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 .
Priority
Current application, US Application No. 18/441,917, is filed on 02/14/2024.
DETAILED ACTION
This office action is responsive to the application filed on 02/14/2024. Claims 1-20 are currently pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 8-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claim does not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because the computer program product does not have a physical or tangible form (see MPEP 2106.03 I program per se, software per se).
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.
Claims 1-3, 5-9, 11-17 and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
Jacob (US 20260118453 A1), hereinafter ‘Jacob’ in view of Burchard (US 20250209360 A1), hereinafter ‘Burchard’.
As per claim 1, Jacob discloses
A quantum sensor chiplet system (quantum sensor(s) [abs, 0001, 0006, 0010], quantum sensor interposer packaging ‘QSIP’ platform [0014, Fig. 1], cross section view of QSIP [0019, Fig. 4], QSIP may include … chips [0110, Fig. 4]) comprising:
a substrate; (silicon layer 400 ‘or substrate’ [0110, Fig. 4])
an interposer coupled to the substrate; (QSIP, a silicon layer 400 (or substrate), which is topped with an insulating layer 410 of silicon dioxide, equivalent to interposer [01110, Fig. 4], interposer 512, PCB 514, equivalent to substrate [Fig. 5])
one or more quantum material chips coupled to the interposer; (QSIP may include multiple chips [0110, Fig. 4], QSIP platform with chip bonding, metamaterial couplers, interposer material, appropriate material [0111, Fig. 5], QSIP platform may be fabricated of multiple diverse materials or units, including those connected through chip-to-chip bonding, flip chip bonding, optical interconnects, electrical interconnects, soldering, wire bonding, etc. [0050])
one or more processors coupled to the interposer; and one or more storage devices coupled to the interposer. (QSIP built on silicon layer 400 ‘or substrate’, insulation layer, The QSIP may include multiple chips, which may be integrated homogeneously, e.g., during fabrication, to the QSIP, or heterogeneously integrated, such as through flip-chip bonding, TSVs, etc. to the QSIP as discrete chips [0110, Fig. 4], QSIP platform may operate to connect multiple chips, memory, processors, quantum controllers, quantum computing chips [0042]).
However, Jacob is silent regarding a microwave antenna coupled to the substrate.
Burchard discloses a microwave antenna coupled to the substrate (substrate … a microwave and/or radio wave antenna, quantum dots [0802, 0832, Fig. 2], quantum computer, MW/RF-AWFG … antennas [0807, Fig. 1]).
Burchard is also in the quantum system using sensors like Jacob (see Burchard - a quantum computer system and method [Title], quantum computer system, sensor [0114], a quantum sensor [0302], a quantum system according to an optional embodiment [0989, Fig. 2])
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time when invention is filed before the effective filing date of the current application to modify the teachings of Jacob in view of Burchard to include a microwave antenna coupled to the substrate in the quantum sensor chiplet system for improvement of the quantum computer system operation flexibility and expansion of its operation to various industrial applications beyond traditional lab environment (see Burchard – [0002-0004]).
As per claim 8, Jacob discloses
A computer program product residing on a computer readable storage medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon which, when executed across one or more processors, causes at least a portion of the one or more processors to perform operations (processor, CPU, program instructions, memory, programs [0122, 0128-0129]) for creating a quantum sensor chiplet system (quantum sensor(s) [abs, 0001, 0006, 0010], quantum sensor interposer packaging ‘QSIP’ platform [0014, Fig. 1]) comprising:
fabricating a substrate; (fabricating [abs, 0011], QSIP platform … fabricated [0033], side note: QSIP includes substrate)
Jacob in view of Burchard discloses the remaining limitations as shown in claim 1 above.
As per claim 15, Jacob discloses
A method for creating (A method of fabricating [0011], implementation of QSIP … may involve creation [0079]) a quantum sensor chiplet system (quantum sensor(s) [abs, 0001, 0006, 0010], quantum sensor interposer packaging ‘QSIP’ platform [0014, Fig. 1]) comprising:
fabricating a substrate; (fabricating [abs, 0011], QSIP platform … fabricated [0033], side note: QSIP includes substrate)
Jacob in view of Burchard discloses the remaining limitations as shown in claim 1 above.
As per claims 2, 9 and 16, Jacob and Burchard disclose claims 1, 8 and 15 set forth above.
Jacob further discloses
a light source coupled to at least one of the one or more quantum material chips and a photonic integrated circuit. (QSIP platform, multiple chips, microwave chips, a photon light source, photonic devices [0042], photonic circuit 1240 [0123, 0155, claim 9]).
As per claims 3, 10 and 17, Jacob and Burchard disclose claims 1, 8 and 15 set forth above.
Jacob further discloses
one or more detectors coupled to at least one of the one or more quantum material chips and a photonic integrated circuit. (optical detectors [0030], a quantum Raman gain laser sensor and transducer, optical detectors [0042]).
As per claims 5 and 12, Jacob and Burchard disclose claims 1 and 8 set forth above.
Jacob further discloses
a heat sink layer coupled to a thermal gap pad. (one or more thermal elements, such as heat sinks, thermal isolation elements, active cooling elements, active heating elements, microfluidic devices [0042], thermal … isolation, thermal … shieling [0051. 0053, 0104], heat sink [0110, Fig. 4]).
As per claims 6 and 13, Jacob and Burchard disclose claims 5 and 12 set forth above.
Jacob discloses
the thermal gap pad is coupled to one of the substrate, at least one of the one or more quantum material chips, a light source, and at least one processor of the one or more processors. (QSIP platform, multiple chips, a single photon light source, thermal isolation elements [0042, 0053], thermal isolation on interposers [0104]).
As per claim 19, Jacob and Burchard disclose claim 15 set forth above.
coupling a heat sink layer to a thermal gap pad, (one or more thermal elements, such as heat sinks, thermal isolation elements, active cooling elements, active heating elements, microfluidic devices [0042], thermal … isolation, thermal … shieling [0051. 0053, 0104], heat sink [0110, Fig. 4]).
wherein the thermal gap pad is coupled to one of the substrate, at least one of the one or more quantum material chips, a light source, and at least one processor of the one or more processors (QSIP platform, multiple chips, a single photon light source, thermal isolation elements [0042, 0053], thermal isolation on interposers [0104]).
As per claims 7, 14 and 20, Jacob and Burchard disclose claims 1, 8 and 15 set forth above.
Jacob further discloses
nitrogen vacancy material coupled to at least one of the one or more quantum material chips. (a Nitrogen Vacancy ‘NV’ center … a nanodiamond under applied magnetic field [0016, 0066, Fig. 2A], the quantum sensor comprise a microdiamond Nitrogen Vacancy ‘NV’ center qubit [0163]).
Claims 4, 10 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jacob and Burchard in view of Alameh (AU 2009201717 A1), hereinafter ‘Alameh’
As per claims 4, 10 and 18, Jacob and Burchard disclose claims 1, 8 and 15 set forth above.
The set forth combined prior art is silent regarding a Voltage-Controlled Oscillator (VCO) and a Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) coupled to the microwave antenna designed to operate in a microwave frequency range.
Alameh discloses VCO and PLL coupled to the microwave antenna operating in the microwave frequency range (smart antenna could be used in broadband wireless networks, remotely controlled phased array microwave radar, MIMO smart antenna [pg. 25 line 2-7], digital signal modulator, VCO/PLL, digital frequency synthesizer, antenna for wideband interference [pg. 25 line 21-31]).
Alameh also discloses use of light modulator that comprises quantum wells (special light modulator … multiple quantum wells [pg. 22 line 9-13]), indicating desire to implement digital circuit solutions for radio frequency (RF) signal(s) processing in a commercially viable manner, applying the solutions to a smart antenna technology and quantum technology similar to the combined prior art (see Alameh – background of invention, need to technological advancement [pg. 2 line 5 – pg. line 8]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time when invention is filed before the effective filing date of the current application to modify the teachings of the combined prior art in view of Alameh to include a Voltage-Controlled Oscillator (VCO) and a Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) coupled to the microwave antenna designed to operate in a microwave frequency range for the quantum chiplet system with a rationale to improve the quantum computer system operation flexibility and expand its operation to various industrial applications in a new advanced technology.
Notes with regard to Prior Art
The prior arts made of record are provided as additional references relevant to the current claims.
Repac (US 20250021143 A1) discloses coupling thermal heat sink and thermal gap filter (quantum computers, thermally couple heat sink and … semiconductor chip, thermal gap filter, thermally conductive pad, thermal tape [0039]).
NAJAFI-YAZDI (WO 2025151958 A1), hereinafter ‘N-Y’ discloses a quantum processing device comprising substrate, interposer and quantum devices and circuits (quantum processor package, substrate, interposer, quantum readout device [abs, Fig. 11], substrates [0065], interposer 1004, quantum readout device 1010 [00066, Fig. 10], superconducting quantum processor package 1100 comprises a package substrate 1106 and an external connector port 1 112. A qubit substrate 1102 carries a qubit circuit 1108 that is aligned with a quantum readout device 1110 carried by an interposer 1104 [00067, Fig. 11]).
Neil (US 20250174570 A1) discloses chiplet coupled with the interposer (chiplet .. in conjunction with interposer [0006, 0059, 0079, 0093, 0104, 0106, 0114], encapsulation layer, components, sensors, antennae, quantum devices [0074]).
Möller (Möller, Ch, M. Hentschel, Th Hensel, A. Müller, Ch Heinze, O. Brodersen, and Th Ortlepp. "DNA analysis with UV-LEDs." In Optical Sensing and Detection V, vol. 10680, pp. 217-222. SPIE, 2018) and Mahtab (Mahtab, Sheikh S. "Rf Antennas for Quantum Sensing Applications." Master's thesis, Morgan State University, 2022) discloses quantum sensing solutions.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DOUGLAS KAY, whose telephone number is (408) 918-7569. The examiner can normally be reached on M, Th & F 8-5, T 2-7, and W 8-1.
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/DOUGLAS KAY/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2857
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