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 .
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.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention Group II (an electronic power component, Claims 8-12) and Species 1 (Figs. 1A-1E, Claim 9) in the reply filed on June 29, 2026 is acknowledged. As part of the response the Applicant has amended the claim set such that the status is as follows:
-Claims 1-7 and 14-20 are cancelled.
-Claims 8 and 13 are amended.
-Claims 21-34 are new.
Applicant identifies Claims 8-9, 11-13, 21, 23-32, and 34 as reading upon the elected species whilst Claims 8, 11-13, and 23-32 are generic. Upon review of the amendments, Examiner finds no introduction of new matter. However, the amendment to Claim 13 has changed the scope of the claim, and in particular introduced limitations relating to methodology of the now cancelled Claim 1 (e.g. etching) that would not necessarily be searched with the device election (Invention Group II). Thus, Claims 10, 13, 21-26, and 33 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention group and/or species. Therefore, an examination on the merits of Claims 8, 9, 11-12, 27-32, and 34 follows.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d) based on an application filed in the French Republic on February 8, 2023, and receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. It should be noted that in order to effectively benefit from the foreign priority date, an English translation of the certified copy (of the foreign application as filed) filed together with a statement that the translation of the certified copy is accurate must be presented.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on January 23, 2024 was filed in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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. The following title is suggested:
--Electronic Power Component With Semi-Insulating Polycrystalline Silicone Layer Deposited On A Peripheral Groove Surface Of A Variably Doped Substrate--
Claim Objections
Claims 9 and 11 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding Claim 9, the preamble’s “comprising” should read --further comprising--
Regarding Claim 11, “the groove” should read --the peripheral groove--
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim 29 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.
Regarding Claim 29, the limitation “the outer portion of the substrate increases in a gradient from the central portion of the substrate to the first side of the substrate” is unclear to its intent, as the gradient is not attributed to any particular characteristic. Furthermore, the only reference to a gradient in the disclosure is to the doping of the upper portion. However, Claim 28, upon which Claim 29 depends, already establishes a specific doping concentration (second doping concentration) for the “outer portion” which Examiner identifies as analogous to the upper portion of the Specification.
For the purposes of this Office Action, the limitation of Claim 29 as quoted above shall be read by the Examiner as follows:
--a slope of a side surface of the outer portion of the substrate increases in a gradient from the central portion of the substrate to the first side of the substrate--
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 8, 9, 11-12, 27-32, and 34 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hauttecoeur et al. (U.S. Pub. 2021/0280698), hereinafter Hauttecoeur.
Regarding Claim 8, Hauttecoeur teaches an electronic power component ((11); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0039]), comprising:
-a peripheral groove ((17); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0043]) in a semiconductor substrate ((15); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0043]) on a side of a first surface (‘periphery’ of the top surface) of the semiconductor substrate (15);
-an oxygen-doped polysilicon layer (consisting of both (19) and (19’)); Fig. 1, Paragraphs [0043] and [0052]), on top of and in contact with a bottom and a lateral wall of the peripheral groove (17) and on top of and in contact with the first surface of the semiconductor substrate (15); and
-a glass layer ((25); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0045]), on the oxygen-doped polysilicon layer ((19) and (19’)), the glass layer extending in the peripheral groove (17) and extending on a portion of the first surface of the semiconductor substrate (15) and the oxygen-doped polysilicon layer ((19) and (19’)) extending on the first surface of the semiconductor substrate (17) beyond the glass layer (25) (Specifically with portion (19’)).
Regarding Claim 9, Hauttecoeur teaches an electronic power component ((11); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0039]) according to Claim 8, further comprising:
- an electrically-insulating layer ((21); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0045]) between the oxygen-doped polysilicon layer ((19) and (19’)) and the glass layer (25), the electrically-insulating layer being in contact, by a first surface (bottom surface of (21)), with the oxygen-doped polysilicon layer ((19) and (19’)) and, by a second surface (top surface of (21)) opposite to the first surface, with the glass layer (25).
Regarding Claim 11, Hauttecoeur teaches an electronic power component ((11); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0039]) according to Claim 8, wherein:
- the peripheral groove (17) has a depth greater than 75 µm (e.g. ‘105 µm’; Fig. 3, Paragraph [0068]).
Regarding Claim 12, Hauttecoeur teaches an electronic power component ((11); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0039]) according to Claim 8, wherein:
-the oxygen-doped polysilicon layer ((19) and (19’)) has a thickness in the range from 0.1 µm to 2 µm. (e.g. ‘0.5 µm’; Fig. 4, Paragraph [0073])
Regarding Claim 27, Hauttecoeur teaches an electronic power component ((11); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0039]), comprising:
-a groove ((17); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0043]) in a first surface of a substrate (top of (15); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0043]); an oxygen-doped polysilicon layer ((19); Fig. 1, Paragraphs [0043]) in the groove (17) and on the first surface of the substrate (15);
-an insulating layer ((21); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0045]) on and in contact with at least a portion of the oxygen-doped polysilicon layer (19);
-a glass layer ((25); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0045]) on the oxygen-doped polysilicon layer (19); and
-a conductive layer (e.g. (31); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0049]) on the first surface of the substrate (15), the conductive layer (31) being in contact (via (25)) with the oxygen-doped polysilicon layer (19).
Examiner notes that without providing a limiting definition of “contact”, a broad reasonable interpretation of the term includes wherein there are intervening layers between.
Regarding Claim 28, Hauttecoeur teaches an electronic power component ((11); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0039]) according to Claim 27:
-wherein the groove (17) extends through a central portion of the substrate having a first doping concentration ((151); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0050]) and an outer portion of the substrate having a second doping concentration ((153); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0050]) different from the first doping concentration (See last sentence of Paragraph [0050], e.g. in the case wherein (155) has a similar concentration to (151), and (153) has a greater concentration than (155)).
Regarding Claim 29, Hauttecoeur teaches an electronic power component ((11); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0039]) according to Claim 28, wherein:
-a slope of a side surface of the outer portion (side surface of (153) with groove (17)) of the substrate increases in a gradient (progressively becomes greater, i.e. more vertical) from the central portion of the substrate (151) to the first side of the substrate (top of (15))
Regarding Claim 30, Hauttecoeur teaches an electronic power component ((11); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0039]) according to Claim 28, wherein:
-an interface between the outer portion of the substrate (153) and the central portion of the substrate (151) is a PN junction (Between n (151) and p (153); Paragraph [0050]).
Regarding Claim 31, Hauttecoeur teaches an electronic power component ((11); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0039]) according to Claim 27, further comprising:
-a doped region ((29); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0049]) in the substrate coplanar with the first surface of the substrate (top surface of (15)).
Regarding Claim 32, Hauttecoeur teaches an electronic power component ((11); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0039]) according to Claim 31, wherein:
- the conductive layer (33) is in contact with the doped region (29).
Regarding Claim 34, Hauttecoeur teaches an electronic power component ((11); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0039]) according to Claim 27, wherein:
- the insulating layer (23) is between the oxygen-doped polysilicon layer (19) and the glass layer (25).
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
-U.S. Pub. 2023/0238430: Discloses an electronic power component ((1); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0020]) including an oxygen-doped polysilicon layer ((17); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0036]) extending on a first surface of the semiconductor substrate ((10); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0020]) beyond a glass layer ((18); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0020]) and a conductive layer ((16); Fig. 1, Paragraph [0020]) on the first surface of the substrate (10), the conductive layer (16) being in contact with the oxygen-doped polysilicon layer (17).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DMITRI MIHALIOV whose telephone number is (571)270-5220. The examiner can normally be reached weekdays 7:30 - 17:30 US Eastern Time.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Davienne Monbleau can be reached at (571) 272-1945. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DMITRI MIHALIOV/ Examiner, Art Unit 2812
/SUE A PURVIS/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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