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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I in the reply filed on 5/28/2026 is acknowledged.
Non-elected claims are cancelled by the applicant. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 5/28/2026. Thus, claims 1-9, 18-21 and 23-30 are treated on the merit.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 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 1-7, 9, 18, 19 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chiba (US 2022/0308336 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Chiba discloses a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device (Figs. 1 and 5-11), comprising:
a mirror structure (Fig. 6 and para 52 “mirror part 11”);
a frame (Fig. 6, see 51 and 52); and
a first cantilever and a second cantilever (Fig. 6 and para 69 “each outside piezoelectric actuator 15 has plural piezoelectric cantilevers 21” see 15a is first cantilever, 15b is second cantilever), wherein the mirror structure (11) is suspended in the frame (51 and 52) by the first cantilever (15a) and the second cantilever (15b), and
the first cantilever (see Fig. 6, 15a) comprises:
a first sub-cantilever (left 21 of 15a) connected to the frame (51 and 52);
a second sub-cantilever (right 21 of 15a) connected to the mirror structure (11); and
a third sub-cantilever (middle 21 of 15a) connecting the first sub-cantilever to the
second sub-cantilever,
wherein each of the first sub-cantilever and the third sub-cantilever comprises:
a first bottom electrode (Fig. 5 and para 103 “lower electrode layer 58a”);
a first piezoelectric layer (Fig. 5 and para 103 “PZT … layer 58b”) over the first bottom electrode (58a as shown in step 6); and
first and second top electrodes (Fig. 5 and para 103 “upper electrode layer 58c”) over the first piezoelectric layer (58b as shown in step 6),
wherein the first and second top electrodes are separated from each other (see 21s are separated as shown in Fig. 5, steps 7 and 8, and also see para 105 “etching … 58 at a depth that reaches the surface of … 35, which results in separation of the first and second top electrodes).
Regarding claim 2, the MEMS device of claim 1, further comprising:
a shock buffer connecting the mirror structure to the frame, wherein the
shock buffer extends along a rotation axis of the mirror structure (Fig. 1, see highlighted areas).
PNG
media_image1.png
347
540
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 3, the MEMS device of claim 2, wherein the shock buffer is
located between the second cantilever (15b) and the first cantilever (15a).
Regarding claim 4, the MEMS device of claim 1, wherein an angle between a lengthwise direction of the first sub-cantilever (Fig. 1, vertical line, 21 closer to frame) and a direction perpendicular to a rotation axis of the mirror structure (rotation along 12a-12b) is in a range from 0 degree to 40 degrees in a top view (0 degree).
Regarding claim 5, the MEMS device of claim 1, wherein an angle between a lengthwise direction of the third sub-cantilever (Fig. 1, vertical line, 21 closer to mirror) and a direction perpendicular to a rotation axis of the mirror structure (rotation along 12a-12b) is in a range from 0 degree to 40 degrees in a top view (0 degree).
Regarding claim 6, the MEMS device of claim 1, wherein the second sub-cantilever (right 21 of 15a shown in Fig. 1) comprises a third top electrode (top of right 21 of 15a) electrically connected with the first top electrode (para 71, by drive voltages).
Regarding claim 7, the MEMS device of claim 1, wherein the second sub-cantilever (right 21 of 15a shown in Fig. 1) extends across the mirror structure along a direction parallel with a rotation axis of the mirror structure in a top view (along 12a-12b).
Regarding claim 9, the MEMS device of claim 1, wherein the mirror structure comprises a mirror laterally aligned with the first and second top electrodes (see Fig. 6, mirror 11 is aligned with 21s).
Regarding claim 18, Chiba discloses a method, for forming a MEMS device (Figs. 1 and 5-11),
comprising:
depositing a bottom electrode layer (Fig. 5 and para 103 “lower electrode layer 58a”) over a semiconductor substrate (Fig. 5, 52);
depositing a piezoelectric layer (Fig. 5 and para 103 “PZT … layer 58b”) over the first bottom electrode layer (58a as shown in step 6);
depositing a top electrode layer (Fig. 5 and para 103 “upper electrode layer 58c”) over the first piezoelectric layer (58b as shown in step 6);
patterning the top electrode layer (58c) at least into a first top electrode (Fig. 5, step 8, 21 close to 16), a second top electrode (Fig. 5, step8, 21 close to 11), and a mirror (Fig. 5, step 8, 11); and
etching the piezoelectric layer and the bottom electrode layer to form at least a first cantilever region (Fig. 5, step 8 see left plural 21s), a second cantilever region (step8, see right plural 21s), a mirror region (11), and a frame region (51 and 52), wherein the mirror region is suspended by the first cantilever region, the second cantilever region, and the frame region (see Fig. 6) and the first
cantilever region (see Fig. 6, 15a) comprises:
a first sub-cantilever region (left 21 of 15a);
a second sub-cantilever region (middle 21 of 15a), wherein each of the first sub-cantilever region and the second sub-cantilever region comprises the first top electrode (top of left 21) and the second top electrode (top of middle 21); and
a third sub-cantilever region (right 21 of 15a), wherein the third sub-cantilever region
is connected to the mirror region (11).
Regarding claim 19, the method of claim 18, further comprising:
etching a backside of a base substrate of the semiconductor substrate into a frame over the frame region (see Fig. 5, step 8 the backside is etched) and a rib structure over the mirror region (para 128 “The ribs 91 and 92 are joined to the back sides of the mirror part 11 and the movable frame part 14”).
Regarding claim 21, the method of claim 18, further comprising:
providing the first top electrode and the second top electrode respectively with different voltages to cause the mirror to have a target scanning angle (para 71 “It is assumed that the plural piezoelectric cantilevers 21 equipped in each outside piezoelectric actuator 15 are numbered, such as No. 1, No. 2, . . . , in order from the side of the fixed frame part 16 to the side of the movable frame part 14. In this case, odd-numbered piezoelectric cantilevers 21 and even-numbered piezoelectric cantilevers 21 receive, from the unillustrated drive device, drive voltages with same peak-to-peak but opposite in phase. As a result, the odd-numbered piezoelectric cantilevers 21 and the even-numbered piezoelectric cantilevers 21 are curved in phases opposite to each other.”)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 8 is 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.
Claims 23-30 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 8, claim is allowable at least for the reason that the prior art does not teach or reasonably suggest the first cantilever further comprises:
a fourth sub-cantilever connected to the frame; and
a fifth sub-cantilever connecting the second sub-cantilever to the fourth
sub-cantilever, wherein each of the fourth sub-cantilever and the fifth sub-cantilever comprises:
a second bottom electrode electrically connected with the first bottom electrode;
a second piezoelectric layer over the second bottom electrode, wherein the second piezoelectric layer is connected with the first piezoelectric layer; and
third and fourth top electrodes over the second piezoelectric layer, wherein the third and fourth top electrodes are separated from each other, and the third and fourth top electrodes are respectively electrically connected with the first and second top electrodes as set forth in the claimed combination; and
Regarding claims 23-30, claims are allowable at least for the reason that the prior art does not teach or reasonably suggest a fourth sub-cantilever region connected to the frame region; and a fifth sub-cantilever region connecting the fourth sub-cantilever region to the second sub-cantilever region as set forth in the claimed combination.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EUNCHA P CHERRY whose telephone number is (571)272-2310. The examiner can normally be reached M to F 7am to 3:30pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Pinping Sun can be reached at (571) 270-1284. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
7/10/2026
/EUNCHA P CHERRY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
Prosecution Insights