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
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 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) 1-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Scott (Publication No.: US 2023/0327761 A1) in view of Huang (Patent No.: US 12,517,039 B2).
Regarding claim 1, 16, Scott teaches An optical detector for quantum communication, comprising: a photonic lantern (reference numeral 400 in Figure 8A) comprising a multi-mode input port (reference numeral 406 in Figure 8A) configured to receive a spatial multi-mode input signal, and a plurality of single-mode output ports (reference numeral 408a-408e in Figure 8A) connected to the multi-mode input port by respective light channels, wherein the photonic lantern is configured to split the spatial multi-mode input signal by guiding the spatial multi-mode input signal in individual light channels into a plurality of mutually orthogonal spatial single-mode output signals (e.g. “maps various free space optical modes… into individualized singularized modes corresponding to each single-mode fibers 408” as in paragraph [0061]) and output the plurality of mutually orthogonal spatial single-mode output signals through the single-mode output ports (reference numeral 408a-408e in Figure 8A); a coherent beam combiner (reference numeral 536, 890 in Figure 8A) configured to coherently combine the plurality of mutually orthogonal spatial single-mode output signals to form a single-mode combined output signal (reference numeral 892 in Figure 8A) ; and a photodetector assembly (reference numeral 526 in Figure 8A) comprising photodetectors and arranged and configured to detect the single-mode combined output signal to provide a detection signal. Scott differs from the claimed invention in that it fails to specifically teach that the photodetector assembly comprises one or more single photon counters. However, Huang teaches that the use of single photon counters is well known in the art (e.g. “single-photon detector” and/or “SNSPD” as in column 7 lines 1-25 and throughout). One skilled in the art would have been motivated to utilize a photodetector assembly comprising single photon counters in order to take advantage of the high efficiency and low dark count level provided by SNSPDs (e.g. as in column 8 lines 60-67 of Huang). Therefore, it would have been obvious for one skilled in the art to utilize a photodetector assembly comprising single photon counters as taught by Huang in Scott.
Regarding claim 2, the combination of references and Scott in particular teaches The optical detector according to claim 1, wherein the photonic lantern further comprises: a multi-mode waveguide portion (reference numeral 406 in Figure 4A) comprising the multi-mode input port and supporting the spatial multi-mode input signal, a plurality of single-mode waveguide portions (reference numeral 408a-408e in Figure 4A) , each single-mode waveguide portion having one of the plurality of single-mode output ports and supporting the single-mode output signals, and an intermediate portion (e.g. the tapered portion of reference numeral 412 in Figure 4A) arranged between the multi-mode waveguide portion and the plurality of single-mode waveguide portions and configured to gradually split the multi-mode input signal into the plurality of mutually orthogonal spatial single-mode output signals (e.g. “maps various free space optical modes… into individualized singularized modes corresponding to each single-mode fibers 408” as in paragraph [0061]).
Regarding claim 3, the combination of references and Scott in particular teaches The optical detector according to claim 2, wherein the photonic lantern further comprises an adapter portion (e.g. the non-tapered portion of reference numeral 412 at the input to reference numeral 408a-408e and immediately after the tapered portion of 412 in Figure 4A) arranged between the intermediate portion (e.g. the tapered portion of reference numeral 412 in Figure 4A) and the single-mode waveguide portion (reference numeral 408a-408e in Figure 4A) and configured to arrange the light channels of the intermediate portion according to an arrangement of the single-mode waveguide portions (e.g. “maps various free space optical modes… into individualized singularized modes corresponding to each single-mode fibers 408” as in paragraph [0061]).
Regarding claim 4, the combination of references and Scott in particular teaches The optical detector according to claim 1, wherein the photonic lantern is configured to split the spatial multi-mode input signal of a wavelength of about 1550 nm into the plurality of mutually orthogonal spatial single-mode output signals (e.g. “1550 nm wavelength band” as in paragraph [0108]).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of references teaches The optical detector according to claim 1, wherein the coherent combiner comprises: combiner optics (reference numeral 536a’, 536b’, 536c’, 890 in Figure 8B) configured to combine the plurality of single-mode output signals exiting the single-mode output ports to a combined output signal (reference numeral 892 in Figure 8B), a plurality of phase shifters (reference numeral 536b’ in Figure 8B) each configured to shift a phase of a respective one of the plurality of single-mode output signals, and a control circuit (reference numeral 808, 520 in Figure 8B) configured to control a phase shift of each of the phase shifters based on the detection signal provided by the one or more single photon counters (e.g. “controller 508 may also communicate with the phase shifting array” as in paragraph [0128]).
Regarding claim 6, the combination of references and Scott in particular teaches The optical detector according to claim 5, wherein the combiner optics are configured as waveguide optics comprising at least one waveguide combiner (reference numeral 890 in Figure 8A), wherein each of the single-mode output ports is connected to a respective single-mode waveguide (reference numeral 530a-530d in Figure 8A).
Regarding claim 7, the combination of references and Scott in particular teaches The optical detector according to claim 5, wherein the phase shifters are configured as optomechanical phase shifters (e.g. “determining how to adjust the fine steering actuator 505b to maintain precision control” as in paragraph [0126] and/or “opto-electronic hardware” as in paragraph [0128]).
Regarding claim 8, the combination of references and Scott in particular teaches The optical detector according to claim 1, wherein the coherent combiner comprises: a wavefront phase shifter (reference numeral 505a, 505b in Figure 8A) arranged upstream the multi-mode input port, and a wavefront control circuit (reference numeral 520, 810 in Figure 8A) connected to the one or more single photon counters and the wavefront phase shifter and configured to control the wavefront phase shifter based on the detection signal.
Regarding claim 9, the combination of references and Scott in particular teaches The optical detector according to claim 1, further comprising a reference light channel (reference numeral 408a in Figure 8A) configured to receive a reference signal (reference numeral 534 in Figure 8A), wherein the photodetector assembly comprises a reference input port (reference numeral 534 in Figure 8A) configured to receive the reference signal and combine the reference signal with the combined output signal.
Regarding claim 10, the combination of references and Huang in particular teaches The optical detector according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more single photon counters is a superconductive nanowire photon counter (SNSPD) (e.g. “superconducting nanowire single-photon detector” as in column 7 lines 1-25).
Regarding claim 11, the combination of references and Huang in particular teaches The optical detector according to claim 1, further comprising a cryogenic chamber comprising the detector assembly and having a temperature of less than 100 K (e.g. “cryogenically cooled” as in column 7 lines 1-25).
Regarding claim 12, the combination of references and Scott in particular teaches The optical detector according to claim 1, wherein the detector assembly (reference numeral 808, 526 in Figure 8A) is provided on a photonic chip, and wherein the photonic lantern (reference numeral 400 in Figure 8A) is provided on the same photonic chip (reference numeral 800 in Figure 8A) .
Regarding claim 13, the combination of references and Huang in particular teaches The optical detector according to claim 12, wherein the photonic chip is arranged in a cryogenic chamber (e.g. “cryogenically cooled” as in column 7 lines 1-25).
Regarding claim 14, the combination of references and Scott in particular teaches An optical receiver for quantum communication, comprising: the optical detector according to claim 1, and, a telescope (reference numeral 507 in Figure 8A) configured to guide the multi-mode input signal into a multi-mode waveguide coupled to the multi-mode input port of the optical detector.
Regarding claim 15, the combination of references and Scott in particular teaches The optical receiver according claim 14, further comprising: a pointing system (e.g. “fine pointing assembly” as in paragraph [0068]) configured to couple the multi-mode input signal into the multi-mode waveguide based on the detection signal.
Conclusion
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/AGUSTIN BELLO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2635
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