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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 04/24/2026 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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, 7-12, and 18-22 are rejected under U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ji et al.; “ Methods to achieve ultra-high quality factor silicon nitride resonators,” APL Photonics 6, (2021) in view of Jung et al.; US 2005/0170104 A1; 01/2004 and further in view of Li et al.; US 2016/0225616 A1; 09/2015
Claim 1: Ji discloses a method for forming a low loss silicon nitride film ( Fig. 2 ) , the method comprising: depositing a silicon nitride film ( Fig. 2: Si3N4 deposition) on a substrate ( Fig. 2 SiO2 ) and annealing the silicon nitride film for at least ten hours ( page 6 section B: Recently, an intrinsic Q factor of 260 x 106 has been demonstrated with a slightly thicker core of 100 nm and a width of 8 µm by thermal annealing over 20 h at 1150 ̊ C ) to cause the silicon nitride film to become a low loss silicon nitride film, wherein the low loss silicon nitride film has an optical loss of less than 1 dB per cm at a wavelength of 488 nm (page 10 Table II rows 4 and 5 ).
Ji does not appear to disclose using a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) that uses low frequency (LF) power; and at a temperature in a range of 400 ̊ C to 1100 ̊ C.
Jung discloses using a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) that uses low frequency (LF) power ( [0080] The present method comprises depositing a stress-tuned silicon nitride film from SiH.sub.4, NH.sub.3, and N.sub.2 using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) techniques; [0082] The silicon nitride film is typically deposited in a single deposition step to a thickness within a range of about 300 .ANG. to about 1000 .ANG., although thicker films may be deposited if desired. Film deposition is performed using an apparatus which has multiple (typically dual) power input sources operating within different frequency ranges, as described previously with reference to the apparatus. A high frequency power input source typically operates at a frequency within the range of about 13 MHz to about 14 MHz. A low frequency power input source typically operates at a frequency within the range of about 300 kHz to about 400 kHz ).
Jung does not appear to disclose at a temperature in a range of 400 ̊ C to 1100 ̊ C.
However, Li teaches at a temperature in a range of 400 ̊ C to 1100 ̊ C ( [0089] By measuring film thickness and stress before and after 800° C. thermal annealing in N.sub.2 ambient for 1 hour, it was found that these silicon nitride films were stable and resistant to high temperature treatment, as shown in the following Table 4 )
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to utilize the teachings of Li with Ji and Jung to implement at a temperature in a range of 400 ̊ C to 1100 ̊ C because this temperature range is used to repair defects in the film and improve the film’s properties.
Claim 7: Ji, Jung, and Li disclose the method of claim 1 ( as discussed above).
Ji teaches at least one of (a) before depositing the silicon nitride film or (b) after depositing the silicon nitride film, forming at least one of (i) one or more electrical circuit components or (ii) optical circuit components on the substrate ( Fig. 1 illustrates applications where optical and electrical circuits are applied to the Si3N4 film ).
Claim 8: Ji, Jung, and Li disclose the method of claim 1 ( as discussed above).
Ji teaches patterning the low loss silicon nitride film into a waveguide core ( page 3 section II The second method to fabricate Si3N4 waveguides is based on first etching trenches into thermally oxidized silicon and then filling the trenches with additive Si3N4 ).
Claim 9: Ji, Jung, and Li disclose the method of claim 8 ( as discussed above).
Ji teaches depositing a cladding on the low loss silicon nitride film ( Fig. 2: Cladding ).
Claim 10: Ji, Jung, and Li disclose the method of claim 8 ( as discussed above).
Ji teaches the waveguide core is a core of a waveguide configured for guiding at least one of visible or ultraviolet light (page 10, Table II, rows 4 and 5 ).
Claim 11: Ji discloses a waveguide ( page 3 section II The second method to fabricate Si3N4 waveguides is based on first etching trenches into thermally oxidized silicon and then filling the trenches with additive Si3N4 ) for guiding visible and/or ultraviolet light ( page 10, Table II, rows 4 and 5), the waveguide comprising: a low loss silicon nitride waveguide core ( Fig. 2: Si3N4 deposition ), wherein the low loss silicon nitride waveguide core is formed by annealing a silicon nitride film for at least ten hours ( page 6 section B: Recently, an intrinsic Q factor of 260 x 106 has been demonstrated with a slightly thicker core of 100 nm and a width of 8 µm by thermal annealing over 20 h at 1150 ̊ C ).
Ji does not appear to disclose in a temperature range of at least 400 ̊ C to 1100 ̊ C and the silicon nitride film was formed by depositing the silicon nitride film on the substrate using a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) that uses low frequency (LF) power.
Li discloses at a temperature in a range of 400 ̊ C to 1100 ̊ C ( [0089] By measuring film thickness and stress before and after 800° C. thermal annealing in N.sub.2 ambient for 1 hour, it was found that these silicon nitride films were stable and resistant to high temperature treatment, as shown in the following Table 4 )
Li does not appear to disclose the silicon nitride film was formed by depositing the silicon nitride film on the substrate using a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) that uses low frequency (LF) power.
However, Jung teaches the silicon nitride film was formed by depositing the silicon nitride film on the substrate using a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) that uses low frequency (LF) power ( [0080] The present method comprises depositing a stress-tuned silicon nitride film from SiH.sub.4, NH.sub.3, and N.sub.2 using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) techniques; [0082] The silicon nitride film is typically deposited in a single deposition step to a thickness within a range of about 300 .ANG. to about 1000 .ANG., although thicker films may be deposited if desired. Film deposition is performed using an apparatus which has multiple (typically dual) power input sources operating within different frequency ranges, as described previously with reference to the apparatus. A high frequency power input source typically operates at a frequency within the range of about 13 MHz to about 14 MHz. A low frequency power input source typically operates at a frequency within the range of about 300 kHz to about 400 kHz ).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to utilize the teachings of Jung with Ji and Li to implement the silicon nitride film was formed by depositing the silicon nitride film on the substrate using a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) that uses low frequency (LF) power because LF power typically produces a less dense plasma which reduces compressive stress on the film.
Claim 12: Ji, Li, and Jung disclose the waveguide of claim 11 ( as discussed above).
Ji teaches the waveguide has an optical loss of less than 3 dB per cm at a wavelength of 488 nm ( page 10, Table II, rows 4 and 5 ).
Claim 18: Ji, Li, and Jung disclose the waveguide of claim 11 ( as discussed above ).
Ji teaches a cladding ( Fig. 2: Cladding ) enclosing the low loss silicon nitride film in directions radial to a propagation direction defined by the waveguide core ( as shown in Fig. 2).
Claim 19: Ji, Li, and Jung disclose the waveguide of claim 11 ( as discussed above).
Ji teaches the waveguide is formed on a substrate and the substrate further comprising at least one of (a) one or more electrical circuit components or (b) one or more optical circuit components ( Fig. 1 illustrates applications where optical and electrical circuits are applied to the Si3N4 film ).
Claim 20: Ji, Li, and Jung disclose the waveguide of claim 19 ( as discussed above).
Ji teaches the at least one of (a) one or more electrical circuit components or (b) one or more optical circuit components was formed on the substrate prior to at least one of (i) the depositing of a silicon nitride film on the substrate or (ii) an annealing of the silicon nitride film to form the low loss silicon nitride film ( Fig. 1 illustrates applications where optical and electrical circuits are applied to the Si3N4 film ).
Claim 21: Ji, Jung, and Li disclose the method of claim 1 ( as discussed above ).
Neither Ji nor Jung appear to disclose the annealing is performed in the presence of one or more active gases.
However, Li teaches the annealing is performed in the presence of one or more active gases ( [0089] thermal annealing in N.sub.2 ambient for 1 hour )
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to utilize the teachings of Li with Ji and Jung to implement the annealing is performed in the presence of one or more active gases because active gasses can reduce fixed charge density and trap states and also aid in stress and strain management.
Claim 22: Ji, Li, and Jung disclose the waveguide of claim 12 ( as discussed above).
Neither Ji nor Jung appear to disclose the annealing is performed in the presence of one or more active gases.
However, Li teaches the annealing is performed in the presence of one or more active gases ( [0089] thermal annealing in N.sub.2 ambient for 1 hour ).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to utilize the teachings of Li with Ji and Jung to implement the annealing is performed in the presence of one or more active gases because active gasses can reduce fixed charge density and trap states and also aid in stress and strain management.
Claims 5, 6, 16, and 17 are rejected under U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ji et al.; “ Methods to achieve ultra-high quality factor silicon nitride resonators,” APL Photonics 6, (2021) in view of Paniccia et al.; US 2021/0278214 A1; 03/2021
Claim 5: Ji discloses the method of claim 1 ( as discussed above).
Ji does not appear to disclose the annealing is performed for at least twenty four hours.
However, Paniccia teaches the annealing is performed for at least twenty four hours ( [0053] Anneal length may be 6-10 hours multiple times at 1200C to drive out contaminants )
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to utilize the teachings of Paniccia with Ji to implement the annealing is performed for at least twenty four hours because this would eliminate hydrogen-related absorption losses and densify the film.
Claim 6: Ji discloses the method of claim 1 ( as discussed above).
Ji does not appear to disclose the annealing is performed for at least ninety hours.
However, Paniccia teaches the annealing is performed for at least ninety hours ( [0053] Anneal length may be 6-10 hours multiple times at 1200C to drive out contaminants )
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to utilize the teachings of Paniccia with Ji to implement the annealing is performed for at least ninety hours because this would achieve ultra-low loss performance by maximizing the removal of residual hydrogen and impurities.
Claim 16: Ji discloses the method of claim 12 ( as discussed above).
Ji does not appear to disclose the annealing is performed for at least twenty four hours.
However, Paniccia teaches the annealing is performed for at least twenty four hours ( [0053] Anneal length may be 6-10 hours multiple times at 1200C to drive out contaminants )
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to utilize the teachings of Paniccia with Ji to implement the annealing is performed for at least twenty four hours because this would eliminate hydrogen-related absorption losses and densify the film.
Claim 17: Ji discloses the method of claim 12 ( as discussed above).
Ji does not appear to disclose the annealing is performed for at least ninety hours.
However, Paniccia teaches the annealing is performed for at least ninety hours ( [0053] Anneal length may be 6-10 hours multiple times at 1200C to drive out contaminants )
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to utilize the teachings of Paniccia with Ji to implement the annealing is performed for at least ninety hours because this would achieve ultra-low loss performance by maximizing the removal of residual hydrogen and impurities.
Response to Amendment / Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see page 5-6 of remarks, filed 04/02/2026, with respect to the rejections of claims 1 and 11 under 35 U.S.C. 102 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Jung and Li.
Applicant’s arguments, see page 6 of remarks, filed 04/02/2026, with respect to the rejections of claims 5,6,16, and 17 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and but are not persuasive. Based on the rejection of claims 1 and 11 above these claims are not allowable.
Applicant’s arguments, see page 6 of remarks, filed 04/02/2026, with respect to the new claims 21 and 22 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and but are not persuasive. Based on the rejection of claims 1 and 11 above these claims are not allowable and are further rejected based on Li.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/K.N.F./Examiner, Art Unit 2817
/MARLON T FLETCHER/Supervisory Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2817
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