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 .
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.
Claim 33 is 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 33 recites the limitation "the rib structure" in line 15. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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)(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.
Claim(s) 18-29, 31-32, 34-35 and 38 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Gothoskar et al. (U.S. Publication No. 2021/0157068 A1; hereinafter Gothoskar)
With respect to claim 18, Gothoskar discloses a photodetector apparatus, being configured for detecting light in the visible or infrared spectrum, comprising: a substrate [615] having a substrate surface and a cladding layer [525], a waveguide [530] being arranged above the substrate surface in the cladding layer and being adapted for guiding light, a detector section [505] comprising a p-doped region [510] and a n-doped region [515] and being arranged for producing charge carriers by the light guided in the waveguide (see ¶[0048]), and a first contact section [240-1/245-1] connected to the p-doped region and a second contact section [240-2/245-2] connected to n-doped region, the first and second contact sections being connectable to a measuring device for measuring an electrical signal based on the charge carriers produced by the light, wherein the waveguide and the detector section are spaced apart by a portion of the cladding layer with a mutual distance such that optical power of the light guided in the waveguide can be gradually transferred from the waveguide to the detector section (see ¶[0044-0045]), wherein the waveguide is arranged such that at least one of a distance between the waveguide and the substrate surface is greater than a distance between an upper surface of the detector section and the substrate surface and the detector section is arranged between the substrate and the waveguide (See Figure 7).
With respect to claim 19, Gothoskar discloses wherein a longitudinal direction of the waveguide is arranged along a longitudinal direction of the detector section (See Figure 5).
With respect to claim 20, Gothoskar discloses wherein the waveguide and the detector section are aligned with each other in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface (See Figure 5 and 7).
With respect to claim 21, Gothoskar discloses wherein the waveguide comprises a tapered portion being configured for delocalizing optical fields of the light guided in the waveguide so that the optical power is coupled out of the waveguide into the detector section along the direction of propagation (See Figure 5 and ¶[0045]).
With respect to claim 22, Gothoskar discloses wherein the tapered portion has a longitudinal extension restricted to the extension of the detector section (See Figure 5).
With respect to claim 23, Gothoskar discloses wherein the detector section is embedded in the cladding layer (see Figure 7).
With respect to claim 24, Gothoskar discloses wherein the detector section is formed in the substrate, the p-doped region and the n-doped region being arranged at the substrate surface (see Figure 7).
With respect to claim 25, Gothoskar discloses wherein the detector section is formed by a mesa or a rib structure on the substrate, wherein the p-doped region and the n-doped region are arranged in the mesa or the rib structure (see Figure 7).
With respect to claim 26, Gothoskar discloses wherein the detector section comprises a tapered transition region arranged in a longitudinal direction of the detector section (See ¶[0035] and ¶[0041]).
With respect to claim 27, Gothoskar discloses wherein the p-doped region and the n-doped region are arranged at an upper surface of the detector section, preferably with a boundary between the p-doped region and the n-doped region being arranged along a longitudinal or transverse axis of the detector section (See Figure 7).
With respect to claim 28, Gothoskar discloses wherein the p-doped region and the n-doped region are arranged at a sidewall of the detector section and/or at least a region on the substrate surface adjacent to the detector section (See Figure 7).
With respect to claim 29, Gothoskar discloses wherein the p-doped region and the n-doped region are separated by an intrinsic region [520] (See Figure 7).
With respect to claim 31, Gothoskar discloses wherein the p-doped region is split into at least two p-doped sub-regions with a first p-doped sub-region comprising a higher p-doping concentration than a second p-doped sub-region (see ¶[0032] and ¶[0049]).
With respect to claim 32, Gothoskar discloses wherein the n-doped region is split into at least two n-doped sub-regions with a first n-doped sub-region comprising a higher n-doping concentration than a second n-doped sub-region (see ¶[0032] and ¶[0049]).
With respect to claim 33, Gothoskar discloses at least one of: the p-doped region has a p-doping concentration of 1016-1020 cm−3, the n-doped region has a n-doping concentration of 1016-1020 cm−3, a distance between the p-doped region and the n-doped region is between 0 and 4 μm, the substrate is made of silicon or is a silicon-on-insulator substrate (see ¶[0033]), the waveguide is made of a dielectric transparent to light in the visible or infrared spectrum, the waveguide is made of at least one of silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, and aluminium oxide ¶[0026]), a width of the detector section is above 10 μm, preferably 50 μm or above, a length of the detector section is between 25 μm and 500 μm, a thickness of the detector section is above 2 μm, a thickness of the detector section is between 2.5 μm and 3 μm, a rib height of the rib structure is between 100 nm and 500 nm, a width of the waveguide is above 100 nm, a width of the waveguide is 500 nm or above, a distance between the waveguide and the detector section in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface is 100 nm or above, and a distance between the waveguide and the detector section in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface is between 100 nm and 300 nm.
With respect to claim 34, Gothoskar discloses wherein an input end of the waveguide is optically coupled to a light source being arranged for producing a light with a wavelength in the visible or infrared spectrum below 1100 nm (see ¶[0026]; wavelengths used for optical communication).
With respect to claim 35, Gothoskar discloses wherein the photodetector apparatus is provided in an integrated photonic platform (See Figure 1).
With respect to claim 38, Gothoskar discloses a method of detecting light in the visible or infrared spectrum, comprising: providing a photodetector apparatus according to claim 18, guiding light in the waveguide of the photodetector apparatus, coupling a portion of the light guided in the waveguide to the detector section of the photodetector apparatus to produce charge carriers in the detector section, and measuring an electrical signal based on the charge carriers produced by the portion of the light (see Figure 1 and 9; ¶[0018]).
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.
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.
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.
Claim(s) 30, 36-37 and 39 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gothoskar in view of Jacob et al. (U.S. Publication No. 2021/0202778 A1; hereinafter Jacob)
With respect to claim 30, Gothoskar discloses fails to explicitly disclose wherein at least one of doping and bias conditions are optimized for operating the photodetector apparatus in an avalanche mode. In the same field of endeavor, Jacob teaches wherein at least one of doping and bias conditions are optimized for operating the photodetector apparatus in an avalanche mode (see ¶[0003] and ¶[0014]). Implementation of modified p-n junctions with additional layers at differing doping levels produce more efficient quantum conversion or avalanche gain through ionization and produce current in the detector circuit (see Jacob ¶[0003]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention that the combination of references would arrive at the claimed invention
With respect to claim 36, Gothoskar fails to disclose wherein the photodetector apparatus is configured for single photon detection. In the same field of endeavor, Jacob teaches wherein the photodetector apparatus is configured for single photon detection (See ¶[0003]). Implementing the avalanche mode detection as taught by Jacob within the photodetector of Gothoskar allows for a single photon to give rise to hundreds of carriers to produce a photo current, thereby increasing the sensitivity of the device (See ¶[0003]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention that the combination of references would arrive at the claimed invention.
With respect to claim 37, the combination of Gothoskar and Jacob discloses wherein the photodetector apparatus configured for single photon detection is integrated in a photonic circuit (see Gothoskar ¶[0017] and Jacob ¶[0003]).
With respect to claim 39, Gothoskar fails to disclose the light guided in the waveguide of the photodetector apparatus comprises single photons. In the same field of endeavor, Jacob teaches the light guided in the waveguide of the photodetector apparatus comprises single photons (See ¶[0003]). Implementation of Jacob’s avalanche mode photodetector allows for high sensitivity of even single photons to give rise to hundreds of carriers to produce a photo current, thereby increasing the sensitivity of the device (See ¶[0003]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention that the combination of references would arrive at the claimed invention.
Conclusion
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/JONATHAN HAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818