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 .
Response to Amendment
The Examiner acknowledges and accepts the amendment filed on 08/14/26.
Claims 1 and 6-9 are amended; and
Claims 1-12 are currently pending.
Claim Objections
The previous objections to claims 1 and 6-9 have been withdrawn in view of the amendment filed on 08/14/26.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 2, and 6-12 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 6-8, and 10-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over UCHIDA et al. (US PG Pub 2023/0216277 A1) in view of MATSUSHITA et al. (US PG Pub 2011/0317540 A1).
Regarding claim 1, UCHIDA discloses a semiconductor laser element (100, FIG. 1B, [0040]), comprising:
a semiconductor epitaxial structure (FIG. 1B) including a light-emitting layer (140, FIG. 1B, [0041]) and a light-emitting control layer (106, FIG. 1B, [0041]), wherein the light-emitting control layer is located above the light-emitting layer and forms a light-emitting opening area (106 is positioned above 140, FIG. 1B);
a light-absorbing structure (top portions of 161, see annotated FIG. 1B below, where 161 is an insulating film which absorbs some light) being located on the semiconductor epitaxial structure and forming a hollow part (an opening between the top portion of 161 exposing a top part of 104, FIG. 1B) to expose the semiconductor epitaxial structure;
a transparent conductive layer (162, FIG. 1B, [0047]) including a recessed window part and an extension part (see annotated FIG. 1B below), the recessed window part is located in the hollow part and covers the semiconductor epitaxial structure (see annotated FIG. 1B below), and the extension part covers the light-absorbing structure (see annotated FIG. 1B below); and
an electrode layer (150, FIG. 1B, [0043]) being located on the transparent conductive layer and forms forming an opening to expose the transparent conductive layer (150 is positioned on 162 forming an opening exposing 162, FIG. 1B), wherein the recessed window part is located in the opening (see annotated FIG. 1B below);
wherein a position of the recessed window part corresponds to a position of the light- emitting opening area based on the light-emitting direction (see annotated FIG. 1B below).
PNG
media_image1.png
610
660
media_image1.png
Greyscale
UCHIDA does not explicitly disclose a band gap of the light-absorbing structure is smaller than the light-emitting band gap.
MATSUSHITA discloses a light-absorbing structure (130, FIG. 2, where 130 is a light absorption layer for absorbing high-order traverse-mode oscillation L2 and enhance fundamental mode oscillation L1, [0036]) being located on the semiconductor epitaxial structure (130 is positioned on an upper DBR 106, FIG. 2) and forming a hollow part (an opening is formed in a center of 130 exposing a top surface of the upper DBR 106, FIG. 1B) to expose the semiconductor epitaxial structure, wherein a band gap of the light-absorbing structure is smaller than a band gap of the light-emitting layer (“The light absorption layer 112 is composed of a material (fundamental absorption) having an energy gap Eg that is smaller than light emission energy of laser light having the emission wavelength, or a material that can absorb light using impurities or defects,” [0030], the Examiner notes that the light absorption layer 112 in FIG. 1 is equivalent to light absorption layer 130 in FIG. 2).
PNG
media_image2.png
408
484
media_image2.png
Greyscale
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to replace the light-absorption structure of UCHIDA with the light absorption layer as taught by MATSUSHITA in order to simultaneously achieve reduction in high-order transverse-mode oscillation and excellent characteristics of an FFP ([0035] of MATSUSHITA).
Regarding claim 2, UCHIDA, as modified, discloses the light-absorbing structure includes a first light-absorbing layer that is electrically conductive (130 is also served as a contact layer, [0036] of MATSUSHITA).
Regarding claim 6, UCHIDA discloses a radial length of the opening is greater than a radial length of the recessed window part (d2>d1, FIG. 1B).
Regarding claim 7, UCHIDA discloses the radial length of the light-emitting opening area is greater than a radial length of the recessed window part (d2>d1, FIG. 1B) so that the semiconductor laser element provides single-mode light emission.
Regarding claim 8, the combination has disclosed the light-emitting opening area and the recessed window part outlined in the rejection to claim 1 above except the radial length of the light-emitting opening area is no greater than a radial length of the recessed window part so that the semiconductor laser element provides multi-mode light emission. However, it’s known in the art to adjust a size of an oxide aperture in order to control the lasing mode of a laser. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the radial length of the light-emitting opening area of the combination with no greater than the radial length of the recessed window part so that the semiconductor laser element provides multi-mode light emission in order to obtain desired output mode, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233 MPEP 2144.05 (II-A)
Regarding claim 10, UCHIDA discloses the recessed window part forms an ohmic contact with the semiconductor epitaxial structure (FIG. 1B).
Regarding claim 11, UCHIDA, as modified, discloses the light absorbing structure is made of gallium arsenide material, aluminum gallium arsenide material, or aluminum gallium indium arsenide phosphorus material (130 comprises GaAs material, [0040] of MATSUSHITA).
Regarding claim 12, UCHIDA discloses the semiconductor epitaxial structure further includes: a first semiconductor structure (102, FIG. 1B, [0040]); and a second semiconductor structure (104, FIG. 1B, [0040]), wherein the light-emitting layer is located between the first semiconductor structure and the second semiconductor structure (140 is located between 102/104, FIG. 1B), and the light-emitting control layer is formed in the second semiconductor structure adjacent to the light-emitting layer (106 is formed in 104, FIG. 1B).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over UCHIDA et al. and MATSUSHITA et al. as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Sun (US Patent 6,185,241 B1).
Regarding claim 9, the combination has disclosed the transparent conductive layer outlined in the rejection to claim 1 above except the thickness of the transparent conductive layer is n*λ/4, wherein n is a positive integer and λ is an emission wavelength. Sun discloses the thickness of the transparent conductive layer is n*λ/4 (ITO 126 has a quarter wavelength thickness, col. 2 lines 56-59). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the thickness of the transparent conductive layer of the combination with an n*λ/4 thickness as taught by Sun in order to minimize unwanted reflection of the transparent conductive layer.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-5 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YUANDA ZHANG whose telephone number is (571)270-1439. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10:30 AM - 6:30 PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, MINSUN HARVEY can be reached at (571)272-1835. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/YUANDA ZHANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2828
Prosecution Insights