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 .
Priority
2. Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
3. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/16/2023 is considered by the examiner.
Election/Restrictions
In the response filed on 01/26/2026 an election was made without traverse to prosecute the invention of Group I, claims 1-11. Claims 12-14 are withdrawn from further consideration by the examiner, 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a non-elected invention.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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, 2, 4, 6, 7, 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by Bachleitner Hofmann et al. (US 20170227613), hereinafter ‘Bachleitner Hofmann’.
Regarding Claim 1, Bachleitner Hofmann discloses a spin valve device (Fig. 5a/5b, Para [0058]), comprising: a layer stack comprising: one or more layers forming a unidirectionally magnetized reference system (Fig. 5a/5b, magnetic layer 506, unidirectional as defined by arrow; Para [0058-0059]); a vortex-magnetized free layer (Fig. 5a/5b, 502; Para [0076] free layer with vortex state of magnetization); a non-magnetic layer (Fig. 5A/5b, layer 504; Para [0059]) separating the unidirectionally magnetized reference system from the vortex-magnetized free layer (Fig. 5A/5b, layer 504 between and separating free layer 502 and unidirectional layer 506); and one or more layers forming a bias structure (Fig. 5A, interaction of layers 508 to 502/Fig. 5B interaction of layers 510 to 502) being exchange-coupled to the vortex-magnetized free layer (Para [0059] a spin valve structure 501 comprises a soft-magnetic layer 502 (free layer), which is separated, by a non-magnetic layer 504, from a second soft-magnetic layer 506, the magnetization direction of which is, however, pinned by the coupling with an antiferromagnetic layer 508 by means of the so-called “exchange bias interaction), the bias structure having a vortex-magnetization with closed flux of a
predetermined rotation direction (Para [0046, 0063]; Para[0059] spin valve structure 501 comprises a soft-magnetic layer 502 (free layer), which is separated, by a non-magnetic layer 504, from a second soft-magnetic layer 506, the magnetization direction of which is, however, pinned by the coupling with an antiferromagnetic layer 508 by means of the so-called “exchange bias interaction; Para [0011] the magnetic free layer is of centrally symmetric shape. This shape may in other words result from rotation by a predetermined angle thus be possible to facilitate spontaneous vortex formation).
Regarding Claim 2, Bachleitner Hofmann further discloses wherein the non-magnetic layer comprises a non-conducting material forming a tunnel barrier (Para [0058-0059] layer 504 as non-magnetic; Para [0045] electrically insulating tunnel barrier layer or diamagnetic layer; Para [0007] discloses non-magnetic as diamagnetic layer).
Regarding Claim 4, Bachleitner Hofmann further discloses wherein the bias structure is formed as an antiferromagnet (Para [0059] Such a spin valve structure 501 comprises a soft-magnetic layer 502 (free layer), which is separated, by a non-magnetic layer 504, from a second soft-magnetic layer 506, the magnetization direction of which is, however, pinned by the coupling with an antiferromagnetic layer 508 by means of the so-called “exchange bias interaction”. If the external magnetic field M is increased from negative to positive values, the “free”, soft-magnetic layer 502 switches near the zero crossing (H=0), and the resistance R rises sharply. The resistance R then remains high until the external magnetic field M is great enough to overcome the exchange coupling between the soft-magnetic layer 506 and the antiferromagnetic layer 508 and to switch also the magnetic layer 506.)
Regarding Claim 6, Bachleitner Hofmann further discloses wherein an external magnetic field strength required for annihilating the vortex magnetization of the bias structure is higher than for annihilating a vortex magnetization of the vortex-magnetized free layer (Para [0004] Resistance behavior in dependence of external magnetic field strength (or vortex position); as external magnetic field increases from negative to positive, resistance rises in free layer; however external magnetic field has to be great enough to overcome exchange coupling between layers 506 and 508, thus magnetic field strength has to be greater/higher further disclosed in Para [0059] If the external magnetic field M is increased from negative to positive values, the “free”, soft-magnetic layer 502 switches near the zero crossing (H=0), and the resistance R rises sharply. The resistance R then remains high until the external magnetic field M is great enough to overcome the exchange coupling between the soft-magnetic layer 506 and the antiferromagnetic layer 508 and to switch also the magnetic layer 506).
Regarding Claim 7, Bachleitner Hofmann further discloses a non-magnetic coupling layer or a magnetic coupling layer between the vortex-magnetized free layer and the bias structure (Fig. 5b having non-magnetic layer 509 between free layer 502 and bias structure as interaction of layers 502 to 510).
Regarding Claim 11, Bachleitner Hofmann further discloses wherein the vortex-magnetized free layer has a rotationally symmetric shape (Para [0011, 0021, 0070]).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bachleitner Hofmann et al. (US 20170227613), hereinafter ‘Bachleitner Hofmann’ as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Raberg et al. (US 20160109537), hereinafter ‘Raberg’.
Regarding Claim 3, Bachleitner Hofmann fails to explicitly disclose wherein the non-magnetic layer comprises a conducting material forming a giant magneto resistance junction.
Raberg teaches a spin valve type GMR sensing element wherein the non-magnetic layer may be electrically conductive (Para [0034] a GMR sensing element of a spin-valve type, the non-magnetic layer 224 may be electrically conductive) for the benefit of providing a GMR device (Para [0032]).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine and provide wherein the non-magnetic layer comprises a conducting material forming a giant magneto resistance junction for the benefit of providing a spin value GMR device as taught by Raberg in Para [0034]).
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bachleitner Hofmann et al. (US 20170227613), hereinafter ‘Bachleitner Hofmann’ as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Mattheis et al. (US 7348647), hereinafter ‘Mattheis’.
Regarding Claim 5, Bachleitner Hofmann fails to explicitly disclose wherein the bias structure is formed as a ferrimagnet.
Mattheis discloses a bias structure formed as a ferrimagnet for the benefit of providing an absent net magnetic moment, thus resulting in an extremely stable bias structure (Col. 2, Line 44-Col. 3, Line 10).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine and provide the bias structure formed as a ferrimagnet for the benefit of providing an absent net magnetic moment, thus resulting in an extremely stable bias structure as taught by Mattheis in Col. 2, Line 44-Col. 3, Line 10.
Claim(s) 8-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bachleitner Hofmann et al. (US 20170227613), hereinafter ‘Bachleitner Hofmann’ as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Raberg et al. (US 20170168122), hereinafter ‘Raberg’.
Regarding Claim 8, Bachleitner Hofmann fails to explicitly disclose wherein the unidirectionally magnetized reference system and the bias structure are arranged on different sides of the vortex-magnetized free layer.
Raberg discloses a spin valve sensor comprising a unidirectionally magnetized reference system (Fig. 7, layers 730, 750; Para [0071] Spin valve sensors comprising magneto-resistive structure 710 may further be implemented as a simple pinned structure comprising one (e.g. pinned layer 730) or more ferromagnetic layers (e.g. pinned layer 730 and reference layer 750) with a unidirectional magnetic moment) and a bias structure (Fig. 7, 780; Para [0075]) are arranged on different sides of a vortex-magnetized free layer (Fig. 7, 770; Para [0063-0065]) for the benefit of providing a more pronounced exchange bias effect (Para [0080]).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine and provide wherein the unidirectionally magnetized reference system and the bias structure are arranged on different sides of the vortex-magnetized free layer for the benefit of providing a more pronounced exchange bias effect as taught by Raberg in Fig. 7, Para [0071, 0075, 0063-0065, 0080].
Regarding Claims 9 and 10, Bachleitner Hofmann fails to explicitly disclose wherein the unidirectionally magnetized reference system comprises a first antiferromagnet and the bias structure comprises a second antiferromagnet, wherein the first antiferromagnet comprises a first material composition that is different from a second material composition of the second antiferromagnet or a first layer thickness that is different from a second layer thickness of the second antiferromagnet, and of Claim 10 wherein the first antiferromagnet has a different blocking temperature that is different than a blocking temperature of the second antiferromagnet.
Raberg discloses a spin value sensor wherein a unidirectionally magnetized reference system comprises a first antiferromagnet (Para [0077] bottom antiferromagnet layer 720) and the bias structure comprises a second antiferromagnet (Para [0075] bias structure 780 with antiferromagnet layer 781), wherein the first antiferromagnet comprises a first material composition that is different from a second material composition of the second antiferromagnet or a first layer thickness that is different from a second layer thickness of the second antiferromagnet (Para [0078] two different antiferromagnetic materials or tuning the thickness of the antiferromagnetic layer to vary the exchange bias field), and of Claim 10 wherein the first antiferromagnet has a different blocking temperature that is different than a blocking temperature of the second antiferromagnet (Para [0078] tuning the blocking temperature of the antiferromagnetic layer to vary the exchange bias field) for the benefit of varying the exchange bias field.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine and provide the unidirectionally magnetized reference system comprises a first antiferromagnet and the bias structure comprises a second antiferromagnet, wherein the first antiferromagnet comprises a first material composition that is different from a second material composition of the second antiferromagnet or a first layer thickness that is different from a second layer thickness of the second antiferromagnet or wherein the first antiferromagnet has a different blocking temperature that is different than a blocking temperature of the second antiferromagnet for the benefit of varying the exchange bias field as taught by Raberg in Para [0075-0078].
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALESA ALLGOOD whose telephone number is (571)270-5811. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30 AM-3:30 PM.
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/ALESA ALLGOOD/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858