DETAILED ACTION
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 4/30/24 and 9/11/25 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
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 (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 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) 1-8 and 10-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Moen (US 2018/0374842).
As to claims 1 and 10, Moen teaches an electronic device and method of making said electronic device (300, fig. 3A), comprising:
a semiconductor substrate (301, [0041]) having an upper surface (top surface), a lower surface (bottom surface), and a doped body portion (301) having a first conductivity type that is n-type or p-type that is disposed between the upper surface and the lower surface (p-type, [0041]);
one or more electrically-insulating layers disposed above the upper surface (layer above the substrate containing transistors in regions 310, 330, and 340. although not shown, inherently it is there [0042] - [0045]);
an electrically-conductive passive device fabricated above the one or more electrically-insulating layers that is separated from the body portion of the substrate by the one or more electrically-insulating layers [0041] "passive devices fabricated over the structure of FIG. 3A"); and
a set of electrically-insulating isolation trenches (362-365) disposed beneath the passive device that extend from the upper surface of the substrate toward the lower surface of the substrate ([0043]);
wherein the isolation trenches are disjoint from each other (fig. 3A).
As to claims 2 and 11, Moen further teaches the passive device is configured to form part of a radio-frequency circuit with a predetermined operational frequency range; and wherein the isolation trenches are dimensioned and arranged to impede the generation of eddy currents in the semiconductor substrate in response to radio-frequency (RF) electrical currents flowing in the passive device within the predetermined operational frequency range ([0041]).
As to claims 3, 4, 12, and 13, Moen further teaches the passive device is a spiral inductor or a transmission line ([0041]).
As to claims 5, 6, 14, and 15, Moen further teaches each isolation trench is surrounded by an electrically-insulating material and filled with an electrically-conductive material ([0057], “each of deep trench isolation regions 361-367 is polysilicon encased with silicon dioxide”).
As to claims 7 and 16, Moen further teaches a set of shallow trenches (352-355) formed in the upper surface of the substrate (fig. 3A); wherein each shallow trench surrounds a corresponding isolation trench; and wherein each shallow trench is filled with electrically-insulating material ([0043]).
As to claims 8 and 17, Moen further teaches a first set of doped regions (n-epi 573-575) at the upper surface of the substrate having a first conductivity type (n-type) and
a second set of doped regions (554-556) having a second conductivity type (p-type) opposite the first conductivity type (fig. 3B);
wherein the first set (573-575) and the second set of doped regions (554-556) at the upper surface are disposed between the isolation trenches (361-365) and arranged such that each doped region having the first conductivity type (i.e. 573) is surrounded by two or more doped regions having the second conductivity type (i.e. 554 vertical part and 554 horizontal part, figs. 3A and 3B).
Claim(s) 9 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over Moen (US 2018/0374842) in view of Kim (US 2018/0182747).
As to claims 9 and 18, Moen does not teach a set of heavily-doped regions of the first conductivity type disposed beneath apexes of respective isolation trenches within the body portion of the substrate between the isolation trenches and the lower surface of the substrate; wherein the heavily-doped regions are disjoint from each other.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Kim teaches a set of heavily-doped regions (551-554) of the first conductivity type disposed beneath apexes of respective isolation trenches (561-564) within the body portion of the substrate (11) between the isolation trenches and the lower surface of the substrate ([0072]); wherein the heavily-doped regions are disjoint from each other (fig. 5).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to dope beneath the bottom of the trenches so as to capture noise components such as hole or electron carriers and to lower the electric field around the trench bottom portion of the deep trench ([0072]).
Conclusion
Any response to this Office Action should be faxed to (571) 273-8300 or mailed to:
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Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KAREN M KUSUMAKAR whose telephone number is (571)270-3520. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday – Friday from 7:30a – 4:30p EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Fernando Toledo can be reached on 571-272-1867. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KAREN KUSUMAKAR/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2897
6/23/26
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