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 .
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 and 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shen et al US 2012/0241903.
Pertaining to claim 1, Shen teaches a transient voltage absorption element comprising:
a semiconductor substrate 18 see Figure 4;
an epitaxial layer 20 on a surface of the semiconductor substrate 18;
a p+ region 32 and an n+ region 30 provided in the epitaxial layer 20;
a surge absorbing diode configured by the epitaxial layer, the p+ region, and the n+ region [0018]; and
a trench 44 that extends from a surface of the epitaxial layer to the semiconductor substrate.
Pertaining to claim 2, Shen teaches the transient voltage absorption element according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the epitaxial layer 20 is opposite to and faces the surface of the semiconductor substrate 18 (not really sure what this is supposed to describe so it is being interpreted as the epitaxial layer has a surface in contact with a surface (opposing/opposite) of the substrate, which it does as shown in Figure 4
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) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shen as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Robb et al US 2004/0070029.
Pertaining to claim 3, Shen teaches the transient voltage element according to claim 1, but is silent regarding the surge absorbing diode including a plurality of diodes that are connected in series. Robb teaches a transient voltage suppressor with series connected diodes [0048]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to incorporate the teachings of Robb with that of Shen for the purpose of setting a protection value to meet specifications/limits of the operating circuitry as required [0048]
Claim(s) 11, 12, 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shen as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Bobde US 2009/0045457.
Pertaining to claim 11, Shen teaches a transient voltage absorption element according to claim 1, but is silent wherein the element further comprises an insulating layer on the surface of the epitaxial layer. Bobde, in an analogous art, specifically transient voltage suppressors, teaches an insulating layer 145 on the epitaxial layer 110. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to incorporate the teaching of Bobde into the device of Shen, adding an insulating layer for the purpose of providing isolation between electrode elements as shown in Figure 2 and described in [0034].
Pertaining to claim 12, Shen in view of Bobde teaches the transient voltage absorption element according to claim 11, further comprising a first electrode 135 and a second electrode 140 on a surface of the insulating layer 145 and extending to the surface of the epitaxial layer 110 (This arrangement is taught by Bobde see Figure 2).
Pertaining to claim 16, Shen teaches a transient voltage absorption element comprising:
a semiconductor substrate 18 see Figure 4;
an epitaxial layer 20 disposed on the semiconductor substrate 18 and including at least one p+ region 32 and at least one n+ region 30; and
at least one trench 44 extending from the surface of the epitaxial layer 20 to the semiconductor substrate 18 see Figure 4, wherein a surge absorbing diode is formed by the epitaxial layer, the at least one p+ region, and the at least one n+ region [0018].
Shen is silent wherein the element further comprises an insulating layer on the surface of the epitaxial layer opposite the semiconductor substrate. Bobde, in an analogous art, specifically transient voltage suppressors, teaches an insulating layer 145 on the epitaxial layer 110. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to incorporate the teaching of Bobde into the device of Shen, adding an insulating layer for the purpose of providing isolation between electrode elements as shown in Figure 2 and described in [0034].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-10, 13-15, 17-20 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.
Pertaining to claims 4, 13 and 17, the prior art does not teach nor suggest a first electrode and a second electrode on the surface of the epitaxial layer, the first electrode being electrically connected to the first diode, and the second electrode being electrically connected to the second diode. Claims 5-10 and 18-20 depend upon claims 3 and 17 respectively.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NICHOLAS J TOBERGTE whose telephone number is (571)272-6458. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-4:30.
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/NICHOLAS J TOBERGTE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2817
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