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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 16 November 2023 was filed prior to the mailing date of this office correspondence. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
In para. [0002], “center frequency of several Ghz” should read: -- center frequency of several GHz --
para. [0053], “232-release hole'” should read: -- 232-release hole --
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 1, lines 3-6: “forming two or more piezoelectric film elements (121) independent of each other on a surface of an epitaxial substrate (110) and forming bottom electrode units (131) on the piezoelectric film elements (121) correspondingly one to one to obtain the transfer structure (100);” should read:-- forming two or more piezoelectric film elements (121) independent of each other on a surface of an epitaxial substrate (110) and forming respective bottom electrode units (131) on the piezoelectric film elements (121) to obtain the transfer structure (100); --
In claim 1, line 15: “and removing the epitaxial substrate (110), and forming” should read:
-- removing the epitaxial substrate (110), and forming --
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-10 are 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.
In claim 1, the limitation in lines 9-10 “electrically interconnecting the bonding units (231) as needed according to a patterning design to obtain the bonding structure (200)” (emphasis added) renders claim indefinite because claim fails to positively recite “electrically interconnecting the bonding units (231)” and therefore, it is unclear whether the bonding units are interconnected or not.
In claim 2, the limitation “if the resonant region contains a sacrificial material,” renders claim indefinite because the scope of the claim is unclear due to the conditional limitation. If a step is contingent on a condition that may not occur, the step is not required under the broadest reasonable interpretation for method claims and hence claim 2 is indefinite. See MPEP 2111, 2173.
In claim 4, the limitation “after the bonding units (231) are electrically interconnected” renders claim indefinite because, claim 1 upon which claim 4 depends recites “electrically interconnecting the bonding units (231) as needed according to a patterning design”. Therefore, it is unclear from claim 1 whether the recited “bonding units” are interconnected or not.
Claims 2-10 depend on claim 1. Therefore, claims 1-10 are rejected.
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) 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shealy (US 20190036592).
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Annotated Figs. 4E and 9C, Shealy.
Regarding claim 1, Shealy teaches, a preparation method of a bulk acoustic wave (BAW) filter structure (bulk acoustic wave RF filter, Abstract), comprising:
a step of fabricating a transfer structure (100) (see annotated Figs. 4E and 9C): forming two or more piezoelectric film elements (121) (piezoelectric layer 120, see Fig. 4E) independent of each other on a surface of an epitaxial substrate (110) (substrate 110, Fig. 4, substrate can mean the bulk substrate or can include overlying growth structures such as…containing epitaxial region, para. [0073]) and forming bottom electrode units (131) (metal electrode 130, Fig. 5) on the piezoelectric film elements (121) (piezoelectric layer 120, see Fig. 4E, the method step of manufacturing multiple acoustic resonator devices simultaneously, para. [0054]) correspondingly one to one to obtain the transfer structure (100);
a step of fabricating a bonding structure (200) (see 600 in Fig. 6 and annotated Fig. 9C): defining two or more resonant regions (see 601 and 602, Fig. 6) independent of each other on a supporting substrate (210) (interposer substrate 119, Figs. 6, 9B and 9C), covering the resonant regions with bonding units (231) (one or more bond pads 142, Figs. 6 and 9B), respectively, and electrically interconnecting the bonding units (231) (see Fig. 9B, interposer substrate 119 includes through-via structures 151 that extend through the interposer substrate 119 and are electrically coupled to bottom bond pads 142 and top bond pads 143, para. [0057]) as needed according to a patterning design to obtain the bonding structure (200), wherein a position of each resonant region is axisymmetric to a position of each piezoelectric film element (121) (see Figs. 6, 9B and 9C and the Note below);and
a step of transfer bonding (a hermetic bonding, Fig. 6, interposer substrate 119 is bonded to the piezoelectric layer by the bond pads (140, 142) and the topside metal 141, which are now denoted as bond pad 144 and topside metal 145, para. [0056-0058]): reversing upper and lower surfaces of the transfer structure (100) and bonding the bottom electrode units (131) to the resonant regions correspondingly one to one to obtain a BAW structure (300); and removing the epitaxial substrate (110) (see Fig. 9C, a method step of thinning the seed substrate 110, which is now denoted as thinned seed substrate 111…the first backside trench 113 can be formed within the thinned seed substrate 111 and underlying the topside metal electrode 130, para. [0058-0059]), and forming top electrode units (141) (backside metal electrode 131, para. [0047]) on surfaces of the piezoelectric film elements (121) that are in contact with the epitaxial substrate (110) previously.
Though, Shealy does explicitly teach, reversing upper and lower surfaces of the transfer structure (100), from the teaching on Figs. 6 to 13, one of ordinary skill in the art would have known that, directly bonding the transfer structure and the bonding structure without reversing the transfer structure would reduce a process step. Therefore, in view of the teachings of Shealy in Figs. 6 to 13, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the method of preparation method of a bulk acoustic wave filter structure of Shealy and to bond the transfer structure to the bonding structure as Shealy disclosed in Fig. 9C so that it enables reducing any stress followed by removing the substrate as Shealy disclosed in para. [0058]. Moreover, there is no indication in the instant invention that any surprising results were derived, or that any special steps were devised in transfer bonding and/or reversing upper and lower surface of the transfer structure. Such a combination would have been done by one of ordinary skill in the art without any need for experimentation and with reasonable expectations of success.
Note: the recited “electrically interconnecting the bonding units (231) as needed according to a patterning design to obtain the bonding structure (200)” does not contribute over the prior art Shealy because the limitation fails to positively recite the bonding units are interconnected. Further, the recited limitation, “reversing upper and lower surfaces of the transfer structure (100)” does not add any patentable weight over prior art Shealy.
Regarding claim 2, Shealy teaches the recited limitations with respect to claim 1. Shealy further teaches, the preparation method of a BAW filter structure according to claim 1, wherein if the resonant region contains a sacrificial material, the sacrificial material is removed after the removal of the epitaxial substrate (110) (Figs. 16A to 16C and 19A to 19C, method steps for a transfer process using a sacrificial layer, para. [0081-0084]). Therefore, in view of the teachings of Shealy in Figs. 16A to 16C, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the method of preparation method of a bulk acoustic wave filter structure in Fig. 9C of Shealy and to include a sacrificial material as Shealy disclosed in Figs. 16A to 16C so that it enables forming a desired structure including a cavity.
Regarding claim 3, Shealy teaches the recited limitations with respect to claim 1. Shealy further teaches, the preparation method of a BAW filter structure according to claim 1, wherein the bonding unit (231) is made of a metal or an alloy material (blind via structures 152 are also electrically coupled to bottom bond pads 142, para. [0057], in which it is obvious that the bond pads 142 are metal).
Regarding claim 4, Shealy teaches the recited limitations with respect to claim 1. Shealy further teaches, the preparation method of a BAW filter structure according to claim 1, wherein after the bonding units (231) are electrically interconnected, an independently resonant one-stage or multi-stage topology is formed for a BAW filter (see Figs. 7 to 9C).
Regarding claim 5, Shealy teaches the recited limitations with respect to claim 1. Shealy further teaches, the preparation method of a BAW filter structure according to claim 1, wherein the resonant region is provided with a sacrificial unit (221) (sacrificial layer 1910, see annotated Figs. 24A and 24B below, para. [0089]) between the bonding unit(231) and the supporting substrate (210), and the bonding unit (231) is provided with a release hole (232) (one or more release holes 2420, Fig. 24A, para. [0089]) for exposing the sacrificial unit (221). Therefore, in view of the teachings of Shealy in Figs. 16A to 16C, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the method of preparation method of a bulk acoustic wave filter structure in Fig. 9C of Shealy and to include a sacrificial material as Shealy disclosed in Figs. 24A and 24B so that it enables forming a desired structure including a cavity.
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Annotated Figs. 24A and 24B, Shealy.
Regarding claim 6, Shealy teaches the recited limitations with respect to claim 5. Shealy further teaches, the preparation method of a BAW filter structure according to claim 5, wherein the sacrificial unit (221) is laid on an upper surface of the supporting substrate (210) (see the sacrificial layer 1910 in Fig. 24B).
Regarding claim 7, Shealy teaches the recited limitations with respect to claim 5. Shealy further teaches, the preparation method of a BAW filter structure according to claim 5, wherein a cavity (cavity 2810, Fig. 28B, the method step of removing the sacrificial layer 1910 to form an air cavity 2810, para. [0093]) for accommodating the sacrificial unit (221) is formed in the upper surface of the supporting substrate (210), and the bonding unit (231) flatly covers an upper surface of the sacrificial unit (221) (see Fig. 28B).
Regarding claim 8, Shealy teaches the recited limitations with respect to claim 1. Shealy further teaches, the preparation method of a BAW filter structure according to claim 1, wherein the resonant region is provided with a Bragg reflection unit (222) (reflector device 6320 can be a Bragg reflector, Fig. 63A, para. [0137) between the bonding unit (231) and the supporting substrate (210).
Regarding claim 9, Shealy teaches the recited limitations with respect to claim 1. Shealy further teaches, the preparation method of a BAW filter structure according to claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric film element (121) is made of a monocrystalline material or a polycrystalline material (single crystal piezoelectric layer 120, para. [0047]).
Regarding claim 10, Shealy teaches the recited limitations with respect to claim 1. Shealy further teaches, a BAW filter structure, obtained by using the preparation method according to claim 1 (see Abstract).
Conclusion
Prior art Vetury (US 20200220513) teaches, a preparation method of a bulk acoustic wave (BAW) filter structure, comprising: a step of fabricating a transfer structure; forming two or more piezoelectric film elements and forming bottom electrode units on the piezoelectric films; a step of fabricating a bonding structure; and a step of transfer bonding to obtain a BAW structure.
Prior art Hurwitz (US 20230132706) teaches, a preparation method of a bulk acoustic wave (BAW) filter structure, comprising: a step of fabricating a transfer structure; forming piezoelectric film elements and forming bottom electrode units on the piezoelectric film; a step of fabricating a bonding structure; and a step of transfer bonding.
Prior art Pao (US 20200358423) teaches, a preparation method of a bulk acoustic wave (BAW) filter structure, including fabricating a transfer structure; forming piezoelectric film elements and forming bottom electrode units on the piezoelectric film; fabricating a bonding structure; and transfer bonding.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSE K. ABRAHAM whose telephone number is (571)270-1087. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:30-4:30 EST.
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/JOSE K ABRAHAM/Examiner, Art Unit 3729
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