Non-Final Rejection
Acknowledgements
1. Claims 1-20 were presented for examination on Jan. 29, 2024. These claims are grouped as follows:
claims 1-9;
claims 10-14; and
claims 15-20.
2. The presumed effective filing date is May 28, 2018.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
3. Claims 1, 3-5, 7-10, 12-13, 15, , 17, and 19-20, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US 2020/0403380 to Yamatoya et al. (“Yamatoya”).
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As to claim 1, Yamatoya discloses an integrated laser modulator (fig. 17), comprising:
a substrate (#1);
a laser active region (#3) disposed on the substrate (#1);
a modulator region (#23) disposed on the substrate (#1); and
an e-stopper layer (#17; AlInAs) disposed on at least the laser active region (#21),
wherein:
the substrate (#1) and the laser active region (#3) are associated with an InGaAsP (¶[0033]) material system,
the modulator region is associated with InGaAsP material system (¶[0033]; the claim term “associated with” is broadly construed. Because the modulator region is connected to the laser active region, which comprises InGaAsP, the modulator region is “associated with” InGaAsP),
the e-stopper layer (#17) comprises AlInAs (¶[0059]),
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the e-stopper layer (#17) is disposed greater than 100 nanometers away from a quantum element (#3) of the laser active region (#21), and (¶[0033]).
the modulator region (#23) includes an end surface (side adjacent separation #22) that interfaces with an end surface of the laser active region (other side adjacent separation #22).
As to claim 3, Yamatoya discloses:
the substrate (#1) is an n-type substrate ; (¶[0061])
the laser active region (#21) comprises undoped InGaAsP (¶[0033]); and
the e-stopper layer (#17) comprises undoped AlInAS (¶[0057]).
As to claim 4, Yamatoya discloses “a doped layer that comprises p-doped InP is disposed on at least the e-stopper layer” because p-InP cladding layer (#5) is layer (#17), which reads on the “e-stopper layer.”
As to claim 5, 13, and 17, Yamatoya discloses “an encapsulating layer (#5) comprising p-doped InP or undoped InP (¶[0033]) is disposed between the laser active region (#3) and the e-stopper layer (#17).”
As to claim 7, Yamatoya discloses “the e-stopper layer (#17) includes a top surface and a bottom surface that are not oxidized” (¶[0047]).
As to claim 8-9 and 20, the device of Yamatoya operates at the claimed spectral ranges because the device has the same structure as the claimed device.
As to claim 10, Yamatoya discloses a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) (fig. 17), comprising:
a laser active region (#3) disposed on a substrate (#1);
a modulator region (#23) disposed on the substrate (#1); and
an e-stopper layer (#17) disposed on at least the laser active region (#3),
wherein
the laser active region (#3) is associated with an InGaAsP material system (¶[0033]),
the e-stopper layer (#17) comprises AlInAs (¶[0057]), and
the e-stopper layer (#17) is disposed on a separate confinement heterostructure (SCH) layer (#3) of the laser active region (#3).
As to claim 12, Yamatoya discloses “the laser active region (#3) comprises undoped InGaAsP (¶[0033]),; and the e-stopper layer (#17) comprises doped AlInAs” (¶[0057].
As to claim 15, Yamatoya discloses an optical device, comprising:
an integrated laser modulator (fig. 17) that includes:
a laser active region (#3);
a modulator region (#23); and
an e-stopper layer (#17) disposed on at least the laser active region (#3),
wherein:
the laser active region (#3) is associated with an InGaAsP material system,
the e-stopper layer (#17) comprises AlInAs, and
the e-stopper layer (#17) is disposed greater than 100 nanometers away from a quantum element (#3 is a quantum well; ¶[0033]) of the laser active region (#21) (¶[0033]).
As to claim 19, Yamatoya discloses “the modulator region (#23) includes an end surface (side adjacent separation #22) that interfaces with an end surface of the laser active region (other side adjacent separation #22).”
Allowable Subject Matter
4. Claims 2, 6, 11, 14, 16, 18 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 claims 2, 11, and 16, the prior art does not disclose or make obvious “the e-stopper layer is disposed on the modulator region” in combination with the other limitations of the claims.
As to claims 6, 14, and 18, the prior art does not disclose or make obvious “an encapsulating layer comprising p-doped InP or undoped InP is disposed on the e-stopper layer” in combination with the other limitations of the claims.
Conclusion
5. 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/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3992
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