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 § 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, 5-6 and 10-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by ZHU, CN 113759296.
Regarding claim 1, ZHU discloses; a Hall element, comprising: a first semiconductor layer that is conductive and defined on both faces by a first face and a second face opposed to each other (Fig. 1A-B and Page 4; substrate 10 include a gallium arsenide substrate, has top and bottom face. The IC in the substrate is a circuit of a plurality of circuit elements formed on the substrate or in the substrate); a first magneto-sensitive layer of a conductive semiconductor in a mesa shape arranged above the first face of the first semiconductor layer and having a bottom face opposed to the first face (Fig. 1A-B and Page 5; magneto-resistive film 30 at the center can sense the magnetic field change output represents the magnetic field change of the electric signal, and comprises any suitable semiconductor thin film material such as InSb, GaAs, InAs, InGaAs or InGaP has bottom face above top face of substrate 10) ; and a second magneto-sensitive layer of a conductive semiconductor in a mesa shape arranged in a position at a distance from the first magneto-sensitive layer above the first face and having a bottom face opposed to the first face (Fig. 1A-B and Page 5; magneto-resistive film 30 at the left of the center film 30 can sense the magnetic field change output represents the magnetic field change of the electric signal, and comprises any suitable semiconductor thin film material such as InSb, GaAs, InAs, InGaAs or InGaP has bottom face above top face of substrate 10).
Regarding claim 2, ZHU discloses; in each of the first magneto-sensitive layer and the second magneto-sensitive layer, a direction from the bottom face to a top face opposed to the bottom face intersects the first face (Fig. 1A-B and Page 5; magneto-resistive film 30 at the center and at the left of the center film has perpendicular direction from bottom face to the top face above the top face of the substrate 10).
Regarding claim 3, ZHU discloses; a first main electrode arranged on an upper face of the first magneto-sensitive layer; and a second main electrode arranged on an upper face of the second magneto-sensitive layer (Fig. 1A-B and Page 4; electrode part 40 on top of magneto-resistive film 30 at the center and at the left of the center film).
Regarding claim 5, ZHU discloses; two second magneto-sensitive layers of the second magneto-sensitive layer are arranged across the first magneto-sensitive layer (Fig. 1A-B and Page 5; magneto-resistive film 30 at the left and right across of the center magneto-resistive film).
Regarding claim 6, ZHU discloses; the bottom face of the first magneto-sensitive layer and the bottom face of the second magneto-sensitive layer contact with the first face of the first semiconductor layer (Fig. 1A-B and Page 5; magneto-resistive film 30 at the center and at the left of the center film has bottom face contact with the top face of the substrate 10).
Regarding claim 10, ZHU discloses; a side face of the first magneto-sensitive layer and a side face of the second magneto-sensitive layer extend in a direction perpendicular to the first face of the first semiconductor layer (Fig. 1A-B and Page 5; magneto-resistive film 30 at the center and at the left of the center film has side face perpendicular to the top face of the substrate 10).
Regarding claim 11, ZHU discloses; a material of the first magneto-sensitive layer and the second magneto-sensitive layer includes a compound semiconductor (Fig. 1A-2B and Page 5; magneto-resistive film 30 at the center and at the left of the center film formed using a patterning process from the compound semiconductor film 60).
Regarding claim 12, ZHU discloses; the material of the first magneto-sensitive layer and the second magneto-sensitive layer includes a gallium arsenide (Fig. 1A-B and Page 5; magneto-resistive film 30 at the center and at the left of the center film comprises any suitable semiconductor thin film material such as GaAs).
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) 7 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ZHU, CN 113759296 as applied to claims 1-3, 5-6 and 10-12 above, and further in view of GOTO, JP 2009206357.
Regarding claims 7 and 8, ZHU substantially discloses the invention including a magnetoresistive sensor integrated circuit comprises a substrate containing an IC circuit and a magneto-resistive film, but is silent about the first magneto-sensitive layer and the second magneto-sensitive layer are arranged on a top face of a protrusion portion formed on the first face of the first semiconductor layer in claim 7 and a second semiconductor layer disposed between the first and second magneto-sensitive layers and the first face of the first semiconductor layer, and having a composition different from the first and second magneto-sensitive layers in claim 8. However, GOTO teaches about infrared sensors uses a compound semiconductor having a protrusion portion InSb layer 2 formed on the GaAs substrate 1 and InSb layer 2 formed on the GaAs substrate 1 has different semiconductor composition than the layer 3, 4 and 5 (Fig. 1; Page 5). It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify ZHU by providing the first magneto-sensitive layer and the second magneto-sensitive layer are arranged on a top face of a protrusion portion formed on the first face of the first semiconductor layer in claim 7 and a second semiconductor layer disposed between the first and second magneto-sensitive layers and the first face of the first semiconductor layer, and having a composition different from the first and second magneto-sensitive layers in claim 8, so that to provide a compound semiconductor device with high reliability that maintains stable characteristics for a long period without being affected by an operation environment (Page 1; abstract).
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ZHU, CN 113759296 as applied to claims 1-3, 5-6 and 10-12 above, and further in view of FUJIMOTO, JP 2012204539.
Regarding claim 13, ZHU substantially discloses the invention including a magnetoresistive sensor integrated circuit comprises a substrate containing an IC circuit and a magneto-resistive film, but is silent about an insulating substrate connected to the second face of the first semiconductor layer. However, FUJIMOTO teaches that the magnetoresistive element 1 includes three rows of magnetosensitive portions 12 formed in a meander shape on an insulating substrate 11 (Fig. 2D and Page 2). It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify ZHU by providing an insulating substrate connected to the second face of the first semiconductor layer, so that to enhance environmental resistance without lowering the output of a magnetoresistive element (Page 1; abstract).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 and 9 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.
Conclusion
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/AZM PARVEZ/
Examiner
Art Unit 2892
/NORMAN D RICHARDS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2892
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