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 § 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.
Claims 7-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hubei (CN 110085717, as cited in IDS dated 12/27/23) in view of Bussmann (US 2004/0190105 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Hubei discloses a circularly polarized light modulation device (Figures 1-3; Page 7, Paragraph 2), the device comprising:
A stacked structure comprising an N-side electrode, an active layer, and a P-side electrode (Page 6, Paragraph 4 discloses an N-type GaAs layer and a P-type GaAs layer as well as an active ferromagnetic layer);
An injection current circuit configured to cause a first current to flow from the p-side electrode to the n-side electrode through the active layer (Page 6, Paragraph 4 discloses a current using a spin-orbit coupling effect); and
A spin drive circuit configured to cause a second current to flow to the p-side electrode or the n-side electrode in a direction perpendicular to the first current injected from the injection current circuit into the stacked structure (Page 7, Paragraph 2 discloses an accumulation of a vertical direction of the spin current accumulated by the charge-spin conversion mechanism; this paragraph also discloses applying a current to the left as well as to the right).
Hubei fails to explicitly disclose a particular stacked structure comprising a N-side electrode, an active layer, and a P-side electrode.
However, Bussmann discloses a similar structure comprising a N-side electrode, an active layer, and a P-side electrode (Bussmann, Figure 1, N-type electrode 10, active layer 14, P-type electrode 12; Paragraph 0023).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the modulation device as disclosed by Hubei to include a stacked structure as disclosed by Bussmann. One would have been motivated to do so for the purpose of producing spin-polarized charger carriers under the influence of an electric field (Bussmann, Paragraph 0022).
Regarding Claim 8, Hubei in view of Bussmann discloses the device according to claim 7, wherein the stacked structure further comprises: a first intermediate layer inserted between the n-side electrode and the active layer; and a second intermediate layer inserted between the active layer and the p-side electrode (Hubei, Figure 1, N-side electrode 9, first intermediate layer 7/8, active layer 5, second intermediate layer 3, P-side electrode 2).
Regarding Claim 9, Hubei in view of Bussmann discloses the device according to claim 8, wherein the first intermediate layer of the stacked structure comprises an n-type semiconductor layer; and the second intermediate layer of the stacked structure comprises a p-type semiconductor layer (Hubei, Page 6, Paragraph 5 discloses a P-type AlGaAs layer and an N-type GaAs layer).
Regarding Claim 10, Hubei in view of Bussmann discloses the device according to claim 9, wherein the first intermediate layer of the stacked structure further comprises a tunnel insulating layer (Hubei, Page 6, Paragraph 5 discloses an Al-O barrier layer which would serve as a tunnel insulating layer).
Regarding Claim 11, Hubei in view of Bussmann discloses the device according to claim 10, wherein the spin drive circuit is configured to cause the second current to flow to the p-side electrode in the direction perpendicular to the first current injected from the injection current circuit into the stacked structure, and wherein the p- side electrode comprises a heavy metal (Hubei, Page 6, Paragraph 4 and Page 7, Paragraph 2).
Regarding Claim 12, Hubei in view of Bussmann discloses the device according to claim 10, wherein the spin drive circuit is configured to cause the second current to flow to the n-side electrode in the direction perpendicular to the first current injected from the injection current circuit into the stacked structure, and wherein the n- side electrode comprises a heavy metal (Hubei, Page 6, Paragraph 4 and Page 7, Paragraph 2).
Regarding Claim 13, Hubei in view of Bussmann discloses the device according to claim 10, the spin drive circuit is configured to control the direction of the second current according to an electric signal input from an outside (Hubei, Page 7, Paragraph 2 discloses the use of the spintronic device to manipulate the electric signal output).
Regarding Claim 14, Hubei in view of Bussmann discloses the device according to claim 7, wherein the spin drive circuit is configured to cause the second current to flow to the p-side electrode in the direction perpendicular to the first current injected from the injection current circuit into the stacked structure, and wherein the p- side electrode comprises a heavy metal (Hubei, Page 6, Paragraph 4 and Page 7, Paragraph 2).
Regarding Claim 15, Hubei in view of Bussmann discloses the device according to claim 7, wherein the spin drive circuit is configured to cause the second current to flow to the n-side electrode in the direction perpendicular to the first current injected from the injection current circuit into the stacked structure, and wherein the n- side electrode comprises a heavy metal (Hubei, Page 6, Paragraph 4 and Page 7, Paragraph 2).
Regarding Claim 16, Hubei in view of Bussmann discloses the device according to claim 7, wherein the spin drive circuit is configured to control the direction of the second current according to an electric signal input from an outside(Hubei, Page 7, Paragraph 2 discloses the use of the spintronic device to manipulate the electric signal output).
Claims 17-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hubei in view of Bussmann and Sasaki (US 2020/0243752 A1).
Regarding Claim 17, Hubei discloses circularly polarized light modulation device (Figures 1-3; Page 7, Paragraph 2), the device comprising:
A stacked structure comprising an N-side electrode, an active layer, and a P-side electrode (Page 6, Paragraph 4 discloses an N-type GaAs layer and a P-type GaAs layer as well as an active ferromagnetic layer);
An injection current circuit configured to cause a first current to flow from the p-side electrode to the n-side electrode through the active layer (Page 6, Paragraph 4 discloses a current using a spin-orbit coupling effect); and
A first spin drive circuit configured to cause a second current to flow to the n-side electrode in a direction perpendicular to the first current injected from the injection current circuit into the stacked structure (Page 7, Paragraph 2 discloses an accumulation of a vertical direction of the spin current accumulated by the charge-spin conversion mechanism; this paragraph also discloses applying a current to the left as well as to the right).
Hubei fails to explicitly disclose a particular stacked structure comprising a N-side electrode, an active layer, and a P-side electrode; and a second spin drive circuit configured to cause a third current to flow to the p-side electrode in the direction perpendicular to the first current injected from the injection current circuit into the stacked structure.
However, Bussmann discloses a similar structure comprising a N-side electrode, an active layer, and a P-side electrode (Bussmann, Figure 1, N-type electrode 10, active layer 14, P-type electrode 12; Paragraph 0023).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the modulation device as disclosed by Hubei to include a stacked structure as disclosed by Bussmann. One would have been motivated to do so for the purpose of producing spin-polarized charger carriers under the influence of an electric field (Bussmann, Paragraph 0022).
Further, Sasaki discloses a similar device comprising a second spin drive circuit configured to cause a third current to flow to the p-side electrode in the direction perpendicular to the first current injected from the injection current circuit into the stacked structure (Sasaki, Figure 3; Paragraph 0048 discloses a first spin current and a second spin current).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the device as disclosed by Hubei to include a second spin drive circuit as disclosed by Sasaki. One would have been motivated to do so for the purpose of achieving a pure spin current (Sasaki, Paragraphs 0047-0048).
Regarding Claim 18, Hubei in view of Bussmann and Sasaki discloses the device according to claim 17, wherein the stacked structure further comprises :a first intermediate layer inserted between the n-side electrode and the active layer; and a second intermediate layer inserted between the active layer and the p-side electrode (Hubei, Figure 1, N-side electrode 9, first intermediate layer 7/8, active layer 5, second intermediate layer 3, P-side electrode 2).
Regarding Claim 19, Hubei in view of Bussmann and Sasaki discloses the device according to claim 18, wherein the first intermediate layer of the stacked structure comprises an n-type semiconductor layer; and the second intermediate layer of the stacked structure comprises a p-type semiconductor layer (Hubei, Page 6, Paragraph 5 discloses a P-type AlGaAs layer and an N-type GaAs layer).
Regarding Claim 20, Hubei in view of Bussmann and Sasaki discloses the device according to claim 19, wherein the first intermediate layer of the stacked structure further comprises a tunnel insulating layer (Hubei, Page 6, Paragraph 5 discloses an Al-O barrier layer which would serve as a tunnel insulating layer).
Regarding Claim 21, Hubei in view of Bussmann and Sasaki discloses the device according to claim 20, wherein the n-side electrode comprises a first heavy metal and the p-side electrode comprises a second heavy metal (Hubei, Page 6, Paragraph 4 and Page 7, Paragraph 2).
Regarding Claim 22, Hubei in view of Bussmann and Sasaki discloses the device according to claim 20, wherein the first spin drive circuit is configured to control the direction of the second current according to an electric signal input from an outside (Hubei, Page 6, Paragraph 4 and Page 7, Paragraph 2).
Regarding Claim 23, Hubei in view of Bussmann and Sasaki discloses the device according to claim 17, wherein the n-side electrode comprises a first heavy metal and the p-side electrode comprises a second heavy metal (Hubei, Page 6, Paragraph 4 and Page 7, Paragraph 2).
Regarding Claim 24, Hubei in view of Bussmann and Sasaki discloses the device according to claim 17, wherein the first spin drive circuit is configured to control the direction of the second current according to an electric signal input from an outside (Hubei, Page 6, Paragraph 4 and Page 7, Paragraph 2).
Conclusion
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/MARIAM QURESHI/Examiner, Art Unit 2871
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