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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Title
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed. (see MPEP § 606.01).
This may result in slightly longer titles, but the loss in brevity of title will be more than offset by the gain in its informative value in indexing, classifying, searching, etc.
The following title is suggested:
“III-N High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) with Large Bandgap Back Barrier Layer”
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 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by Chen (US 20220029007).
Regarding claim 1. Fig 1 of Chen discloses A semiconductor device 500, comprising:
a substrate 102 [0018];
a buffer layer 108 above the substrate ([0031]: ‘improving the epitaxial quality of the resistive layer and reducing the epitaxial defeats so as to inhibit the leakage current’. Thus, being a buffer layer);
a barrier layer 112 on the buffer layer [0031];
an electron traveling layer 114 ([0035]: channel layer) on the barrier layer; and
an electron supply layer 116 (the wide bandgap AlN creates strong polarization-induced charges at the AlN/GaN interface. Thus, polarization effect supplies electrons to adjacent GaN electron traveling layer (channel) 114. Thus, 116 is an electron supply layer) above the electron traveling layer, wherein
the electron traveling layer ([0063]: 200 – 500 nm) is thinner than the buffer layer ([0032]: 0.5-5 μm), and
a band gap of the barrier layer ([0056]: AlN) is larger than a band gap of the buffer layer ([0031]: GaN) and a band gap of the electron traveling layer ([0057]: GaN) ([0059: the bandgap of AlN is 6.2 eV whereas the bandgap of GaN is 3.4 eV).
Regarding claim 2. Chen discloses The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein
both of the buffer layer and the electron traveling layer are a GaN layer [0031]/[0057], and
the barrier layer is an AlxInyGa1-x-yN layer (0 < x ≤ 1, 0 ≤ y ≤ 0.1) ([0056]: 112 is AlN, which means Al1In0Ga1-1-0N = AlN, thus Chen discloses the claimed composition range).
Regarding claim 3. Chen discloses The semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein
a relation of “y + 0.8 ≤ x” is established (Chen discloses y = 0, x = 1. Thus, 0 + 0.8 ≤ 1).
Regarding claim 4. Chen discloses The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein
a thickness of the barrier layer is 2 nm or larger and 20 nm or smaller ([0063]: 5 nm).
Regarding claim 5. Chen discloses The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein
a thickness of the buffer layer is 20 μm or smaller ([0032]: 0.5-5 μm).
Regarding claim 6. Chen discloses The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein
a thickness of the electron traveling layer is 200 nm or larger ([0063]: 200 – 500 nm).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Changhyun Yi whose telephone number is (571)270-7799. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday: 8A-4P.
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/Changhyun Yi/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812
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