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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 03/11/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
Claims 1, 8-10, 12, 13 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US PG Pub 2020/0244222 to Umeda et al (hereinafter Umeda).
Regarding Claim 1, Umeda discloses a MEMS device, comprising a device wafer, a cap wafer and a bonding layer, wherein the device wafer includes:
a device substrate (50, Fig. 4), having a first main surface, a second main surface opposite to the first main surface, and a cavity (21) recessed along a first direction from the first main surface toward the second main surface;
a sensor unit (120, Fig. 3), located within the cavity and mechanically connected to and electrically insulated from the device substrate by a single anchor (Figs. 3 & 4); and
a device wiring (E1/E2), electrically coupled to the sensor unit,
the cap wafer includes:
a cap substrate (30/40), facing the device wafer from a side of the first main surface; and
a cap wiring (V3), electrically coupled to the device wiring,
the bonding layer (H1) bonds the device wafer with the cap wafer, and wherein
the device wiring is directly connected to the bonding layer and is electrically coupled to the cap wiring via the bonding layer (Fig. 4).
Regarding Claim 8, Umeda discloses the MEMS device of Claim 1, wherein the bonding layer is made of aluminum germanium alloy [0089].
Regarding Claim 9, Umeda discloses the MEMS device of Claim 1, wherein the device wiring is made of a material having a wettability with respect to the bonding layer and does not cause any eutectic diffusion [0074].
Regarding Claim 10, Umeda discloses the MEMS device of Claim 9, wherein the device wiring is made of a conductive material selected from a group comprising polysilicon, polycide alloy, titanium nitride alloy, and titanium tungsten alloy [0115].
Regarding Claim 12, Umeda discloses the MEMS device of Claim 1, wherein the anchor extends along the first direction from a bottom wall of the cavity (Figs. 3 & 4)
Regarding Claim 13, Umeda discloses the MEMS device of Claim 1, wherein the anchor is fixed to a side wall of the cavity, extends along an in-plane direction perpendicular to the first direction, and is spaced apart from a bottom wall of the cavity along the first direction (Figs. 3 & 4).
Regarding Claim 20, Umeda discloses a method for manufacturing a MEMS device, comprising:
forming a device wafer including:
a device substrate (50, Fig. 4), having a first main surface, a second main surface opposite to the first main surface, and a cavity (21) recessed along a first direction from the first main surface to the second main surface;
a sensor unit (120, Fig. 3), located within the cavity and mechanically connected to and electrically insulated from the device substrate by a single anchor (Figs. 3 & 4); and
a device wiring (E1/E2), electrically coupled to the sensor unit;
forming a cap wafer including:
a cap substrate (30/40), facing the device wafer from a side of the first main surface; and
a cap wiring (V3), electrically coupled to the device wiring; and
bonding the device wafer and the cap wafer via a bonding layer (H1), wherein
in the bonding, the device wiring is directly connected to the bonding layer and is electrically coupled to the cap wiring via the bonding layer (Fig. 4).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-7, 11 and 14-19 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 2 recites the MEMS device of Claim 1, wherein the sensor unit includes:
an anchor, fixed to a wall of the cavity;
a fixed electrode, mechanically connected to the anchor via a first isolation joint, electrically insulated, and extending along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction;
a spring, mechanically connected to the anchor via a second isolation joint and electrically insulated;
a mass, mechanically connected and electrically coupled to the spring;
a movable electrode, mechanically connected and electrically coupled to the mass, extending along the second direction, and facing the fixed electrode along a third direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction; and
a device insulating layer,
disposed on at least a region of a proximal side of the first isolation joint in the anchor and the fixed electrode,
disposed on at least a region spanning the spring, the mass and the movable electrode, and located on a proximal side of the second isolation joint, and
laminated on the first main surface side,
a portion of the sensor unit other than the anchor is spaced apart from a bottom surface of the cavity along the first direction, wherein
the device wiring includes:
a fixed electrode wiring,
laminated on the device insulating layer,
located corresponding to the fixed electrode when viewed from the side of the first main surface, and electrically coupled to the fixed electrode through the device insulating layer, and
extending from a fixed electrode contact across the first isolation joint to a fixed electrode bonding portion; and
a movable electrode wiring,
laminated on the device insulating layer,
located corresponding to the spring, the mass or the movable electrode when viewed from the side of the first main surface, and electrically coupled to the spring, the mass or the movable electrode through the device insulating layer, and
extending from a movable electrode contact across the second isolation joint to the movable electrode bonding portion, wherein
the device wiring is bonded to the cap wiring via the bonding layer at the fixed electrode bonding portion and the movable electrode bonding portion, and
the device wiring is electrically coupled to the cap wiring.
While Umeda discloses elements of Applicant’s invention, it does not disclose, or suggest, all limitations claimed by Applicant. US PG Pub 2016/0318757 (“Chou”), US PG Pub 2018/0158742 (“Song”) and US PG Pub 2023/0045432 (“Kuo”) are cited as being examples of relevant references in the art for comparison to Applicant’s invention. While the references disclose similar embodiments to Applicant’s MEMS structure, they do not disclose the limitations claimed by Applicant either independently or in combination with the references of record. Claims 3-7, 11 and 14-19 depend on Claim 2 and are allowable for at least the reasons above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID C SPALLA whose telephone number is (303)297-4298. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 10am-5pm MST.
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/DAVID C SPALLA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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