side of the bottom electrode 1 away from the piezoelectric layer 2,
wherein the at least one insertion layer 5 at least partially covers the resonant region A; and
at least one mass load 51,
wherein each mass load 51 of the at least one mass load 51 is formed on a side of a respective insertion layer5 of the at least one insertion layer 5 away from the piezoelectric layer 2,
wherein the at least one mass load 51 is at least partially formed in the resonant region A.
Regarding claim 2, Wu discloses a substrate 41 formed on the side of the bottom electrode 1 away from the piezoelectric layer 2.
Regarding claim 3, Wu discloses the acoustic wave reflection structure 42 is formed by a recess 421 on a surface of the substrate 41 facing towards the bottom electrode 1 or by a cavity 421 formed between the substrate 41 and the bottom electrode 1, wherein the cavity 421 is at least partially formed in the resonant region A.
Regarding claim 13, Wu discloses a method for manufacturing a piezoelectric resonator, in figure 1, comprising:
forming a bottom electrode layer 1 on a substrate 41 by deposition, and patterning the bottom electrode layer 1 to obtain a bottom electrode 1,
wherein the substrate 41 has an acoustic wave reflection structure 42 or a sacrificial layer structure formed on a surface of the substrate 41;
forming a piezoelectric layer 2 by deposition on a side of the bottom electrode layer 1 away from the substrate 41;
forming a top electrode layer 3 by deposition on a side of the piezoelectric layer 2 away from the bottom electrode layer 1;
forming an insertion layer 5 by deposition on a side of the top electrode layer 3 away from the piezoelectric layer 2; and
forming a mass load layer 51 by deposition on a side of the insertion layer 5 away from the top electrode layer 3, and patterning the mass load layer 51 to obtain at least one mass load 51.
Regarding claim 14, Wu discloses forming the top electrode layer 3 by deposition on the side of the piezoelectric layer 2 away from the bottom electrode layer 1, includes:
patterning the top electrode 3 layer to obtain a top electrode 3.
Regarding claim 17, Wu discloses forming a cavity 421 by etching on a surface of the substrate 41 (Step S1); depositing a sacrificial material to fill the cavity (Step S2); and polishing the sacrificial material by chemical mechanical polishing to make the sacrificial material flush with the surface of the substrate (Step S2); wherein the sacrificial layer structure is configured to be released at an end of the method to empty the cavity (Step S10), and the cavity is configured to reflect acoustic waves to form the acoustic wave reflection structure (page 11).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claim(s) 4-6, 9, 10, 12, 15, 16 and 18-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu.
Regarding claim 4, Wu does not disclose the acoustic wave reflection structure is a Bragg mirror formed on a side of the bottom electrode away from the top electrode and formed at least partially in the resonant region. However, Wu discloses using Bragg mirror for the acoustic wave reflection structure is common.
Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have the acoustic wave reflection structure as a Bragg mirror positioned on the side of the bottom electrode away from the top electrode and at least partially within the resonant region, because such a modification would have been a predictable substitution of one known reflector type for another.
Regarding claim 5, Wu does not disclose, in the embodiment as shown in figure 1, the at least one mass load forms a structure of closed annulus. However, Wu , in the embodiment as shown in figure 4, discloses the at least one mass load 405 forms a structure of closed annulus (page 10).
Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have the at least one mass load forms a structure of closed annulus as disclosed in the embodiment shown in figure 4 of Wu in the device disclosed by the embodiment shown in figure 1 of Wu, for the purpose of improving acoustic confinement thereby improving resonator performance.
Regarding claim 6, Wu does not disclose, in the embodiment as shown in figure 1, the at least one mass load forms a structure of unclosed annulus obtained by removing at least one corner or side of a structure of closed annulus. However, Wu in the embodiment as shown in figure 4, discloses the at least one mass load 405 forms a structure of unclosed annulus obtained by removing at least one corner or side of a structure of closed annulus (page 10).
Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have the at least one mass load forms a structure of unclosed annulus obtained by removing at least one corner or side of a structure of closed annulus as disclosed in the embodiment shown in figure 4 of Wu in the device disclosed by the embodiment shown in figure 1 of Wu, for the purpose of improving acoustic confinement thereby improving resonator performance.
Regarding claim 9, Wu does not explicitly disclose the at least one mass load is arranged to form a shape same as a shape of the resonant region, and each outer edge of outer edges of the shape formed by the at least one mass load is parallel to a respective outer edge of outer edges of the resonant region. However, Wu discloses the mass load is set on the edge of the top electrode and forms an annular structure located in the resonant region (page 10). Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have the at least one mass load arranged to form a shape same as a shape of the resonant region, and each outer edge of outer edges of the shape formed by the at least one mass load is parallel to a respective outer edge of outer edges of the resonant region, because conforming the shape of a perimeter mass load to the shape of the resonant region it surrounds is a simple design choice to provide uniform acoustic reflection at the boundaries of the resonator.
Regarding claim 10, Wu does not explicitly disclose at least one outer edge of outer edges of a shape formed by the at least one mass load is not parallel to at least one respective outer edge of outer edges of the resonant region. However, Wu discloses the mass load can be configured as a closed or non-closed annular structure (page 10), and the exact geometric routing of the mass load and top electrode lead-out structure can vary.
Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to configure the device such that at least one outer edge of outer edges of a shape formed by the at least one mass load is not parallel to at least one respective outer edge of outer edges of the resonant region, because the specific geometric shape and edge alignment of the mass load relative to the resonant region is a mere design choice. A person of ordinary skill in the art would routinely alter the perimeter geometry (such as making edges non-parallel) to accommodate electrode routing or to tune the acoustic reflection characteristics to suppress specific spurious modes, which is a predictable engineering optimization.
Regarding claim 12, Wu does not disclose, in the embodiment as shown in figure 1, further including at least one passivation layer, wherein each passivation layer of the at least one passivation layer is formed on the side of a respective insertion layer of the at least one insertion layer away from the piezoelectric layer, the at least one passivation layer at least partially covers the resonant region. However, Wu, in the embodiment as shown in figure 3, discloses a passivation layer 30 stacked on the top electrode 303 away from the piezoelectric layer 302, and at least partially covering the top electrode (page 9), which at least partially covers the resonant region A. Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have the device further including at least one passivation layer, wherein each passivation layer of the at least one passivation layer is formed on the side of a respective insertion layer of the at least one insertion layer away from the piezoelectric layer, the at least one passivation layer at least partially covers the resonant region, as disclosed in the embodiment shown in figure 3 of Wu in the device disclosed by the embodiment shown in figure 1 of Wu, for the purpose of effectively protecting the top electrode and the piezoelectric layer, thereby improving the reliability of the structure.
Regarding claim 15, Wu does not disclose after patterning the mass load layer, the method further includes: forming a passivation layer by deposition on a side of the mass load layer away from the insertion layer. However, Wu discloses an embodiment with a mass load (figure 4) and an embodiment with a passivation layer (figure 3).
Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the method of Wu such that after patterning the mass load layer, the method further includes: forming a passivation layer by deposition on a side of the mass load layer away from the insertion layer, as disclosed by the passivation layer of figure 3 of Wu, for the purpose of effectively protecting the top electrode and the piezoelectric layer, thereby improving the reliability of the structure.
Regarding claim 16, Wu does not explicitly disclose pattering the passivation layer, the mass load layer, the insertion layer, and the top electrode layer, to make an edge of the passivation layer, an edge of the mass load layer, an edge of the insertion layer, and an edge of the top electrode layer align with each other. However, Wu discloses depositing and patterning these various layers (e.g., Step S5, S6).
Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the method of Wu to include pattering the passivation layer, the mass load layer, the insertion layer, and the top electrode layer, to make an edge of the passivation layer, an edge of the mass load layer, an edge of the insertion layer, and an edge of the top electrode layer align with each other, because etching a stack of layers simultaneously using a single mask to create aligned edges (self-alignment) is a standard and predictable semiconductor manufacturing technique used to reduce the number of masking steps and improve alignment tolerances.
Regarding claim 18, Wu does not explicitly disclose the specific steps of forming a sacrificial layer by deposition on the substrate; patterning the sacrificial layer; and forming a support layer by deposition on a side of the sacrificial layer away from the substrate; wherein the sacrificial layer is configured to be released at an end of the method to form a cavity. However, in the background section, Wu acknowledges that related technology forms the cavity structure “in the substrate or on the substrate” (page 4).
Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the method of Wu to include forming a sacrificial layer by deposition on the substrate; patterning the sacrificial layer; and forming a support layer by deposition on a side of the sacrificial layer away from the substrate; wherein the sacrificial layer is configured to be released at an end of the method to form a cavity, and the cavity is configured to reflect acoustic waves to form the acoustic wave reflection structure, because this is the standard, predictable method for forming a cavity on a substrate (surface micromachining) as explicitly acknowledged as known by Wu.
Regarding claim 19, Wu does not explicitly disclose forming a support layer by deposition on the substrate; forming a cavity on a surface of the support layer away from the substrate by etching the support layer. However, as noted above, Wu acknowledges that related technology forms the cavity structure “in the substrate or on the substrate” (page 4). Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the method of Wu to include forming a support layer by deposition on the substrate; forming a cavity on a surface of the support layer away from the substrate by etching the support layer; depositing a sacrificial material to fill the cavity; and leveling the sacrificial material by chemical mechanical polishing to make the sacrificial material flush with the surface of the substrate, because depositing a support layer and etching a cavity into it is a predictable, known alternative to etching the cavity directly into the base substrate.
Regarding claim 20, Wu does not explicitly disclose forming a plurality of layers of materials having different acoustic impedances on the substrate by deposition to form a Bragg mirror configured to reflect acoustic waves and to form the acoustic wave reflection structure. However, Wu discloses a Bragg reflector uses the laminated structure of multiple groups of low acoustic impedance material and high acoustic impedance material to realize the reflection of the wave (page 4).
Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the method of Wu to include forming a plurality of layers of materials having different acoustic impedances on the substrate by deposition to form a Bragg mirror configured to reflect acoustic waves and to form the acoustic wave reflection structure, because such a modification would have been a predictable substitution of one known reflector manufacturing method for another as acknowledged by Wu.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7, 8 and 11 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 7, the prior art does not disclose or suggest the piezoelectric resonator having the at least one mass load forms a structure of unclosed annulus obtained by forming at least one notch on a structure of closed annulus, wherein the at least one notch has side walls opposite to each other, and the at least one notch is perpendicular to outer edges of the structure of unclosed annulus along an extension direction of the side walls, along with other claim limitations. Claim 8 is objected to due to claim dependency.
Regarding claim 11, the prior art does not disclose or suggest the piezoelectric resonator having insertion layers and mass loads are formed on either sides of the piezoelectric layer; wherein the insertion layers include a first insertion layer and a second insertion layer, the first insertion layer is formed on the side of the top electrode away from the piezoelectric layer, and the second insertion layer is formed on the side of the bottom electrode away from the piezoelectric layer; and wherein the mass loads include a first mass load and a second mass load, the first mass load is formed on a side of the first insertion layer away from the top electrode, and the second mass load is formed on a side of the second insertion layer away from the bottom electrode, along with other claim limitations.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Wang (US 20220376672) and Liu (US 20180294794) disclose a piezoelectric resonator.
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/BUMSUK WON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2872
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