Detailed Office 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 .
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 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.
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 of this title, 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 set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-14
Claims 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Srinivasan et al. (2021/0080805; “Srinivasan”) in view of Hunt et al. (2004/0066250; “Hunt”).
Although dependent claims 9, 10 and 12 are directed at devices, claim 9 recites the process “deposited directly,” claim 10 recites the process “deposited,” and claim 12 recites the process “formed during the same process.” The patentability of claim 9’s device, the patentability of claim 10’s device, and the patentability of claim 12’s device do not depend upon its method of production. MPEP § 2113, Product-by-Process Claims (“Product-by-Process claims are not limited to the manipulation of the recited steps, only the structure implied by the steps.").
Regarding claim 1, Srinivasan discloses in figure 2, and related figures and text, for example, Srinivasan – Selected Text, embodiments of light sources for generating optical frequency combs, the embodiments comprising: an optical resonator, comprising: a sapphire substrate 201; an input waveguide 203.1; an output waveguide 203.2; a closed-loop waveguide 204 arranged on the substrate, and optically coupled to the input waveguide and output waveguide, wherein the closed-loop waveguide is configured for: receiving at least a part of a beam of light from the input waveguide; accumulating optical energy inside the closed-loop waveguide using the received beam of light; generating an optical frequency comb using the accumulated optical energy; coupling at least a part of the generated optical frequency comb to the output waveguide; wherein the closed-loop waveguide is a monolithic silicon nitride waveguide having a thickness of 500 nm or more, and which is deposited on the substrate. Srinivasan, abstract (“An optical parametric oscillator for producing idler coherent light and signal coherent light from pump coherent light by balanced parametric dispersion includes: substrate cladding; a microring resonator disposed on the substrate cladding and including: a broadly transparent Kerr nonlinear medium including a annulus with a radius R, a height H, and a width W that provides a balanced parametric dispersion; and that: receives pump coherent light from a waveguide; and produces idler coherent light and signal coherent light from the pump coherent light, the idler coherent light and signal coherent light produced according to the balanced parametric dispersion of the microring resonator; and the waveguide disposed on the substrate cladding in optical communication with the microring resonator and comprising a broadly transparent medium such as silicon nitride and that: receives pump coherent light; and communicates the pump coherent light to the microring resonator for production of the idler coherent light and the signal coherent light from the pump coherent light.”).
Srinivasan – Figure 2
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Srinivasan – Selected Text
[0033] Components of optical parametric oscillator 200 can be made from and include various materials. Substrate cladding 201 has a lower refractive index than microring resonator 204 and waveguide 203 and supports broadband optical transparency that spans a wavelength range inclusive pump coherent light 205, idler coherent light 206, and signal coherent light 207. The substrate cladding can include a plurality of layers that can be disposed, e.g., immediately under microring resonator 204 and that can be a lower refractive index than microring resonator 204. Substrate cladding 201 provides a lower refractive index medium to support guided optical modes of waveguide 203 and microring resonator 204 as well as a mechanical structure for disposition of other elements of optical parametric oscillator 200 thereon. Substrate cladding 201 can include silicon dioxide in proximity to microring resonator 204 and silicon underneath the silicon dioxide, but the silicon dioxide can also be substituted by other materials with similar refractive indices such as sapphire, quartz, or MgF2. A thickness of substrate cladding 201 can be from 500 nm to 5 mm, specifically from 1 μm to 1 mm, and more specifically from 1 μm to 10 μm. It is contemplated that the thickness of the low refractive index layer (e.g., silicon dioxide) within substrate cladding 201 can be from 500 nm to 5 mm, specifically from 1 μm to 10 μm, and more specifically from 1 μm to 1 mm. In an embodiment, substrate cladding 201 is silicon dioxide.
[0036] Microring resonator 204 receives pump coherent light 205 from waveguide 203 and produces pump coherent light 205 to pump coherent light 205 from pump coherent light 205. Microring resonator 204 can include a core material that has a refractive index that is greater than that of substrate cladding 201 and that supports broadband optical transparency that spans the wavelength range of pump coherent light 205, idler coherent light 206, and signal coherent light 207. The materials also support a Kerr nonlinearity (also known as a third-order optical nonlinearity). Microring resonator 204 can include a material that satisfies the above criteria, such as silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, tantalum pentoxide, aluminum nitride, lithium niobate, gallium phosphide, gallium nitride, aluminum gallium arsenide, or a combination including at least one of the foregoing materials. A radius R of microring resonator 204 can be from 100 nm to 1 cm, specifically from 1 μm to 5 mm, and more specifically from 10 μm to 500 μm. A width W and height H of microring resonator 204 can be from 100 nm to 10 μm, specifically from 100 nm to 5 μm, and more specifically from 100 nm to 2 μm. In an embodiment, microring resonator 204 is silicon nitride.
[0059] To demonstrate nanophotonic visible telecom OPO, we use the silicon nitride (Si.sub.3N.sub.4) platform, whose advantageous characteristics for silicon-based nonlinear nanophotonics, including octave-spanning frequency combs, frequency conversion/spectral translation, entanglement generation and clustered frequency comb generation, have by now been well established. Here we show, for the first time, on-chip OPO with signal and idler at visible and telecom frequencies, e.g., 419.8 THz (714.6 nm) and 227.8 THz (1316.9 nm), respectively. The OPO process is power efficient due to nanophotonic confinement and strong spatial mode overlap, and has an ultra-low threshold power of (0.9±0.1) mW. In contrast to recent microresonator OPO works that use between 50 mW and 380 mW of pump power to achieve widely separated signal and idler in the infrared, our devices use only milliwatt-level power, without intermediate optical amplifiers, to achieve widely separated signal and idler in the visible and telecom, respectively. We further show that the OPO frequencies can be readily controlled by changing the device geometry. In particular, we demonstrate OPO with signal and idler at 383.9 THz (781.4 nm) and 202.1 THz (1484 nm), respectively, by pumping at 293.0 THz (1024 nm). This signal wavelength is suitable for rubidium vapor, and the pump wavelength is accessible from compact semiconductor chip lasers.
[0113] The output visible power in some devices can include 30 dB to 40 dB below the pump power. A challenge is associated with efficient resonator-waveguide coupling, where we can see from FIG. 19(b) that idler light (with longer wavelength and hence improved spatial overlap between the waveguide and resonator modes) is coupled 10 dB to 15 dB better than the signal light. The coupling of visible light can be optimized by appropriately designed pulley couplers. Such couplers have to be designed for specific wavelength bands, and universal coupling across broad spectra, particularly for short wavelengths, is challenging due to the corresponding small dimensions required. Besides this coupling issue, at higher conversion efficiency levels, a clearer physical understanding of the pump depletion level to accurately predict both the intracavity and external signal/idler powers is needed. Finally, a frequency matching design is centered around a regime in which Kerr frequency shifts due to self- and cross-phase modulation are limited. Depending on the application, one may instead seek to operate in a higher pump power regime (to enable higher absolute output powers), in which case these Kerr shifts can be included in the design.
1. An optical parametric oscillator 200 for producing idler coherent light 206 and signal coherent light 207 from pump coherent light 205 by balanced parametric dispersion 210, the optical parametric oscillator 200 comprising: a substrate cladding 201; a microring resonator 204 disposed on the substrate cladding 201 and comprising: a Kerr nonlinear medium comprising an annulus with a radius R, a height H, and a width W that provides a balanced parametric dispersion 210; and that: receives pump coherent light 205 from a waveguide 203; and produces idler coherent light 206 and signal coherent light 207 from the pump coherent light 205, the idler coherent light 206 and signal coherent light 207 produced according to the balanced parametric dispersion 210 of the microring resonator 204; and a waveguide 203 disposed on the substrate cladding 201 in optical communication with the microring resonator 204 and comprising a transparent Kerr nonlinear medium and that: receives pump coherent light 205; and communicates the pump coherent light 205 to the microring resonator 204 for production of the idler coherent light 206 and the signal coherent light 207 from the pump coherent light 205.
2. The optical parametric oscillator 200 of claim 1, further comprising: a cover cladding 202 disposed on the waveguide 203, the microring resonator 204, and the substrate cladding 201 such that microring resonator 204 and the waveguide 203 are interposed between the substrate cladding 201 and the cover cladding 202 to encapsulate the microring resonator 204 and the waveguide 203.
3. The optical parametric oscillator 200 of claim 1, further comprising: a second waveguide 203 in optical communication with the microring resonator 204 and comprising a transparent material and that: receives the idler coherent light 206 and the signal coherent light 207 from the microring resonator 204.
4. The optical parametric oscillator 200 of claim 1, wherein the substrate cladding 201 comprises silicon dioxide.
5. The optical parametric oscillator 200 of claim 1, wherein the radius R of the microring resonator 204 is from 100 nm to 1 cm.
6. The optical parametric oscillator 200 of claim 1, wherein the height H of the microring resonator 204 is from 10 nm to 5
Further regarding claim 1, Hunt discloses that one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize: sapphire as “single crystal alumina;” and that single crystal configurations facilitate predictably controlling interface conditions, for example, “surface roughness.” Hunt, paragraphs [0019] (“Currently, sapphire is available in 100 mm wafers with some suppliers planning to introduce 150 mm wafers soon. This is significantly larger than available wafer sizes for magnesium oxide and lanthanum aluminum oxide.”) and [0020] (“Sapphire, single crystal alumina, has recognized benefits over both magnesium oxide and lanthanum aluminum oxide in that it can be produced at lower cost, increased wafer size, excellent crystallinity and minimum surface roughness. However, BST is not an obvious crystal lattice match, and, indeed, attempts to date to deposit epitaxial BST on sapphire have not met with success.”).
Consequently, in light of Hunt’s teachings regarding single crystal configurations, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Srinivasan’s embodiments to disclose: a light source for generating an optical frequency comb, comprising: an optical resonator, comprising: a mono-crystalline aluminum oxide substrate; an input waveguide; an output waveguide; a closed-loop waveguide arranged on the substrate, and optically coupled to the input waveguide and output waveguide, wherein the closed-loop waveguide is configured for: receiving at least a part of a beam of light from the input waveguide; accumulating optical energy inside the closed-loop waveguide using the received beam of light; generating an optical frequency comb using the accumulated optical energy; coupling at least a part of the generated optical frequency comb to the output waveguide; wherein the closed-loop waveguide is a monolithic silicon nitride waveguide having a thickness of 500 nm or more, and which is deposited on the substrate; Srinivasan, figure 2, and related figures and text, for example, Srinivasan – Selected Text, because the resultant configurations would facilitate tailoring interface conditions, Hunt, paragraphs [0019]-[0020], while generating, tailoring, and delivering optical signals. Srinivasan, abstract.
Regarding claims 2-14, as dependent upon claim 1, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Srinivasan in view of Hunt, as applied in the rejection of claim 1, to disclose:
2. The light source according to claim 1, further comprising a laser source for transmitting a beam of light into the input waveguide. Srinivasan, figure 2, and related figures and text, for example, Srinivasan – Selected Text.
3. The light source according to claim 2, wherein the laser source is a continuous-wave laser. Srinivasan, figure 2, and related figures and text, for example, Srinivasan – Selected Text.
4. The light source according to any claim 2 or 3, wherein laser source is configured to generate a light beam at a first frequency, and wherein the closed-loop waveguide is configured to generate said frequency comb to have equidistantly arranged frequency components around the first frequency. Srinivasan, figure 2, and related figures and text, for example, Srinivasan – Selected Text.
5. The light source according to claim 1, wherein the closed-loop waveguide is configured to generate a Kerr optical frequency comb. Srinivasan, figure 2, and related figures and text, for example, Srinivasan – Selected Text.
6. The light source according to claim 1, wherein the silicon nitride waveguide has a thickness of 750 nm or more. Srinivasan, figure 2, and related figures and text, for example, Srinivasan – Selected Text.
7. The light source according to claim 1, wherein the silicon nitride waveguide comprises a SiXNY layer, wherein 0.71<=(X/Y)<=0.76. Srinivasan, figure 2, and related figures and text, for example, Srinivasan – Selected Text. Here, the examiner notes that one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that Si3N4 waveguides are well-known, well-understood, and oft-used variations of silicon nitride waveguides.
8. The light source according to claim 1, wherein the mono-crystalline aluminum oxide substrate comprises a sapphire substrate. Srinivasan, figure 2, and related figures and text, for example, Srinivasan – Selected Text.
9. The light source according to claim 1, wherein the monolithic silicon nitride waveguide is deposited directly on the mono-crystalline aluminum oxide substrate. Srinivasan, figure 2, and related figures and text, for example, Srinivasan – Selected Text.
10. The light source according to claim 1, wherein the monolithic silicon nitride waveguide is deposited on the mono-crystalline aluminum oxide substrate via an intermediate layer, wherein a thickness ratio between a thickness of the mono-crystalline aluminum oxide substrate and the intermediate layer exceeds 100:1. Srinivasan, figure 2, and related figures and text, for example, Srinivasan – Selected Text.
11. The light source according to claim 1, wherein the closed-loop waveguide, the input waveguide and/or the output waveguide, is a ridge waveguide. Srinivasan, figure 2, and related figures and text, for example, Srinivasan – Selected Text.
12. The light source according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the input waveguide and the output waveguide is a silicon nitride waveguide formed during the same process as the silicon nitride waveguide of the closed-loop waveguide.
13. The light source according to claim 1, wherein the input waveguide and output waveguide are part of a same waveguide. Srinivasan, figure 2, and related figures and text, for example, Srinivasan – Selected Text.
14. The light source according to claim 1 any of the claims 1-12, wherein the input waveguide and output waveguide are arranged on different and preferably opposite sides of the closed-loop waveguide. Srinivasan, figure 2, and related figures and text, for example, Srinivasan – Selected Text.
because the resultant configurations would facilitate tailoring interface conditions, Hunt, paragraphs [0019]-[0020], while generating, tailoring, and delivering optical signals. Srinivasan, abstract.
Claims 15-18
Method claims 15-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Srinivasan et al. (2021/0080805; “Srinivasan”) in view of Hunt et al. (2004/0066250; “Hunt”), as applied in the rejection of device claims 1-14, and further in view of Bradley et al. (10/468,849; “Bradley”).
Regarding claims 15-18, Bradley discloses methods of fabricating Si3N4 waveguides that comprise chemical vapor deposition steps. Bradley, column 12, line 45 – column 13, line 2 (“FIG. 3 demonstrates an example method of fabricating a tellurium oxide coated silicon nitride optical waveguide structure. In step 300, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is employed to deposit silicon nitride as a thin film. Potential CVD methods include plasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD) and low pressure CVD (LPCVD). In step 305 a photo resist or other masking layer such as a metal is applied on top of the silicon nitride film. In step 310, the photoresist mask layer is patterned using a lithography technique such as immersion lithography, stepper lithography or electron beam lithography. In step 315 the mask layer pattern is formed by selectively removing regions of the photoresist mask using developer solution. In step 320 the silicon nitride layer is etched using wet chemical etching or reactive ion etching. In setup 325 the photoresist mask layer is removed in chemical solvent or oxygen plasma. In step 330, physical vapor deposition (PVD) is employed to deposit a conformal layer (a thin film having cross-sectional features inherited from the underlying interface of the silicon nitride waveguide) of tellurium oxide over the silicon nitride waveguide. The PVD process employed could be sputtering, reactive sputtering, or reactive co-sputtering. In step 335 a silicon oxide or other top-cladding layer is deposited on the chip using PECVD, or coated on the chip using spin-coating.”).
Consequently, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify and apply Srinivasan in view of Hunt’s device embodiments, as applied in the rejection of claims 1-14, to disclose:
15. A method for manufacturing the optical resonator according to claim 1, the method comprising: providing a mono-crystalline aluminum oxide substrate; depositing a monolithic silicon nitride film of at least 500 nm thick on the substrate in a single-step low-pressure chemical vapor deposition, LPCVD, process at a temperature between 750 and 950 0C; providing a masking layer on top of the deposited silicon nitride film; patterning the masking layer; etching the silicon nitride film using the patterned masking layer to thereby form at least the closed-loop waveguide, and preferably all, among the input waveguide, output waveguide, and closed-loop waveguide. Srinivasan, figure 2, and related figures and text, for example, Srinivasan – Selected Text.
16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the deposited silicon nitride layer has a thickness of 750 nm or more. Srinivasan, figure 2, and related figures and text, for example, Srinivasan – Selected Text.
17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the silicon nitride layer, SiXNY, has a composition in which 0.71<=(X/Y)<=0.76. Srinivasan, figure 2, and related figures and text, for example, Srinivasan – Selected Text.
18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the mono-crystalline aluminum oxide substrate comprises a sapphire substrate. Srinivasan, figure 2, and related figures and text, for example, Srinivasan – Selected Text.
because the resultant methods and configurations would facilitate tailoring interface conditions, Hunt, paragraphs [0019]-[0020], while generating, tailoring, and delivering optical signals, Srinivasan, abstract, using waveguide configuration fabrication methods that facilitate controlling the optical signals’ modes. Bradley, abstract (“In various example embodiments, hybrid waveguide devices are disclosed based on a silicon nitride waveguide conformally coated with a tellurium oxide layer. A tellurium oxide layer is deposited over a silicon nitride waveguide such that the tellurium oxide layer forms a conformal layer that inherits the underlying shape of the silicon nitride waveguide, thereby forming a conformal raised region above the silicon nitride waveguide, while also forming planar regions that extend laterally from the silicon nitride waveguide. The present example hybrid waveguide structures enable the formation of a guided single mode that extends from the raised region of the tellurium oxide layer that resides above the silicon nitride waveguide into the silicon nitride waveguide, and the dimensions of the structure may be selected such that a majority of the optical mode is confined within the tellurium oxide layer, at least over a portion of the infrared region.”).
Claims 19 and 20
Device claims 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Srinivasan et al. (2021/0080805; “Srinivasan”) in view of Hunt et al. (2004/0066250; “Hunt”), as applied in the rejection of device claims 1-14, and further in view of Briere et al. (Rotating Circular Micro-Platform with Integrated Waveguides and Latching Arm for Reconfigurable Integrated Optics. Micromachines 2017, 8, 354; “Briere”).
Although independent claim 19 is directed at a device directed at devices, claim 19 recites the process “deposited onto.” The patentability of claim 19’s device does not depend upon its method of production. MPEP § 2113, Product-by-Process Claims (“Product-by-Process claims are not limited to the manipulation of the recited steps, only the structure implied by the steps.").
Regarding claim 19, Briere discloses in figures 1, 2, and 14, and related figures and text, optical switches with silicon nitride waveguides and suspended MEMS configurations. Briere, figures 1, 2, and 14, and related figures and text, including abstract (“This work presents a laterally rotating micromachined platform integrated under optical waveguides to control the in-plane propagation direction of light within a die to select one of multiple outputs. The platform is designed to exhibit low constant optical losses throughout the motion range and is actuated electrostatically using an optimized circular comb drive. An angular motion of [plus and minus 9 degrees] using 180 V is demonstrated. To minimize the optical losses between the moving and fixed parts, a gap-closing mechanism is implemented to reduce the initial air gap to submicron values. A latch structure is implemented to hold the platform in place with a resolution of 0.25_ over the entire motion range. The platform was integrated with silicon nitride waveguides to create a crossbar switch and preliminary optical measurements are reported. In the bar state, the loss was measured to be 14.8 dB with the gap closed whereas in the cross state it was 12.2 dB. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first optical switch based on a rotating microelectromechanical device with integrated silicon nitride waveguides reported to date.”).
Briere – Figures 1, 2, and 14
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Consequently, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify and apply Srinivasan in view of Hunt’s device embodiments, as applied in the rejection of claims 1-14, to disclose:
19. A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) optical switch, comprising: a mono-crystalline aluminum oxide substrate; a monolithic silicon nitride optical waveguide having a thickness of 500 nm or more, and which is deposited on the substrate, said optical waveguide comprising: a base part deposited onto the substrate, wherein the first base is configured to receive a beam of light, and a suspended part having a first end at which the suspended part is integrally connected to the base part and a second end configured to emit said beam of light; a light reception unit comprising an optical waveguide; an actuator configured for displacing the second end relative to the light reception unit in response to an actuation signal to allow or prevent the light beam emitted by the second end to enter the optical waveguide of the light reception unit. Srinivasan, figure 2, and related figures and text, for example, Srinivasan – Selected Text. Briere, figures 1, 2, and 14, and related figures and text.
20. The MEMS optical switch according to claim 19, wherein the light reception unit comprises a plurality of optical waveguides, wherein the actuator is configured to, in response to the actuation signal, select one optical waveguide among the plurality of optical waveguides in which the light beam emitted by the second end is allowed to enter. Srinivasan, figure 2, and related figures and text, for example, Srinivasan – Selected Text. . Briere, figures 1, 2, and 14, and related figures and text.
because the resultant methods and configurations would facilitate tailoring interface conditions, Hunt, paragraphs [0019]-[0020], while generating, tailoring, and delivering optical signals, Srinivasan, abstract, using optical switches to control the optical signals’ propagation directions. Briere, 7. Conclusions (“This work presented different MEMS rotational micro-platform designs aimed at integration with optical waveguides in order to implement a MOEMS system that enables the control of the propagation direction of a light beam in waveguides.”).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PETER RADKOWSKI whose telephone number is (571)270-1613. The examiner can normally be reached on M-Th 9-5. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Thomas Hollweg, can be reached on (571) 270-1739. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8300.
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/PETER RADKOWSKI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874