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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I (claims 1-10, and 21-30) in the reply filed on 02/03/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 21-25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 21 recites the limitation "the silicon material matrix" in line 9. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim and therefore this limitaiton renders the claim indefinite.
Claims 22-25 are indefinite due to their dependence on indefinite claim 21.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 5-9, 21, and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Na (US 2018/0190698).
Regarding claim 1, Na discloses a semiconductor device comprising: a photodiode (Fig.16I, numeral 1604; [0297]) comprising a germanium material portion (Abstract) laterally extending along a first horizontal direction, a p-doped silicon portion (Fig.18F, numeral 128), and an n-doped silicon portion (126) ([0006]); and a distributed Bragg reflector (Fig.16L, numeral 1632; [0303]) including multiple periodic repetitions of a unit layer stack including a first material layer (1634) and a second material layer (1636), wherein interfaces between vertically- extending portions of material layers within the distributed Bragg reflector (1632) are perpendicular to the first horizontal direction, and wherein the distributed Bragg reflector (1632) is in contact with the germanium material portion (1604).
Regarding claim 5, Na discloses wherein the germanium material portion (1604) has a uniform width along a second horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the first horizontal direction (Fig.16I).
Regarding claim 6, Na discloses two shallow trench isolation structures (Fig.5C, numeral 512; [0169]) that are laterally spaced apart from each other by the germanium material portion (506), wherein each of the two shallow trench isolation structures contacts contact a respective lengthwise sidewall of the germanium material portion (506).
Regarding claim 7, Na discloses a silicon material matrix (502) embedding the two shallow trench isolation structures (512), the germanium material portion (406), the p-doped silicon portion (537), and the n-doped silicon portion (534) (Fig.5D; 5E).
Regarding claim 8, Na discloses wherein an end surface of the germanium material portion (506) that is perpendicular to the first horizontal direction is in contact with the silicon material matrix (502).
Regarding claim 9, Na discloses wherein the p-doped silicon portion (128) and the n- doped silicon portion (128) are laterally spaced apart from each other along a second horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the first horizontal direction by a uniform lateral spacing that is less than a width of the germanium material portion (1704) along the second horizontal direction ([0313]).
Regarding claim 21, Na discloses a semiconductor device comprising: a photodiode (1604) comprising a germanium material portion laterally extending along a first horizontal direction, a p-doped silicon portion (Fig.17E, numeral 128), and an n-doped silicon portion (126); and a distributed Bragg reflector including multiple periodic repetitions of a unit layer stack including a first material layer and a second material layer (Fig.16I, numeral 1632), wherein interfaces between vertically- extending portions of material layers within the distributed Bragg reflector are perpendicular to the first horizontal direction, and wherein the distributed Bragg reflector is in contact with the germanium material portion (1604); a dielectric capping layer (Fig.8C, numeral 508) ([0168[) overlying the silicon material matrix (506), wherein a horizontal top surface of the germanium material portion (824) contacts a sidewall of the dielectric capping layer (508) (Fig.8C); and the first material layer and the second material layer in the distributed Bragg reflector (Fig.16I, numeral 1632) have a respective planar top surface within a horizontal plane overlying the horizontal top surface of the germanium material portion (1604).
Regarding claim 22, Na discloses a silicon capping layer (Fig. 5C, numeral 508) formed on a top surface of the germanium material portion (506).
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.
Claim(s) 26-29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Na in view of Yu (US 2022/0140157).
Regarding claim 26, Na discloses a semiconductor device comprising: a photodiode comprising a germanium material portion (Fig.16I, numeral 1604) laterally extending along a first horizontal direction, a p-doped silicon portion (Fig.17E, numeral 128), and an n-doped silicon portion (126); and a distributed Bragg reflector including multiple periodic repetitions of a unit layer stack including a first material layer and a second material layer (Fig.16I, numeral 1632), wherein interfaces between vertically- extending portions of material layers within the distributed Bragg reflector are perpendicular to the first horizontal direction, and wherein the distributed Bragg reflector (1632) is in contact with the germanium material portion (1604).
Na does not disclose a silicon waveguide located over a buried insulating layer and laterally extending along the first horizontal direction; and a silicon material matrix adjoined to an end portion of the silicon waveguide and embedding the germanium material portion that laterally extends along the first horizontal direction and is aligned to the end portion of the silicon waveguide.
Yu however discloses a silicon waveguide (Fig.4B, numeral 116) located over a buried insulating layer (208) and laterally extending along the first horizontal direction; and a silicon material matrix (212) adjoined to an end portion of the silicon waveguide (118) and embedding the germanium material portion (110) that laterally extends along the first horizontal direction and is aligned to the end portion of the silicon waveguide (116).
It would have been therefore obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify Na with Yu to have a silicon waveguide located over a buried insulating layer and laterally extending along the first horizontal direction; and a silicon material matrix adjoined to an end portion of the silicon waveguide and embedding the germanium material portion that laterally extends along the first horizontal direction and is aligned to the end portion of the silicon waveguide for the purpose of fabrication a germanium base avalanche photo-diode (Yu, Abstract).
Regarding claim 27, Na discloses wherein the germanium material portion has a uniform width along a second horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the first horizontal direction (Fig.16I, numeral 1604).
Regarding claim 28, Na discloses further comprising two shallow trench isolation structures (Fig.5C, numeral 512) that are laterally spaced apart from each other by the germanium material portion (506), wherein the two shallow trench isolation structures contact a respective lengthwise sidewall of the germanium material portion (506).
Regarding claim 29, Na discloses wherein the p-doped silicon portion (Fig.5D, numeral 547) and the n- doped silicon portion (534) are laterally spaced apart from each other along a second horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the first horizontal direction by a uniform lateral spacing that is less than a width of the germanium material portion (506) along the second horizontal direction.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4, 10, and 30 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.
Claims 23-25 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The search of the prior art does not disclose or reasonably suggest an angled protrusion portion that protrudes laterally into the distributed Bragg reflector such that two interfaces between the angled protrusion and the distributed Bragg reflector are adjoined to each other at an angle in a range from 80 degrees to 100 degrees in a plan view as required by claim 2.
The search of the prior art does not disclose or reasonably suggest wherein of the p-doped silicon portion and the n-doped silicon portion contact a respective bottom surface segment of the germanium material portion and a segment of a respective lengthwise sidewall of the germanium material portion as required by claim 10.
The search of the prior art does not disclose or reasonably suggest wherein the distributed Bragg reflector further comprises a DBR backing structure comprising polysilicon filling a remainder of the reflector- region trench as required by claim 23.
The search of the prior art does not disclose or reasonably suggest a laterally-extending cavity in which the germanium material portion is formed, wherein the laterally-extending cavity is located between a remaining portion of the silicon material matrix and the distributed Bragg reflector such that a sidewall of the distributed Bragg reflector is exposed to the laterally-extending cavity as required by claim 24.
The search of the prior art does not disclose or reasonably suggest wherein the germanium material portion comprises an angled protrusion portion that protrudes laterally into the distributed Bragg reflector such that two interfaces between the angled protrusion and the distributed Bragg reflector are adjoined to each other at an angle in a range from 80 degrees to 100 degrees in a plan view as required by claim 25.
The search of the prior art does not disclose or reasonably suggest wherein each of the p-doped silicon portion and the n-doped silicon portion contacts a respective bottom surface segment of the germanium material portion and a segment of a respective lengthwise sidewall of the germanium material portion as required by claim 30.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JULIA SLUTSKER whose telephone number is (571)270-3849. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9 am-6 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew Landau can be reached at 571-272-1731. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JULIA SLUTSKER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2891
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