NON-FINAL REJECTION
Acknowledgements
1. Claims 1-30 were presented for examination on Jan. 24, 2024. Claim 1 is independent.
2. Applicant claims priority under 35 USC §119(e) to Provisional App. No. 63/481,533 filed on Jan. 25, 2023.
3. The presumed effective filing date of the instant application is Jan. 24, 2024.
Claim Objections
4. Claim 26 is objected to because “an additional isolation section dispose between…” should be “an additional isolation section disposed between….”
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
5. Claims 1, 6, and 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US 2019/0089461 to Sun et al. filed Nov. 16, 2018 (“Sun”).
As to claim 1, Sun discloses the following.
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A waveguide-based optical device (fig. 1B) extending in a longitudinal direction (x-direction) from a 1st end to a 2nd end, said waveguide-based optical device comprising:
a semiconductor chip comprising a semiconductor substrate (#110; ¶[0148]);
a laser region (#102) comprising a semiconductor waveguide laser (#103) on said semiconductor substrate, said semiconductor chip including said laser region, said laser region comprising an active waveguide portion configured to generate laser light;
an integrated optical element (#107; optical marshalling module) comprising a shutter, attenuator, modulator, amplifier or absorber, said integrated optical element including a waveguide portion for propagation of laser light from said laser (#102), said integrated optical element closer to said 2nd end and said laser region closer to said 1st end; and
an isolation section (#105; optical waveguide) comprising a waveguide portion configured to transmit the laser light from the laser region to said integrated optical element,
said isolation section between said laser region and said integrated optical element and configured to reduce heat transfer from said integrated optical element to said laser region, (the claimed isolation section has the same claimed structure as optical waveguide #105; it is therefore configured to perform the same function) said isolation section having a length extending in the longitudinal direction, said isolation section not providing optical gain;
wherein the length of the isolation section is at least 50% of the thickness of the semiconductor chip (see fig. 1B width in z-direction compared to length in x-direction).
As to claim 6, Sun discloses “said isolation section does not include an electrode configured to apply electrical voltage across said isolation section” because the isolation waveguide may be a fiber. See ¶[0181].
As to claim 8, Sun discloses “said laser region comprises a distributed Bragg reflector or a sampled Bragg grating reflector (SG-DBR)” because the plurality of lasers is a distributed feedback laser. See ¶[0082].
As to claim 9, Sun discloses “said laser region comprises a distributed feedback (DFB) laser” because the plurality of lasers is a distributed feedback laser. See ¶[0082].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
6. Claims 4-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, regards as the invention.
As to claim 4, the limitation “wherein the length of the isolation section is greater than 50% of the thickness of the semiconductor chip” combined with the limitation “wherein the length of the isolation section is at least 50% of the thickness of the semiconductor chip” in base claim 1 is indefinite because it is unclear whether claim 4 covers ‘the length of the isolation section equal to 50% of the thickness of the semiconductor chip’ because claim 1 claims “at least 50%” and dependent claim 4 claims “greater than 50%,” which makes it unclear whether ‘equal to 50%’ is within the scope of the claim. In other words, an ambiguity is created with regard to the "at least" limitation. See MPEP §2173.05(c)(II).
As to claim 5, the limitation “the length of the isolation section is greater than 50% of a thickness between the top of the active waveguide portion of said laser region to the bottom of the semiconductor chip” combined with the limitation “the length of the isolation section is at least 50% of the thickness of the semiconductor chip” in base claim 1 is indefinite because the total thickness could exceed 100%. In other words, an ambiguity is created with regard to the "at least" limitation. See MPEP §2173.05(c)(II).
Allowable Subject Matter
7. Claims 2-3, 7, and 10-30 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.
As to claim 2, the prior art does not disclose or make obvious “the waveguide portion of said isolation section comprises a material having a bandgap different from that of the active waveguide portion of said laser region” in combination with the other limitations of the claims.
As to claim 3, the prior art does not disclose or make obvious “the waveguide portion of the isolation section comprises a material having a bandgap different from the waveguide portion of said integrated optical element region” in combination with the other limitations of the claims.
As to claim 7, the prior art does not disclose or make obvious “the integrated optical element is configured to modulate or switch laser light received from the laser region” in combination with the other limitations of the claims.
As to claim 10, the prior art does not disclose or make obvious “said integrated optical element includes one or more electrodes configured such that electrical power can be applied to at least part of said waveguide portion of said integrated optical element” in combination with the other limitations of the claims.
As to claim 11, the prior art does not disclose or make obvious “said one or more electrodes are electrically connected to electronics configured to drive said one or more electrodes with a time varying electrical signal” in combination with the other limitations of the claims.
As to claim 12-15, the prior art does not disclose or make obvious “a semiconductor optical amplifier disposed between said laser region and said isolation section, said semiconductor optical amplifier comprising a waveguide portion having optical gain that is configured to propagate laser light from said laser region to said isolation section” in combination with the other limitations of the claims.
As to claim 16-21, the prior art does not disclose or make obvious “said semiconductor waveguide laser is formed on a semiconductor substrate and said semiconductor substrate is between said semiconductor waveguide laser and a chip carrier or heat sink” in combination with the other limitations of the claims.
As to claim 22-26, the prior art does not disclose or make obvious “said semiconductor waveguide laser comprises a dual output laser having 1st and 2nd output ports of said active waveguide portion on opposite 1st and 2nd sides of said semiconductor waveguide laser that each output laser light” in combination with the other limitations of the claims.
As to claim 27-30, the prior art does not disclose or make obvious “at least one of absorption, attenuation, and amplification of the laser light, generated by the laser region, in the integrated optical element are modulated by a time varying signal comprising a waveform” in combination with the other limitations of the claims.
Conclusion
8. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DEANDRA M HUGHES whose telephone number is (571)272-6982. The examiner can normally be reached Generally M-Th 8AM-6PM.
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Signed:
/DEANDRA M HUGHES/Reexamination Specialist, Art Unit 3992
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