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
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on November 21, 2023 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on October 2, 2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on December 11, 2025 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.
Claim(s) 12, 13, and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zheng et al (CN 108879632) in view of Hung et al (CN 108807364).
In re claim 12, Zheng et al discloses an electrostatic discharge protection device (i.e. see at least Figure 7) comprising: a substrate (i.e. 710) of a first conductivity type; a first well (i.e. 712) formed on the substrate and having the first conductivity type; a second well (i.e. 711) formed on the substrate surrounding the first well in a plan view, the second well having a second conductivity type; a first diffusion region (i.e. 721) formed on the first well and having a conductivity type; a third diffusion region (i.e. 722) formed on the first well surrounding the first diffusion region in the plan view, the third diffusion region having a conductivity type; a fourth diffusion region (i.e. 723) formed on the second well surrounding the third diffusion region in the plan view, the fourth diffusion region having the first conductivity type; and a fifth diffusion region (i.e. 724) formed on the second well surrounding the fourth diffusion region in the plan view, the fifth diffusion region having the second conductivity type, wherein the fourth diffusion region and the fifth diffusion region are connected to a first electrode (i.e. 311), and the first diffusion region to the third diffusion region are connected to a second electrode (i.e. 312).
Zheng et al does not explicitly disclose a second diffusion region having a second conductivity type and the third diffusion region being a first conductivity type.
However, Hung et al discloses an electrostatic discharge protection device having a central P-well region comprising a plurality of N+ regions 222 surrounded by a P+ doped region 218 (i.e. see at least Figures 2A and 2C).
The advantage is to obtain a more efficient electrostatic discharge protection device (i.e. paragraph 0083).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have modified the electrostatic discharge protection device as taught by Zheng et al with an electrostatic discharge protection device having a central P-well region comprising a plurality of N+ regions surrounded by a P+ doped region as taught by Hung et al in order to obtain a more efficient electrostatic discharge protection device.
In re claim 13, Zheng et al discloses wherein the first conductivity is a P-type conductivity, and the second conductivity type is an N-type conductivity (i.e. see at least Figure 7).
In re claim 15, Zheng et al, as discussed above, does not explicitly disclose further comprising: a gate polysilicon pattern formed on at least one from among: a region between the first diffusion region and the third diffusion region, a region between the second diffusion region and the third diffusion region, and a region between the third diffusion region and the fourth diffusion region.
However, Hung et al discloses a gate polysilicon pattern (i.e. 216) formed on at least one from among: a region between the first diffusion region and the third diffusion region, a region between the second diffusion region and the third diffusion region, and a region between the third diffusion region and the fourth diffusion region (i.e. see at least Figure 2C)
The advantage is to obtain a more efficient electrostatic discharge protection device (i.e. paragraph 0083).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have modified the electrostatic discharge protection device as taught by Zheng et al with a gate polysilicon pattern formed on at least one from among: a region between the first diffusion region and the third diffusion region, a region between the second diffusion region and the third diffusion region, and a region between the third diffusion region and the fourth diffusion region as taught by Hung et al in order to obtain a more efficient electrostatic discharge protection device.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-11, 19, and 20 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The prior arts of record do not disclose or suggest at least the limitations of “an electrostatic discharge protection device wherein the sixth diffusion region and the seventh diffusion region are connected to a first electrode, and the first diffusion region to the fifth diffusion region are connected to a second electrode” as recited in claim 1 and “an electrostatic discharge protection device wherein the fourth diffusion region and the fifth diffusion region are connected to a first electrode, and the sixth diffusion region and the seventh diffusion region are connected to a second electrode” as recited in claim 19.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Claims 14 and 16-18 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.
Conclusion
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/ANTHONY HO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2817