DETAILED ACTION
Summary
This Office Action is in response to the Amendments to the Claims and Remarks filed March 5, 2026.
In view of the Amendments to the Claims filed March 5, 2026, the rejections of claims 1, 2, 4-6, and 8-11 under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) previously presented in the Office Action sent December 5, 2025 have been substantially maintained and modified only in response to the Amendments to the Claims.
In view of the Amendments to the Claims filed March 5, 2026, the rejections of claims 1, 2, 4-6, and 8-11 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 103 previously presented in the Office Action sent December 5, 2025 have been withdrawn.
Claims 1, 2, 4-6, and 8-11 are currently pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1, 2, 4-6, and 8-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 and 8 recite, “material of the first isolation region is different from material of the second isolation region”.
The specification, as originally filed, does not evidence applicant had in possession an invention including the full scope of material of the first isolation region is different from material of the second isolation region.
The specification does not discuss or describe material of the first isolation region being different from material of the second isolation region. Dependent claims are rejected for dependency.
Claim 1 and 8 recite, “a plurality of first electrodes spaced apart from each other and arranged along the longitudinal direction along the length of the second electrode”.
The specification, as originally filed, does not evidence applicant had in possession an invention including a plurality of first electrodes spaced apart from each other and arranged along the longitudinal direction along the length of the second electrode.
The specification teaches a first electrode 161 but does not depict or describe any embodiment including a plurality of first electrodes spaced apart from each other and arranged along the longitudinal direction along the length of the second electrode. Dependent claims are rejected for dependency.
Claim 1 and 8 recite, “wherein as viewed in a plan view, one second electrode intersects a plurality of first electrodes”.
The specification, as originally filed, does not evidence applicant had in possession an invention including wherein as viewed in a plan view, one second electrode intersects a plurality of first electrodes.
The specification does not depict or describe any second electrode intersecting any first electrode, let alone a plurality of first electrodes as viewed in a plan view. Dependent claims are rejected for dependency.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed March 5, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant notes the newly added claimed language is not found within Fig. 6 of the Bende et al. reference.
However, the Bende et al. reference was not cited in the rejections of the claims in the most recent Office Action sent December 5, 2025.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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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/DUSTIN Q DAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1721 April 17, 2026
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