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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the fourth and fifth cantilever beams, second rotating frame, fourth fastening structure a third row and a fourth row of a plurality of the second comb, a fifth row and a sixth row of a plurality of the third comb, a seventh row and an eighth row of a plurality of the third combs or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). The drawings and specification clearly label first through third cantilevers for instance therefore claiming the additional elements with clear labeling and in the figures and specification presents issues with clarity.
No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 3-8 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Amended claims 3-6 recite fourth, and fifth cantilever beams, second rotating structure, first through eighth rows of comb structures etc that examiner cannot attempt to reasonably ascertain the scope of the invention.
Claims 7-8 which depend from 3-6 are subsequently rejected.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-3 and 9-14 and 16-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhou US 2012/0099176.
Regarding claim 1, Zhou teaches an actuating member, comprising: a substrate (fig. 2a carrier wafer 11), a first fastening structure (post under electrode 16a shown in fig 19) fastened to the substrate, a second fastening structure (post under electrode 17, 18a) fastened to the substrate, a third fastening structure(under electrode 19a) fastened to the substrate, a first cantilever beam (fig. 4 silicon hinge 63) disposed along a first axial direction, a second cantilever beam (silicon hinge 61) disposed along a second axial direction, and a third cantilever beam (silicon hinge 62) disposed along the first axial direction, a rotating frame (mirror support frame 60) comprising an inner side, wherein the rotating frame is coupled to the first fastening structure via the first cantilever beam, a rotating platform (mirror 21) located at the inner side and coupled to the rotating frame via second cantilever beam, a first rotating structure (connecting region 70) fastened to the rotating frame and coupled to the third fastening structure via the third cantilever beam; a first combed (attached 60 see fig. 4) formed on the rotating frame; a second comb (attached to electrodes 17a/18a see fig. 4) formed on the second fastening structure and arranged in a first staggered manner with the first comb, wherein the first comb and the second comb are configured to actuate the rotating frame and the first rotating structure to cause the rotating frame and the first rotating structure to rotate around the first axial direction (X direction see fig. 4); a third comb (vertical comb finger 75)formed on the rotating platform and a fourth comb (vertical comb finger 74) formed on the first rotating structure and arranged in a second staggered manner with the third comb; wherein the third comb and the fourth comb are configured to actuate the rotating platform to cause the rotating platform to rotate around the second axial direction (Y direction see fig. 4, and wherein the first axial direction is perpendicular to the second axial direction.
Regarding claim 2, Zhou teaches the actuating member of claim 1, wherein the first rotating structure is electrically isolated from the rotating frame [0094].
Regarding claim 3, Zhou teaches the actuating member of claim 1, further comprising a fourth cantilever beam (63 includes 2 cantilever beam one is first one is fourth), a fifth cantilever beam (62 includes 2 cantilever beams one is second the other is the fifth) second rotating structure (70 includes two one is the first the other is the second rotating structure), a first row and a second row of a plurality of the first comb (opposite of 75), a third row and a fourth row of a plurality of the second comb, a fifth row and a sixth row of a plurality of the third comb, a seventh row and an eighth row of a plurality of the third comb (each comb has two sets see fig. 4), a fourth fastening structure fastened to the substrate, wherein the rotating frame (supporting frame 60) comprises first sides and second sides, wherein the rotating platform comprises two third sides and two fourth sides (see fig. 4), wherein each of the first sidesfifth row and the sixth row
Regarding claim 9, Zhou discloses an embodiment when the second comb is located above the first comb, and the fourth comb is located above the third comb (see fig. 14 and 15) when the first comb is parallel to the second comb and the third comb is parallel to the fourth comb (see fig. 14 and 15).
Regarding claim 10, Zhou teaches the actuating member according to claim 9, wherein the first rotating strucutr4e comprises a first surface located proximate to the substrate wherein the actuating member further comprises a third fastening platform is fastened to a surface that is of the rotating structure and that is close to the substrate, the third fastening platform is connected to the third fastening structure by using the third cantilever beam (silicon hinge 62), the third cantilever beam and the first cantilever beam are located on a same plane, and the third fastening platform is electrically isolated from the rotating frame.
Regarding claim 11, Zhou teaches the actuating member according to claim 10, wherein the rotating structure is electrically connected to the third fastening platform by using a through-silicon via (TSV) [0086].
Regarding claim 12, Zhou teaches the actuating member according to claim 1, further comprising first electrodes wherein the first fastening structure (under 16a) is electrically coupled to the first electrode (first electrode 16a [0087]) or is grounded, second electrodes (17a/18a [0087]) electrically coupled to the second the second fastening structure (under 17/18a), third electrodes electrically coupled to the third fastening structure (under 19a/20a), wherein the actuating member is configured to apply a electric potential difference between the first comb and the second comb, and the actuating member is configured to apply a second electric potential difference between the third comb and the fourth comb [0097]-[0100].
Regarding claim 13, Zhou teaches the actuating member of claim 12, wherein the substrate (carrier wafer 11)comprises a top surface, wherein the second electrode (17a/18a) and the third electrode (19a/20a) are located on the top surface of the substrate and are electrically isolated from the top surface of the substrate (via silicon posts 17b, 18b) the second electrodes are electrically coupled to the second fastening structure using wafer bonding [0091], and wherein the third electrode (20a/19a) are electrically coupled to the third fastening structure through wafer bonding [0091].
Regarding claim 14, Zhou teaches the actuating member according to claim 12, wherein the second electrode (fig. 2b bottom metal bonding pad 17c/18c) and the third electrode (bottom metal bonding pad 19c/20c) are located on a bottom surface of the substrate (TSV carrier wafer 11), the second electrode is electrically coupled to the second fastening structure by using a through-silicon via (TSV), and the third electrode is electrically coupled to the third fastening structure by using a TSV [0087].
Regarding claim 16 Zhou teaches the actuating member according to claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a cavity, and the rotating frame, the rotating structure, and the rotating platform are suspended above the cavity [0033].
Regarding claim 17, Zhou teaches the actuating member according to claim 16, wherein a depth of the cavity is greater than maximum displacement of the rotating frame, the rotating platform, and the rotating structure in a direction perpendicular to the substrate during rotation. This would appear to be inherent to any cavity that accommodates rotation of the micromirror according to Zhou (see [0033]).
Regarding claim 18, Zhou teaches the actuating member according to claim 16, wherein the actuating member further comprises a stop structure (structural beam 108a see fig. 5 [0102]), the stop structure is fastened in the cavity, and a height of the stop structure is less than or equal to the depth of the cavity (see fig. 5).
Regarding claim 19 Zhou teaches he actuating member according to claim 1, wherein the actuating member further comprises a mass balance structure, and the mass balance structure is disposed on a surface that is of the rotating platform (mirror 244) and that is close to the substrate.
Regarding claim 20, Zhou teaches the actuating member according to claim 1, wherein each of the first cantilever beam (silicon hinge 63), second cantilever beam (silicon hinge 61) and third cantilever beam (62) is of a straight beam structure, an oblique beam structure, or a folded beam structure (see fig. 4).
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.
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhou in view of Jacobs US 2019/0127212.
Regarding claim 15, Zhou teaches the actuating member of claim 12, wherein the actuating member further comprising, wherein the second electrodes (17a/18a [0087])and the third electrodes (19a/20a) are located on the second surface , wherein each of the second electrodes is coupled to the second fastening structure using a through-silicon via TSV manner [0087], and wherein each of the third electrodes is electrically coupled to each the third fastening structure using the TSV manner [0087]. Zhou does not teach a coating structure, covering the rotating frame, the first rotating structure, and the rotating platform, wherein the coating structure comprises a second surface located away from the substrate. Jacobs teaches a coating structure for a MEMS device which can be applied covering the rotating frame, the first rotating structure, and the rotating platform, wherein the coating structure comprises a second surface located away from the substrate for preventing static and dynamic friction [0019].Therefore, it would have been obvious to an ordinarily skilled artisan before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Zhou in view of Jacobs to reduce static and dynamic friction.
Conclusion
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/PHU VU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871
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