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 Species 1 in the reply filed on 8/24/26 is acknowledged.
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) 1-7, 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Hikosaka et al (US 2021/0273057).
1. A nitride structure, comprising:
a base (Fig.1-10 (50s) and [0025]);
a nitride member (Fig.1-10 (55) and [0025]); and
a semiconductor member including Ga and N (Fig.6 (50L) and [0075]), the nitride member (Fig.1-10 (55) and [0025]) being provided between the base (Fig.1-10 (50s) and [0025]) and the semiconductor member (Fig.6 (50L) and [0075]) in a first direction (z-direction), the nitride member (Fig.1-10 (55) and [0025]) including a first nitride region (Fig.1-10 (10) and [0068]), a second nitride region (Fig.1-10 (20) and [0068]), and a third nitride region (Fig.1-10 (30) and [0067]), the first nitride region (Fig.1-10 (10) and [0068]) being provided between the base (Fig.1-10 (50s) and [0025]) and the third nitride region (Fig.1-10 (30) and [0067]), the second nitride region (Fig.1-10 (20) and [0068]) being provided between the first nitride region (Fig.1-10 (10) and [0068]) and the third nitride region (Fig.1-10 (30) and [0067]), the first nitride region (Fig.1-10 (10) and [0068]) including AlN, the second nitride region (Fig.1-10 (20) and [0068]) including Alx2Ga1-x2N (0 < x2 < 1), the third nitride region (Fig.1-10 (30) and [0067]) including Alx3Ga1-x3N (0 < x3 ≤ 1, x2 < x3), and a second thickness of the second nitride region (Fig.1-10 (20) and [0068/0071-0073]) along the first direction (z-direction) being thinner than a third thickness of the third nitride region (Fig.1-10 (30) and [0071-0073]) along the first direction (z-direction).
2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the first nitride region (Fig.11B (10) and [0068]) is in contact with the base (Fig.1-10 (50s) and [0025]), the second nitride region (Fig.1-10 (20) and [0068/0071-0072]) is in contact with the first nitride region (Fig.11B (10) and [0068]), and the third nitride region (Fig.1-10 (30) and [0067]) is in contact with the second nitride region (Fig.1-10 (20) and [0068/0071-0072]).
3. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the second thickness is thinner than a first thickness of the first nitride region along the first direction [0071-0073].
4. The structure according to claim 3, wherein the third thickness is thicker than the first thickness [0071-0073]).
5. The structure according to claim 3, wherein the first thickness is not less than 100 nm and not more than 300 nm [0071-0073]).
6. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the second thickness is not less than 10 nm and less than 100 nm, and the third thickness is not less than 100 nm and not more than 300 nm [0071-0073]).
7. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the x2 is not less than 0.15 and less than 0.7, and the x3 is not less than 0.7 and not more than 1 [0070].
14. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the base includes Si [0124]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Hikosaka et al (US 20230046560 and US 12170318) and Kajiwara et al (US 20240038849) teach similar nitride graded structures with varying thicknesses.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LAURA M MENZ whose telephone number is (571)272-1697. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:00-3:30.
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, Steven Gauthier can be reached at 571-270-0373. 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.
/LAURA M MENZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2813
9/5/26
Prosecution Insights