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 Invention of Group I, Claims 1-18 in the reply filed on 05/04/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 19-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 05/04/2026.
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.
Claim(s) 1-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chen et al. (US 2011/0018002).
Regarding claim 1, Chen et al. discloses, as shown in Figures 1-2 and 7-10, a semiconductor device comprising:
a first electrode (56) extending in a first direction;
a second electrode (59) extending in the first direction, a second direction from the first electrode to the second electrode being perpendicular to the first direction;
a third electrode (57) extending in the first direction, a position of the third electrode in the second direction being between a position of the first electrode in the second direction and a position of the second electrode in the second direction;
a first semiconductor region (43) including Alx1Ga1−x1N (0≤x1<1), the first semiconductor region including a first partial region, a second partial region, a third partial region, a fourth partial region, and a fifth partial region, a third direction from the first partial region to the first electrode crossing a plane including the first direction and the second direction, a direction from the second partial region to the second electrode being along the third direction, a direction from the third partial region to the third electrode being along the third direction, a position of the fourth partial region in the second direction being between a position of the first partial region in the second direction and a position of the third partial region in the second direction, a position of the fifth partial region in the second direction bring between the position of the third partial region in the second direction and a position of the second partial region in the second direction; and
a second semiconductor region (44) including Alx2Ga1−x2N (0<x2<1, x1<x2), the second semiconductor region including a first semiconductor portion and a second semiconductor portion, a direction from the fourth partial region to the first semiconductor portion being along the third direction, a direction from the fifth partial region to the second semiconductor portion being along the third direction, the second semiconductor portion including a first region and a second region, a position of the first region in the second direction being between a position of the second region in the second direction and the position of the second electrode in the second direction, a concentration of fluorine in the first region being higher than a concentration of fluorine in the second region, or the first region including fluorine and the second region not including fluorine (region 108 corresponds to region 22a and is fluorine containing and located under the drain extension but not under the ohmic portion of the drain electrode, [0059], [0098]).
Regarding claim 2, Chen et al. discloses the second electrode includes a first electrode portion (59) and a second electrode portion (58), a direction from the first region to at least a part of the first electrode portion is along the second direction, and at least a part of the first region is provided between the first semiconductor region and the second electrode portion in the third direction (Figures 1-2 and 7-10).
Regarding claim 3, Chen et al. discloses a position of a boundary between the second region and the first region in the second direction is located between the position of the third electrode in the second direction and a position of the second electrode portion in the second direction (the region 22b corresponds to the region next to 108 in a direction facing the gate electrode) (Figures 1-2 and 7-10).
Regarding claim 4, Chen et al. discloses at least a part of the first region does not overlap the second electrode portion in the third direction (Figure 2).
Regarding claim 5, Chen et al. discloses a part of the first region is provided between the second partial region and the first electrode portion in the third direction (Figure 2).
Regarding claim 6, Chen et al. discloses the second semiconductor portion further includes a third region, the third region is provided between the second partial region and the first electrode portion in the third direction, and a concentration of fluorine in the third region is lower than the concentration of fluorine in the first region, or the third region does not include fluorine (Figure 2, the region 22c corresponds to the portion of the barrier layer 44 under the electrode portion 59 does not contain fluorine).
Regarding claim 7, Chen et al. discloses a second partial region (portion of 45 on the right of 59) is in contact with the first electrode portion, and a direction from the second semiconductor portion to at least a part of the first electrode portion is along the second direction (Figure 2).
Regarding claim 8, Chen et al. discloses the second semiconductor portion further includes a fourth region, the fourth region is provided between the first semiconductor region and the first region in the third direction, and a concentration of fluorine in the fourth region is lower than the concentration of fluorine in the first region, or the fourth region does not include fluorine (Figure 2).
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.
Claim(s) 9-10 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen et al. (US 2011/0018002) in view of Iucolano et al. (US 2018/0358458).
Regarding claim 9, Chen et al. discloses the claimed invention including the device as explained in the above rejection. Chen et al. does not disclose a first insulating member, at least a part of the first insulating member being provided between the first region and the second electrode portion. However, Iucolano et al. discloses a device having a first insulating member (8a), at least a part of the first insulating member being provided between the first region and the second electrode portion (12). Note Figures 1-3 of Iucolano et al. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art at the time the invention was made to form the device of Chen et al. having a first insulating member, at least a part of the first insulating member being provided between the first region and the second electrode portion, such as taught by Iucolano et al. in order to have the desired configuration.
Regarding claim 10, Chen et al. and Iucolano et al. disclose a part of the first insulating member (8a) is provided between the first region and the second electrode portion (the flange portion of 12), another part of the first insulating member (8a along the trench 9 in upper direction) does not overlap the second electrode in the third direction, and a thickness of the part of the first insulating member along the third direction is thinner than the thickness of the other part of the first insulating member along the third direction (with respect an upper surface 6a of layer 6, Figures 1-3)
Regarding claim 18, Chen et al. discloses the claimed invention including the device as explained in the above rejection. Chen et al. does not disclose at least a part of the third electrode is provided between the first semiconductor portion and the second semiconductor portion in the second direction. However, Iucolano et al. discloses a device having at least a part of the third electrode (8) is provided between the first semiconductor portion and the second semiconductor portion in the second direction. Note Figures 1-3 of Iculolano et al. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art at the time the invention was made to form third electrode of Chen et al. having at least a part is provided between the first semiconductor portion and the second semiconductor portion in the second direction, such as taught by Iucolano et al. in order to have the desired configuration.
Claim(s) 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen et al. (US 2011/0018002).
Chen et al. does not disclose the concentration of the fluorine. However, the selection of these parameters such as energy, concentration, temperature, time, speed, molar fraction, depth, thickness, etc., would have been obvious and involve routine optimization which has been held to be within the level of ordinary skill in the art. "Normally, it is to be expected that a change in energy, concentration, temperature, time, molar fraction, depth, thickness, etc., or in combination of the parameters would be an unpatentable modification. Under some circumstances, however, changes such as these may impart patentability to a process if the particular ranges claimed produce a new and unexpected result which is different in kind and not merely degree from the results of the prior art... such ranges are termed "critical ranges and the applicant has the burden of proving such criticality.... More particularly, where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation." In re Alter 105 USPQ233, 255 (CCPA 1955). See also In re Waite 77 USPQ 586 (CCPA 1948); In re Scherl 70 USPQ 204 (CCPA 1946); In re Irmscher 66 USPQ 314 (CCPA 1945); In re Norman 66 USPQ 308 (CCPA 1945); In re Swenson 56 USPQ 372 (CCPA 1942); In re Sola 25 USPQ 433 (CCPA 1935); In re Dreyfus 24 USPQ 52 (CCPA 1934).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-16 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.
9. The following is an examiner's statement of reasons for allowance:
Applicant' s claims 11-16 are allowable over the references of record because none of these references disclose or can be combined to yield the claimed second electrode conductive member electrically connected to the second electrode, a first insulating member; and a second insulating member, at least a part of the first insulating member being provided between the second semiconductor portion and the second electrode portion, at least a part of the second insulating member being provided between the second electrode portion and the second electrode conductive member, the first insulating member including silicon and nitrogen, the second insulating member including silicon and oxygen, and a concentration of nitrogen in the second insulating member being lower than a concentration of nitrogen in the first insulating member, or the second insulating member not including nitrogen, as recited in claim 11; a first insulating member, the first insulating member including a first insulating portion and a second insulating portion, at least a part of the first insulating portion being provided between the second semiconductor portion and the second insulating portion in the third direction, the first insulating portion not overlapping the second electrode portion in the third direction, a part of the second insulating portion being provided between the first region and the second electrode portion in the third direction, and the part of the second insulating part being provided between the first insulating portion and the first electrode portion in the second direction, as recited in claim 12; the second electrode includes a nitride region and a conductive region, the nitride region is provided between the second partial region and the conductive region, and the nitride region includes gallium and nitrogen, as recited in claim 16.
Conclusion
10. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HUNG K VU whose telephone number is (571)272-1666. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday: 7am - 5pm.
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/HUNG K VU/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2897
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