DETAILED ACTION
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 “narrowing each waveguide configured to interface at that interaction stage” feature recited in claim 15 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). Current drawings only illustrate waveguides converging toward each other but not individual waveguides narrowing or being narrower in part. 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 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.
Claims 1-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites “in a at least first some interaction stages of the plurality of interaction stages each of a at least first some waveguides of the first plurality of waveguides interface with a respective neighbouring waveguide of the first plurality of waveguides”. It is unclear whether limitation is drawn to a stage or some stages, and similarly, whether it’s a waveguide or some waveguides. For the purpose of this office action, the limitation is treated as - in a first interaction stage of the plurality of interaction stages each of the first plurality of waveguides interfaces with a respective neighbouring waveguide of the first plurality of waveguides. Similarly, “in a at least second some interaction stages of the plurality of interaction stages each of a at least second some waveguides of the first plurality of waveguides interface with a respective adjacent waveguide of the second plurality of waveguides” is considered as – in a second interaction stage of the plurality of interaction stages each of second plurality of waveguides interfaces with a respective adjacent waveguide of the second plurality of waveguides.
Claims 2-17 are also rejected as being dependent claims of claim 1.
Claim 2 recites “in a at least third some interaction stages of the plurality of interaction stages each of a at least first some waveguides of the second plurality of waveguides interface with a respective neighbouring waveguide of the second plurality of waveguides”. It is treated as “in a third interaction stage of the plurality of interaction stages each of the second plurality of waveguides interfaces with a respective neighbouring waveguide of the second plurality of waveguides”.
Claim 8 recites “the waveguides in the first and second plurality of waveguides are numbered consecutively from 1 to N where N is a positive integer”. It is unclear whether the consecutive numbers are used for both the first and second plurality of waveguides or reset for each, i.e., if the first and second plurality of waveguides each have two waveguides, should the waveguides be numbered 1, 2 for the first and 1, 2 for the second, OR 1, 2, 3, 4 for both the first and the second combined.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 4-14, 16, 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. PGPub 2021/0232963 A1 by Gimeno-Segovia et al.
Regarding claim 1, Gimeno-Segovia teaches an optical quantum circuit (Fig. 14) comprising: a substrate (¶[0139]); a first plurality of waveguides (first set of optical waveguides 1401, 1403) formed on a first layer of the substrate (represented by solid lines in Fig. 14) wherein the first plurality of waveguides connect a first plurality of input ports to a first plurality of output ports (left and right ends of the waveguides 1401, 1403, respectively, as shown in Fig. 14); and a second plurality of waveguides (second set of optical waveguides 1405, 1407) formed on a second layer of the substrate (represented by dashed lines in Fig. 14) wherein the second plurality of waveguides connect a second plurality of input ports to a second plurality of output ports (left and right ends of the waveguides 1405, 1407, respectively, as shown in Fig. 14); and wherein: at least some of the waveguides in the first plurality of waveguides are formed to interface, in a pairwise fashion, with another waveguide from the first or second plurality of waveguides in each of a plurality of interaction stages arranged between the first and second plurality of input ports and the first and second plurality of output ports (different stages of optical couplers 1414, 1416, 1418, 1420, 1422, 1424, 1426), such that: in a first interaction stage of the plurality of interaction stages each of the first plurality of waveguides interfaces with a respective neighbouring waveguide of the first plurality of waveguides (e.g., 1401 and 1403 at the coupler 1422), wherein each of the first plurality of waveguides is within the layer of the respective neighbouring waveguide of the first plurality of waveguides (where both the waveguides 1401, 1403 are shown in solid lines); and in a second interaction stage of the plurality of interaction stages each of second plurality of waveguides interfaces with a respective adjacent waveguide of the second plurality of waveguides (e.g., 1405 and 1407 at the coupler 1424), wherein the respective adjacent waveguide of the second plurality of waveguides is formed on the second layer to be a neighbouring waveguide to the corresponding waveguide from the at least second some waveguides of the first plurality of waveguides on the first layer (where both the waveguides 1405, 1407 are shown in dashed lines).
Regarding claim 2, Gimeno-Segovia further teaches at least some of the waveguides in the second plurality of waveguides are formed to interface, in a pairwise fashion, with another waveguide from the second plurality of waveguides in each of a plurality of interaction stages arranged between the second plurality of input ports and the second plurality of output ports such that: in a at least third some interaction stages of the plurality of interaction stages each of a at least first some waveguides of the second plurality of waveguides interface with a respective neighbouring waveguide of the second plurality of waveguides, wherein each of the at least first some waveguides of the second plurality of waveguides is within the layer of the respective neighbouring waveguide of the second plurality of waveguides (e.g., the second waveguides 1405, 1407 at the coupler 1424).
Regarding claim 4, Gimeno-Segovia further teaches at least some of the at least first some interaction stages are the same interaction stages as at least some of the at least third some interaction stages (e.g., couplers 1422 and 1424).
Regarding claims 5, 6, Gimeno-Segovia further teaches the first plurality of waveguides and the second plurality of waveguides interface with each other in the pairwise fashion via beam splitters, such that: the at least first some waveguides of the first plurality of waveguides interface with the neighbouring waveguide of the first plurality of waveguides via a beam splitter; and the at least second some waveguides of the first plurality of waveguides interface with the adjacent waveguide of the second plurality of waveguides via a 50/50 beam splitter (see at least ¶[0140]).
Regarding claim 7, Gimeno-Segovia further teaches each beam splitter comprises a variable beam splitter, and wherein each variable beam splitter comprises: a first 50/50 directional coupler that couples each of a first and a second waveguide configured to interface at the variable beam splitter; a second 50/50 directional coupler that couples each of the first and the second waveguide configured to interface at the variable beam splitter; and a phase shifter formed in at least one of the first or the second waveguide configured to interface at the variable beam splitter, wherein the phase shifter is between the first 50/50 directional coupler and the second 50/50 directional coupler (See Figs. 11D, 11E, where a beam splitter is implemented by disposing a phase shifter 1136b/1137 between two couplers 1134a and 1140b/1134b, respectively).
Regarding claim 8, Gimeno-Segovia further teaches the optical quantum circuit comprises a multiport interferometer (Fig. 14); the waveguides in the first and second plurality of waveguides (1401, 1403, 1405, 1407) are numbered consecutively from 1 to 4, respectively; at each of a first set of interaction stages, the waveguide numbered 2j+1 interfaces with a waveguide numbered 2j+2 (e.g., 1 interfaces with 2 at j=0); and at each of a second set of interaction stages different from the first set of interaction stages, the waveguide numbered 2j interfaces with a waveguide numbered 2j+1 modulo N (e.g., 2 interfaces with 3 at j=1).
Regarding claim 9, Gimeno-Segovia further teaches the first plurality of waveguides formed on the first layer are numbered from 1 to N/2 wherein N/2 is a positive integer (1 to 2 with N=4); the second plurality of waveguides formed on the second layer are numbered from N/2+1 to N (3 to 4 with N=4).
Regarding claim 10, Gimeno-Segovia further teaches (Fig. 14) the waveguide numbered N (1407, N=4) is formed on the second layer adjacent to the waveguides numbered 1 (1401) on the first layer, and the waveguide numbered N/2+1 (1405, N=4) is formed on the second layer adjacent to the waveguides numbered N/2 (1403, N=4) on the first layer.
Regarding 11, Gimeno-Segovia further teaches the waveguides numbered N- k+1 are formed on the second layer adjacent to the waveguides numbered k on the first layer (waveguide number 4 or 1407, with N=4 and k=1).
Regarding claim 12, Gimeno-Segovia further teaches the plurality of interaction stages are numbered from 1 to p (p=3 as shown in Fig. 14); and either the first set of interaction stages are odd numbered interaction stages, and the second set of interaction stages are even numbered interaction stages; or first set of interaction stages are even numbered interaction stages, and the second set of interaction stages are odd numbered interaction stages (e.g., 2, 3, and 2 stages/couplers vertically arranged as shown in Fig. 14).
Regarding claim 13, Gimeno-Segovia further teaches the optical quantum circuit comprises a multiport interferometer (Fig. 14); the waveguides interface with each other in a pairwise fashion via variable beam splitters (see rejection above to claim 7); the first, second and one or more further plurality of waveguides combined comprise N waveguides formed over the first, second and one or more separate respective layers (1401, 1402, 1405, 1407 as waveguides numbers 1-4, respectively); at each of a first set of interaction stages, the waveguide numbered 2j+1 interfaces with a waveguide numbered 2j+2 (e.g., 1 interfaces with 2 at j=0); and at each of a second set of interaction stages different from the first set of interaction stages, the waveguide numbered 2j interfaces with a waveguide numbered 2j+1 modulo N (e.g., 2 interfaces with 3 at j=1).
Regarding claim 14, Gimeno-Segovia further teaches the plurality of interaction stages are numbered from 1 to p (p=3 as shown in Fig. 14); and either the first set of interaction stages are odd numbered interaction stages, and the second set of interaction stages are even numbered interaction stages; or first set of interaction stages are even numbered interaction stages, and the second set of interaction stages are odd numbered interaction stages (e.g., 2, 3, and 2 stages/couplers vertically arranged as shown in Fig. 14).
Regarding claim 16, Gimeno-Segovia further teaches configuring the first plurality of waveguides and the second plurality of waveguides to interface with each other comprises, at each interaction stage of the plurality of interaction stages: for each pair of waveguides that are configured to interface at that interaction stage, reducing the gap between the waveguides in the pair, wherein when a first waveguide of the first plurality of waveguides is configured to interface with a second waveguide of the second plurality of waveguides, a gap between the first and second waveguide is reduced by bringing the first and second waveguide towards each other using vertical tapering (vertical tapering is herein interpreted as converging first and second waveguides as illustrated in Fig. 14, which is consistent with applicant’s disclosure where waveguides converging toward each other but individual waveguides are not narrowing or narrower in part in supplied drawings).
Regarding claim 17, Gimeno-Segovia further teaches at least one phase shifter formed in a waveguide of the first plurality of waveguides; and/or at least one phase shifter formed in a waveguide of the second plurality of waveguides (See Figs. 11D, 11E, where a beam splitter is implemented by disposing a phase shifter 1136b/1137 between two couplers 1134a and 1140b/1134b, respectively).
Claim(s) 1-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by WO 2022/013466 A1 patent publication (copy and English translation via EP4184228A1 cited in IDS).
Regarding claim 1, the ‘466 publication discloses an optical quantum circuit (Fig. 7, 3D integration) comprising: a substrate (see Integration Level); a first plurality of waveguides formed on a first layer of the substrate (first layer of four upper and lower layers of waveguides as shown in Figure 7b) wherein the first plurality of waveguides connect a first plurality of input ports to a first plurality of output ports (input and output ports and signals are explained with reference to Figure 5); and a second plurality of waveguides (second layer of the four upper and lower layers of waveguides shown in Figure 7b) formed on a second layer of the substrate wherein the second plurality of waveguides connect a second plurality of input ports to a second plurality of output ports (again reference to Figure 5); and wherein: at least some of the waveguides in the first plurality of waveguides are formed to interface, in a pairwise fashion, with another waveguide from the first or second plurality of waveguides in each of a plurality of interaction stages arranged between the first and second plurality of input ports and the first and second plurality of output ports (by way of a mesh architecture of the waveguides), such that: in a first interaction stage of the plurality of interaction stages (e.g., a plurality of columns of the couplers of the hexagonal mesh from left to right) each of the first plurality of waveguides interfaces with a respective neighbouring waveguide of the first plurality of waveguides (waveguide couplers that connect the waveguides to form the mesh architecture in the first layer), wherein each of the first plurality of waveguides is within the layer of the respective neighbouring waveguide of the first plurality of waveguides (within the first layer of the waveguides); and in a second interaction stage of the plurality of interaction stages each of second plurality of waveguides interfaces with a respective adjacent waveguide of the second plurality of waveguides (waveguide couplers that connect the waveguides to form the mesh architecture in the second layer), wherein the respective adjacent waveguide of the second plurality of waveguides is formed on the second layer to be a neighbouring waveguide to the corresponding waveguide from the at least second some waveguides of the first plurality of waveguides on the first layer (within the second layer of the waveguides).
Regarding claim 2, the ‘466 publication further discloses at least some of the waveguides in the second plurality of waveguides are formed to interface, in a pairwise fashion, with another waveguide from the second plurality of waveguides in each of a plurality of interaction stages arranged between the second plurality of input ports and the second plurality of output ports such that: in a at least third some interaction stages of the plurality of interaction stages each of a at least first some waveguides of the second plurality of waveguides interface with a respective neighbouring waveguide of the second plurality of waveguides, wherein each of the at least first some waveguides of the second plurality of waveguides is within the layer of the respective neighbouring waveguide of the second plurality of waveguides (the second layers of the waveguides are connected by couplers to for a hexagonal mesh).
Regarding claim 3, the ‘466 publication further discloses one or more further pluralities of waveguides wherein each of the one or more further pluralities of waveguides are formed on a separate respective layer of the substrate (forming a third layer of waveguides) and each of the one or more further pluralities of waveguides connect a plurality of input ports for that plurality of waveguides to a plurality of output ports for that plurality of waveguides (similarly explained with reference to Fig. 5); and wherein: at least some of each of the one or more further plurality of waveguides are configured to interface, in a pairwise fashion, with another waveguide from either (a) the respective one or more further plurality of waveguide on the respective layer (by optical couplers to form the hexagonal mesh architecture) or (b) the plurality of waveguides formed on a neighbouring layer to the respective layer in each of a plurality of interaction stages arranged between the plurality of input ports and the plurality of output ports (waveguide couplers designed to couple light in the vertical direction to an upper/lower layer of waveguides, under “3D architectures”), such that: in a first respective at least some interaction stages of the plurality of interaction stages each of a at least first some waveguides in the respective plurality of waveguides on the respective layer interface with a neighbouring waveguide from the respective plurality of waveguides on the respective layer (by the optical couplers form the hexagonal mesh); and in a second respective at least some interaction stages of the plurality of interaction stages each of a at least second some waveguides in the respective plurality of waveguides interface with an adjacent waveguide of the plurality of waveguides formed on the neighbouring layer to the respective layer (by the waveguide couplers that couple light in the vertical direction between layers).
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 Gimeno-Segovia et al. as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of WO 02/063389 A1 publication by Hoekstra et al.
Regarding claim 15, Gimeno-Segovia teaches using the first and second plurality of waveguides (1401-1407) interfacing with each other at interaction stages (the optical couplers 1414-1426) but does not specify narrowing each waveguide at the interaction stages. Hoekstra teaches an interferometer (Fig. 13) comprising two waveguides (100, 110), respective input and output ends (inputs 1, 2, outputs 1, 2), wherein the waveguides are coupled at first and second optical couplers (120, 150), and taper sections near the couplers (or interaction stages) used to connect straight waveguide portions of greater width to curved portions of smaller width. These taper sections are required so that the width of the waveguides changes slowly enough that there is insignificant coupling of a transmitted signal with higher order modes. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Gimeno-Segovia’s invention, to implement narrowing waveguides to interface at the interaction stages (i.e., the couplers 1418, 1424, etc.), in order to control coupling modes as stated by Hoekstra.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. USPub20160246639 discloses a 3D micro optical switching system.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHARLIE PENG whose telephone number is (571)272-2177. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM - 6PM.
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/CHARLIE Y PENG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874