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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-5 in the reply filed on August 10th, 2026 is acknowledged. Claims 6-12 withdrawn from further consideration by the examiner, 37 CFR. 1.142(b), as being drawn to non-elected invention.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The IDS filed on 05/03/2024 and 10/24/2024 have been considered.
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) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN105405965A in view of KR20200132030A, both cited in the IDS filed on 10/24/2024, English translation included.
In re claim 1, CN105405965A discloses a quantum device including moderate fluorinated graphene, comprising: a substrate 10; a first insulating layer 11 located on the substrate 10 (see page 3 of English translation and figs. 1-13); a graphene layer 21 located on the first insulating layer 11; and a second insulating layer 31 located on the graphene layer 21 and covering a third region excluding a first region and second region on both sides of the graphene layer 21 (see page 3 of English translation and figs. 1-13) and a metal layer 50 is formed on the first region and the second region (see page 3 of English translation and figs. 1-13).
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CN105405965A is silent to wherein the first region and second region of the graphene layer are formed of moderate fluorinated graphene, and a metal layer is formed on the first region and the second region, and the metal layer makes contact at some locations on the moderate fluorinated graphene.
However, KR20200132030A discloses in a same field of endeavor, a quantum device including, inter-alia, a substrate 101, a graphene layer 102, wherein a first region and a second region of the graphene layer 102 are formed of moderate fluorinated graphene, and a metal layer 103 is formed on the first region and the second region, and the metal layer 103 makes contact at some locations on the moderate fluorinated graphene (see page 4 of English translation and figs. 1a-5).
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Therefore, it is respectfully submitted that it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to be motivated to incorporate the technique as taught by KR20200132030A into the quantum device of CN105405965A in order to enable wherein the first region and second region of the graphene layer are formed of moderate fluorinated graphene, and a metal layer is formed on the first region and the second region, and the metal layer makes contact at some locations on the moderate fluorinated graphene in CN105405965A to be formed in order to provide a reliable electrode structure for a quantum device in which a contact resistance between a 2D semiconductor material layer and a metal layer is low and the risk of contamination of the 2D semiconductor material layer is suppressed (see page 2 of English translation of KR20200132030A). Furthermore, it would have been obvious because all the claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention. KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc. (KSR), 550 U.S. 398 (2007). “If a technique has been used to improve one device, and a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that it would improve similar devices in the same way, using the technique is obvious unless its actual application is beyond that person’s skill.” Id.
In re claim 2, as applied to claim 1 above, CN105405965A in combination with KR20200132030A discloses wherein some carbon atoms in graphene included in the moderate fluorinated graphene are fluorinated (see page 3 of English translation of KR20200132030A).
In re claim 3, as applied to claim 1 above, CN105405965A in combination with KR20200132030A discloses wherein the third region of the graphene layer functions as a channel through which electrons move (see page 2 of English translation of KR20200132030A).
In re claim 4, as applied to claim 1 above, CN105405965A in combination with KR20200132030A discloses wherein the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer are boron nitride (BN) (see page 3 of English translation of CN105405965A).
In re claim 5, as applied to claim 1 above, CN105405965A in combination with KR20200132030A discloses wherein the graphene layer is single layer graphene or few layer graphene (see page 3 of English translation of CN105405965A and page 3 of English translation of KR20200132030A).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Seol et al. (U.S. Pub. 2022/0157947) discloses a quantum device including, inter-alia, a substrate 110 and a graphene layer 121 located on the substrate 110 (see paragraphs [0067], [0069] and fig. 3).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KHIEM D NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-1865. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, N. Drew Richards can be reached at (571) 272-1736. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KHIEM D NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2892
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