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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-201993, filed on 11/29/2023.
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 5/17/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The title of the invention has been suggested as, “NITRIDE STRUCTURE COMPRISING A STACK OF V-SHAPED ALGAN EPITAXIAL LAYERS FOR REDUCING DISLOCATION DENSITY IN THE NITRIDE STRUCTURE AND SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE INCLUDING THE NITRIDE STRUCTURE”.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-12 and 14-20 are objected, because the following limitations/phrases should be aligned to the prior limitations/phrases to avoid 112 issues due to indefiniteness:
On the last line of claim 1, “the crossing direction” should be changed to “the cross direction” to be consistent with “a cross direction” introduced on line 25. Furthermore, “the first connecting portion” on line 47 lacks antecedent basis, and therefore should be changed to “a first connecting portion”.
On line 5 of claim 5, the second “first inclined portion” should be “first other inclined portion”.
On lines 3-4 of claim 11, “the first other inclined direction” should be “the first other inclined region”
On line 3 of claim 17, “the base body” should be changed to “the base” to be consistent with “a base” introduced on line 2 of claim 1.
On line 8 of claim 18, “the stacked body” on line 8 should be changed to “the stacked structure” to be consistent with “a stack structure” introduced on line 4 of claim 1.
On line 12 of claim 19, “the stacked body” should be changed to “the stacked structure” to be consistent with “a stack structure” introduced on line 4 of claim 1.
In the preambles of claims 2-12 and 17-18, “The structure” should be changed to “The nitride structure” to be consistent with the nitride structure of claim 1.
In the preambles of claims 14-16, “The structure” should be changed to “The nitride structure” to be consistent with the nitride structure of claim 13.
In the preambles of claim 20, “The device” should be changed to “The semiconductor device” to be consistent with the semiconductor device of claim 19.
Appropriate corrections are required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 1, claim 1 recites “the high composition film” and “the low composition film” on line 18. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these terms in the claim. Claim 1 introduces “a plurality of high composition films” on line 7 and “a plurality of low composition films” on line 9. However, it is not clear if the “the high composition film” and “the low composition film” refer to one of the films in the plurality of films, or else are separate structures. For the purpose of examination, “the high composition film” and “the low composition film” are considered to be one of the films in the “plurality of high composition films” and the “plurality of low composition films”, respectively.
Claims 2-12 and 17-20 are also rejected because these claims directly or indirectly depend on claim 1.
Regarding claim 13, claim 13 recites “the high composition film” and “the low composition film” on line 18. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these terms in the claim. Claim 1 introduces “a plurality of high composition films” on line 7 and “a plurality of low composition films” on line 9. However, it is not clear if the “the high composition film” and “the low composition film” refer to one of the films in the plurality of films, or else are separate structures. For the purpose of examination, “the high composition film” and “the low composition film” are considered to be one of the films in the “plurality of high composition films” and the “plurality of low composition films”, respectively.
Claims 14-16 are also rejected because these claims depend on claim 13.
Regarding claim 14, claim 14 further rejected, because the limitation “a length of the first inclined region along the first direction decreases in a direction from the base to the second portion” is unclear, because there is one first inclined region introduced in claim 13, and the first inclined region should have a single fixed length in the first direction (or along a direction from the base to the second portion). For the purpose of examination, the limitation “a length of the first inclined region along the first direction decreases in a direction from the base to the second portion” is considered to be “a length of the first inclined region along the first direction is finite in a direction from the base to the second portion.”
Regarding claim 15, claim 15 further rejected, because the limitation “a length of the first inclined region along the cross direction decreases in a direction from the base to the second portion” is unclear, because there is one first inclined region introduced in claim 13, and the first inclined region should have a single fixed length in the first direction (or along a direction from the base to the second portion). For the purpose of examination, the limitation “a length of the first inclined region along the cross direction decreases in a direction from the base to the second portion” is considered to be “a length of the first inclined region along the cross direction is finite in a direction from the base to the second portion.”
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-6, 8-9, 11-15, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jeong (US 2016/0380155 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Jeong teaches a nitride structure (light emitting device, Figs. 1-2, [0037]), comprising:
a base (substrate 111, Fig. 1, [0037]);
a nitride member (comprising active layer 117, third semiconductor layer 119 and fourth semiconductor layer 121, Fig. 1, [0067]-[0068]) including Ga and N ([0068]: “The fourth semiconductor layer 121 may be formed of one of compound semiconductors such as GaN, InN, AlN, InGaN, AlGaN, InAlGaN, and AlInN”); and
a stacked structure (second semiconductor layer 116 comprising first nitride layer 61 and second nitride layer 62, Figs. 1-2, [0050]) provided between the base (substrate 111, Fig. 1) and the nitride member (comprising active layer 117, third semiconductor layer 119 and fourth semiconductor layer 121, Fig. 1) in a first direction (vertical direction in Figs. 1-2),
the stacked structure (second semiconductor layer 116, Figs. 1-2) including
a plurality of high composition films (first nitride layer 61, Figs. 1-2, [0050]: “A stack of the first and second nitride layers 61 and 62 may have a cycle of two to five times.”, an embodiment with five cycles is considered here) including Alx1Ga1-x1N (0 < x1 ≤ 1) ([0051]: “The first nitride layer 61 may be formed of a nitride semiconductor having aluminum Al therein, for example, an AlGaN based semiconductor such as AlGaN …. In the first nitride layer 61, the aluminum content may be in a range of 5% to 20%”, meaning that x1 is in the range between 0.1 and 0.4), and
a plurality of low composition films (second nitride layer 62, Figs. 1-2, [0050]: “A stack of the first and second nitride layers 61 and 62 may have a cycle of two to five times.”) including Alx2Ga1-x2N (0 ≤ x2 < 1, x2 < x1) ([0052]: “The second nitride layer 62 may be formed of … GaN.”, meaning that x2=0, and therefore x2<x1),
a high composition film thickness ([0051]: “The first nitride layer 61 may have a thickness of 0.5 nm to 5 nm”) of one of the plurality of high composition films (first nitride layer 61, Figs. 1-2) in the first direction (vertical direction in Figs. 1-2) being thinner than a nitride member thickness (see Figs. 1-2) of the nitride member (comprising active layer 117, third semiconductor layer 119 and fourth semiconductor layer 121, Fig. 1) in the first direction (vertical direction in Figs. 1-2),
a low composition film thickness ([0053]:” The second nitride layer 62 may have a thickness of 0.5 nm to 5 nm”) of one of the plurality of low composition films (second nitride layer 62, Figs. 1-2) in the first direction (vertical direction in Figs. 1-2) being thinner than the nitride member thickness (see Figs. 1-2),
the high composition film (first nitride layer 61, Figs. 1-2) and the low composition film (second nitride layer 62, Figs. 1-2) being provided alternately (Figs. 1-2, [0050]: “A stack of the first and second nitride layers 61 and 62 may have a cycle of two to five times.”) along the first direction (vertical direction in Figs. 1-2),
the plurality of high composition films (first nitride layer 61, Figs. 1-2) including a first film (the bottom first nitride layer 61, see first film in Illustrative Fig. 1 which is an annotated version of Fig. 2) and another film (the top first nitride layer 61, [0050]: “A stack of the first and second nitride layers 61 and 62 may have a cycle of two to five times.”, the embodiment considered here is the one with a five-time cycle which is not shown in any figures, however for the purpose of examination the position of this layer is indicated in Illustrative Fig. 1) , the first film (first film, Illustrative Fig. 1) being provided between the base (substrate 111, Illustrative Fig. 1) and the other film (other film, Illustrative Fig. 1) ,
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the first film (first film, Illustrative Fig. 1) including
a first face region (the flat portion of the first film at the left side of the pit 71 shown first face region, Illustrative Fig. 1) along a cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 1) crossing the first direction (first direction, Illustrative Fig. 1),
a first other face region (the flat portion of the first film at the right side of the pit 71 shown first other face region in Illustrative Fig. 1) along the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 1),
a first inclined region (first inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) along a first inclined direction (first inclined direction, Illustrative Fig. 1) being inclined with respect to the first direction (first direction, Illustrative Fig. 1), and
a first other inclined region (first other inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) along a first other inclined direction (first other inclined direction, Illustrative Fig. 1) being inclined with respect to the first direction (first direction, Illustrative Fig. 1) and crossing the first inclined direction (first inclined direction, Illustrative Fig. 1),
a direction from the first face region (first face region, Illustrative Fig. 1) to the first other face region (first other face region, Illustrative Fig. 1) being along the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 1),
a position of the first inclined region (first inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) in the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 1) being between a position of the first face region (first face region, Illustrative Fig. 1) in the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 1) and a position of the first other face region (first other face region, Illustrative Fig. 1) in the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 1: the first inclined region is fully between the first face region and first other face region in the cross direction),
a position of the first other inclined region (first other inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) in the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 1) being between the position of the first inclined region (first inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) in the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 1) and the position of the first other face region (first other face region, Illustrative Fig. 1) in the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 1: the first other inclined region is fully between the first inclined region and first other face region in the cross direction),
a first inclined portion (pit 72 shown as first inclined portion, Illustrative Fig. 1, [0037]) of the first inclined region (first inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) being connected to the first face region (first face region, Illustrative Fig. 1),
a first other inclined portion (pit 72 shown as first other inclined portion, Illustrative Fig. 1) of the first other inclined region (first other inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) being connected to the first other face region (first other face region, Illustrative Fig. 1),
a position of the first connecting portion (see first connecting portion in Illustrative Fig. 1) in the first direction (first direction, Illustrative Fig. 1) being between a position of the base (substrate 111, Illustrative Fig. 1) in the first direction (first direction, Illustrative Fig. 1) and a position of the first face region (first face region, Illustrative Fig. 1) in the first direction (first direction, Illustrative Fig. 1), and
the other film (other film, Illustrative Fig. 1) being along the crossing direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 2, Jeong teaches the structure according to claim 1, wherein
a part of one of the plurality of low composition films (Illustrative Fig. 1: the inclined region of the lowest one of the plurality of low compositions film (second nitride layer 62)) is provided between the first inclined region (first inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) and the first other inclined region (first other inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) in the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 1) .
Regarding claim 3, Jeong teaches the structure according to claim 2, wherein
the plurality of high composition films (first nitride layer 61, Figs. 1-2 and Illustrative Fig. 1) further include a second film (see second film in Illustrative Fig. 1),
the second film (second film, Illustrative Fig. 1) is provided between the first film (second film, Illustrative Fig. 1) and the other film (other film, Illustrative Fig. 1) in the first direction (first direction, Illustrative Fig. 1), and
a part of the second film (the inclined portion of the second film, Illustrative Fig. 1) is provided between the first inclined region (first inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) and the first other inclined region (first other inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) in the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 4, Jeong teaches the structure according to claim 2, wherein
the plurality of high composition films (first nitride layer 61, Figs. 1-2 and Illustrative Fig. 1) further include a second film (see second film in Illustrative Fig. 1),
the second film (second film, Illustrative Fig. 1) includes
a second face region (the flat portion of the second film at the left side of the pit 71 shown second face region in Illustrative Fig. 1) along the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 1),
a second other face region (the flat portion of the second film at the right side of the pit 71 shown second other face region, Illustrative Fig. 1) along the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 1),
a second inclined region (second inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) along the first inclined direction (first inclined direction, Illustrative Fig. 1), and
a second other inclined region (second other inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) along the first other inclined direction (first other inclined direction, Illustrative Fig. 1),
a direction from the second face region (second face region, Illustrative Fig. 1) to the second other face region (second other face region, Illustrative Fig. 1) is along the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 1),
a position of the second inclined region (second inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) in the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 1) is between a position of the second face region (second face region, Illustrative Fig. 1) in the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 1) and a position of the second other face region in the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 1),
a position of the second other inclined region (second inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) in the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 1) is between the position of the second inclined region (second inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) in the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 1) and the position of the second other face region (second other face region, Illustrative Fig. 1) in the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 1),
a second inclined portion (second inclined portion, Illustrative Fig. 1: corresponds to the junction between the second inclined portion and the second face region) of the second inclined region (second inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) is connected to the second face region (second face region, Illustrative Fig. 1),
a second other inclined portion (second other inclined portion, Illustrative Fig. 1: corresponds to the junction between the second other inclined portion and the second other face region) of the second other inclined region (second other inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) is connected to the second other face region (second other face region, Illustrative Fig. 1),
a second connecting portion (second connecting portion, Illustrative Fig. 1) of the second inclined region (second inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) is connected to the second other inclined region (second other inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1),
a position of the second connecting portion (second connecting portion, Illustrative Fig. 1) in the first direction (first direction, Illustrative Fig. 1) is between the position of the first connecting portion (first connecting portion, Illustrative Fig. 1) in the first direction (first direction, Illustrative Fig. 1) and a position of the second face region (second face region, Illustrative Fig. 1) in the first direction (first direction, Illustrative Fig. 1),
the second face region (second face region, Illustrative Fig. 1) is between the first face region (first face region, Illustrative Fig. 1) and the other film (other film, Illustrative Fig. 1),
the second other face region (second other face region, Illustrative Fig. 1) is between the first other face region (first face region, Illustrative Fig. 1) and the other film (other film, Illustrative Fig. 1),
the second inclined region (second inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) is between the first inclined region (first inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) and the other film (other film, Illustrative Fig. 1),
the second other inclined region (second other inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) is between the first other inclined region (first other inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) and the other film (other film, Illustrative Fig. 1), and
a part of the second inclined region (second inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) and a part of the second other inclined region (second inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) are located between the first inclined region (first inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) and the first other inclined region (first other inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) in the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 1).
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Regarding claim 5, Jeong teaches the structure according to claim 4, wherein
a distance (see d1 in Illustrative Fig. 2, which is an annotated version of Jeong’s Fig. 2) along the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 2) between the second inclined portion (second inclined portion, Illustrative Fig. 2) and the second other inclined portion (second other inclined portion, Illustrative Fig. 2) is shorter than a distance (see d1 in Illustrative Fig. 2) along the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 2) between the first other inclined portion (first inclined portion, Illustrative Fig. 2) and the first inclined portion (first other inclined portion, Illustrative Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 6, Jeong teaches the structure according to claim 4, wherein
a second distance (see h1 in Illustrative Fig. 3, which is an annotated version of Jeong’s Fig. 2) along the first direction (first direction, Illustrative Fig. 3) between the second connecting portion (second connecting portion, Illustrative Fig. 3) and the second face region (second face region, Illustrative Fig. 3) is shorter than a first distance (see h1 in Illustrative Fig. 3) along the first direction (first direction, Illustrative Fig. 3) between the first connecting portion (first connecting portion, Illustrative Fig. 3) and the first face region (first face region, Illustrative Fig. 3: because of the extra section at the first inclined portion (Illustrative Fig. 1), h1 is shorter than h2).
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Regarding claim 8, Jeong teaches the structure according to claim 4, wherein
the plurality of high composition films (first nitride layers 61, Illustrative Fig. 1, [0050]: “A stack of the first and second nitride layers 61 and 62 may have a cycle of two to five times.”; Illustrative Fig. 1 shows an embodiment with two cycles, but an embodiment with five cycles is considered here. Because there are no figures in Jeong showing the embodiment with five cycles, for the claim examination the position of the third film is indicated in Illustrative Fig. 4, which is analogous to the Illustrative Fig. 1.) further include a third film (third film, Illustrative Fig. 4),
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the third film (third film, Illustrative Fig. 4) includes
a third face region (third face region, Illustrative Fig. 4) along the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 4),
a third other face region (third other face region, Illustrative Fig. 4) along the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 4),
a third inclined region (third inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 4) along the first inclined direction (first inclined direction, Illustrative Fig. 4), and
a third other inclined region (third inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 4) along the first other inclined direction (first other inclined direction, Illustrative Fig. 4),
a direction from the third face region (third face region, Illustrative Fig. 4) to the third other face region (third other face region, Illustrative Fig. 4) is along the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 4),
a position of the third inclined region (third inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 4) in the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 4) is between a position of the third face region (third face region, Illustrative Fig. 4) in the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 4) and a position of the third other face region (third other face region, Illustrative Fig. 4) in the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 4),
a position of the third other inclined region (third other inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 4) in the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 4) is between the position of the third inclined region (third inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 4) in the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 4) and the position of the third other face region (third other face region, Illustrative Fig. 4) in the cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 4),
a third inclined portion (third inclined portion, Illustrative Fig. 4) of the third inclined region (third inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 4) is connected to the third face region (third face region, Illustrative Fig. 4),
a third other inclined portion (third other inclined portion, Illustrative Fig. 4) of the third other inclined region (third other inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 4) is connected to the third other face region (third other face region, Illustrative Fig. 4),
a third connecting portion (third connecting portion, Illustrative Fig. 4) of the third inclined region (third inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 4) is connected to the third other inclined region (third other inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 4),
a position of the third connecting portion (third connecting portion, Illustrative Fig. 4) in the first direction (first direction, Illustrative Fig. 4) is between the position of the second connecting portion (second connecting portion, Illustrative Fig. 4) in the first direction (first direction, Illustrative Fig. 4) and a position of the third face region (third face region, Illustrative Fig. 4) in the first direction (first direction, Illustrative Fig. 4),
the third face region (third face region, Illustrative Fig. 4) is between the second face region (second face region, Illustrative Fig. 4) and the other film (other film, Illustrative Fig. 4),
the third other face region (third other face region, Illustrative Fig. 4) is between the second other face region (second other face region, Illustrative Fig. 4) and the other film (other film, Illustrative Fig. 4),
the third inclined region (third inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 4) is between the second inclined region (second inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 4) and the other film (other film, Illustrative Fig. 4),
the third other inclined region (third other inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 4) is between the second other inclined region (second other inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 4) and the other film (other film, Illustrative Fig. 4), and
a third distance (h3 in Illustrative Fig. 4) along the first direction (first direction, Illustrative Fig. 4) between the third connecting portion (third connecting portion, Illustrative Fig. 4) and the third face region (third face region, Illustrative Fig. 4) is shorter than a first distance (see h2 in Illustrative Fig. 3) along the first direction between (first direction, Illustrative Figs. 3-4) the first connecting portion (third connecting portion, Illustrative Fig. 3) and the first face region (first face region, Illustrative Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 9, Jeong teaches the structure according to claim 8, wherein
a direction from the first inclined region (first inclined region, Illustrative Figs 3-4) to the third inclined region (third inclined region, Illustrative Figs 3-4) is along the first direction (first direction, Illustrative Figs. 3-4).
Regarding claim 11, Jeong teaches the structure according to claim 1, wherein
a dislocation (dislocation corresponding to the pit 71 on the first inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1, [0044]: “Each of the plurality of pits 71, 72, and 73 may be connected to at least one propagating dislocation.”) passing through the first inclined region (first inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) merges with a dislocation (dislocation corresponding to the pit 71 on the first other inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1) passing through the first other inclined direction (dislocation corresponding to the pit 71 on the first other inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 1, [0046]: “For example, the intersection may have a higher level than those of the lowest apexes 75 and 76 of the first and second pit 71 and 72. The merged structure of at least two pits may be considered as a defect which has an elongate shape when viewed above.”, meaning that merged pits reduce to a single dislocation).
Regarding claim 12, Jeong teaches the structure according to claim 1, wherein
a density of dislocations (dislocations 51, Fig. 5, [0081]) passing through the other film (the top first nitride layer 61 (see claim 1 rejection above), Fig. 5 (see the location of other film in Illustrative Fig. 1)) is lower than a density of dislocations (dislocations 51, Fig. 5) passing through the first film (the bottom first nitride layer 61, Fig. 5 (see first film in Illustrative Fig. 1): Fig. 5 shows that dislocations 51 do not go beyond the other film).
Regarding claim 13, Jeong teaches a nitride structure (light emitting device, Figs. 1-2, [0037]), comprising:
a base (substrate 111, Fig. 1, [0037]);
a nitride member (comprising active layer 117, third semiconductor layer 119 and fourth semiconductor layer 121, Fig. 1, [0067]-[0068]) including Ga and N ([0068]: “The fourth semiconductor layer 121 may be formed of one of compound semiconductors such as GaN, InN, AlN, InGaN, AlGaN, InAlGaN, and AlInN”); and
a stacked structure (second semiconductor layer 116 comprising first nitride layer 61 and second nitride layer 62, Figs. 1-2, [0050]) provided between the base (substrate 111, Fig. 1) and the nitride member (comprising active layer 117, third semiconductor layer 119 and fourth semiconductor layer 121, Fig. 1) in a first direction (vertical direction in Figs. 1-2),
the stacked structure (second semiconductor layer 116, Figs. 1-2) including
a plurality of high composition films (first nitride layer 61, Figs. 1-2, [0050]: “A stack of the first and second nitride layers 61 and 62 may have a cycle of two to five times.”, an embodiment with five cycles is considered here) including Alx1Ga1-x1N (0 < x1 ≤ 1) ([0051]: “The first nitride layer 61 may be formed of a nitride semiconductor having aluminum Al therein, for example, an AlGaN based semiconductor such as AlGaN …. In the first nitride layer 61, the aluminum content may be in a range of 5% to 20%”, meaning that x1 is in the range between 0.1 and 0.4), and
a plurality of low composition films (second nitride layer 62, Figs. 1-2, [0050]: “A stack of the first and second nitride layers 61 and 62 may have a cycle of two to five times.”) including Alx2Ga1-x2N (0 ≤ x2 < 1, x2 < x1) ([0052]: “The second nitride layer 62 may be formed of … GaN.”, meaning that x2=0, and therefore x2<x1),
a high composition film thickness ([0051]: “The first nitride layer 61 may have a thickness of 0.5 nm to 5 nm”) of one of the plurality of high composition films (first nitride layer 61, Figs. 1-2) in the first direction (vertical direction in Figs. 1-2) being thinner (see Figs. 1-2) than a nitride member thickness of the nitride member (comprising active layer 117, third semiconductor layer 119 and fourth semiconductor layer 121, Fig. 1) in the first direction (vertical direction in Figs. 1-2),
a low composition film thickness ([0053]:” The second nitride layer 62 may have a thickness of 0.5 nm to 5 nm”) of one of the plurality of low composition films (second nitride layer 62, Figs. 1-2) in the first direction (vertical direction, Figs. 1-2) being thinner (see Fig. 7) than the nitride member thickness (see Figs. 1-2),
the high composition film (first nitride layer 61, Figs. 1-2) and the low composition film (second nitride layer 62, Figs. 1-2) being provided alternately (Figs. 1-2, [0050]: “A stack of the first and second nitride layers 61 and 62 may have a cycle of two to five times.”) along the first direction (vertical direction in Figs. 1-2),
the stacked structure (second semiconductor layer 116, Figs. 1-2) including a first portion (comprising bottom two first nitride layers 61 and the bottom two second nitride layers 62, see first portion labeled in Illustrative Fig. 5, which is an annotated version of Jeong’s Fig. 2) and a second portion (comprising top three first nitride layers 61 and the top three second nitride layers 62; the embodiment considered here has 5 cycles of first nitride layer 61 and second nitride layer 62, but the embodiment in Illustrative Fig. 5 corresponds to an embodiment with 2 cycles. None of the figures shows the embodiment with 5 cycles. Therefore, Illustrative Fig. 5 is used for examination purpose by indicating the location of the extra layer as second portion in Illustrative Fig. 5),
the first portion (first portion, Illustrative Fig. 5) being provided between the base (substrate 111, Figs. 1-2 and Illustrative Fig. 1) and the second portion (second portion, Illustrative Fig. 5), and
the high composition film (the bottom first nitride layer 61, labeled as high composition film in Illustrative Fig. 5) included in the first portion (first portion, Illustrative Fig. 5) including a first face region (the flat portion of the high composition film, labeled as first face region in Illustrative Fig. 5) along a cross direction (cross direction, Illustrative Fig. 5) crossing the first direction (vertical direction, Illustrative Fig. 5), and a first inclined region (first inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 5) along a first inclined direction (first inclined direction, Illustrative Fig. 5) inclined with respect to the first direction (first direction, Illustrative Fig. 5).
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Regarding claim 14, Jeong teaches the structure according to claim 13, wherein
in the high composition film (high composition film, Illustrative Fig. 5) included in the first portion (first portion, Illustrative Fig. 5), a length of the first inclined region (first inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 5) along the first direction (first direction, Illustrative Fig. 5) finite (see 35 U.S.C.112(b) rejection above) in a direction from the base (substrate 111, Illustrative Fig. 5) to the second portion (second portion, Illustrative Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 15, Jeong teaches the structure according to claim 13, wherein
in the high composition film (high composition film, Illustrative Fig. 5) included in the first portion (first portion, Illustrative Fig. 5), a length of the first inclined region (first inclined region, Illustrative Fig. 5) along the cross direction (see 35 U.S.C.112(b) rejection above) in a direction from the base (substrate 111, Illustrative Fig. 5) to the second portion (second portion, Illustrative Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 18, Jeong teaches the structure according to claim 1, wherein
the nitride member (comprising active layer 117, third semiconductor layer 119 and fourth semiconductor layer 121, Fig. 1, [0067]-[0068])) includes
a first semiconductor layer including Ala1Ga1-a1N (0 ≤ a1 < 1) (top second nitride layer 62, Fig. 1: nitride member can also include the top two first nitride layer 61 and top two second nitride layer 62; ([0051]: “([0052]: “The second nitride layer 62 may be formed of … GaN.”, meaning that a1=0), and
a second semiconductor layer (top first nitride layer 61, Fig. 1) including Ala2Ga1-a2N (0 < a2 ≤ 1, a1 < a2) ([0051]: “The first nitride layer 61 may be formed of a nitride semiconductor having aluminum Al therein, for example, an AlGaN based semiconductor such as AlGaN …. In the first nitride layer 61, the aluminum content may be in a range of 5% to 20%”, meaning that a2 is in the range between 0.1 and 0.4, and therefore a1<a2) , and
the first semiconductor layer (top second nitride layer 62, Fig. 1) is provided between the stacked body (second semiconductor layer 116 comprising bottom three first nitride layer 61 and bottom three second nitride layer 62, Figs. 1-2) and the second semiconductor layer (top first nitride layer 61, Fig. 1) in the first direction (vertical direction in Figs. 1-2).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jeong (US 2016/0380155 A1) as applied to claims 1-6, 8-9, 11-15, and 18 above, and further in view of Na (US 2019/0348567 A1).
Regarding claim 7, while Jeong teaches the structure according to claim 4,
Jeong does not teach that
a position of the second connecting portion in the cross direction is between the position of the first connecting portion in the cross direction and the position of the first other inclined portion in the cross direction, or
the position of the second connecting portion in the cross direction is between the position of the first connecting portion in the cross direction and the position of the first inclined portion in the cross direction.
Na, on the other hand, teaches a nitride structure (semiconductor device, Fig. 19, [0035] and [0212]) wherein
a position of the second connecting portion (second well layer 520a which is second from the bottom, Fig. 19, [0191]) in the cross direction (horizontal direction in Fig. 19) is between the position of the first connecting portion (the tip of the V-shaped recess formed by the bottom second well layer 520a, Fig. 19) in the cross direction (horizontal direction in Fig. 19) and the position of the first other inclined portion (the inclined portion on the right of the V-shaped recess formed by the bottom second well layer 520a, Fig. 19 ) in the cross direction (horizontal direction in Fig. 19), or
the position of the second connecting portion in the cross direction is between the position of the first connecting portion in the cross direction and the position of the first inclined portion in the cross direction.
Na further discloses that the V-shaped recesses are formed close to the threading dislocation propagation path ([0202]). It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that forming the V-shaped recesses along the path of dislocation propagation would help to reduce density of the threading dislocations reaching the upper layers. Therefore, a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would be motivated to form the V-shaped recesses in the nitride structure of Jeong along the path of the propagation of the dislocations, as disclosed by Na, to be able to decrease dislocation density in the upper layers, effectively. Thus, the combination of Jeong and Na would lead the recesses to shift from the vertical axis according to the direction of dislocation propagation, and consequently result in a nitride structure where
a position of the second connecting portion in the cross direction is between the position of the first connecting portion in the cross direction and the position of the first other inclined portion in the cross direction, or
the position of the second connecting portion in the cross direction is between the position of the first connecting portion in the cross direction and the position of the first inclined portion in the cross direction.
Claims 10 and 16-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jeong (US 2016/0380155 A1) as applied to claims 1-6, 8-9, 11-15, and 18 above, and further in view of Wuu (US 2010/0184279 A1).
Regarding claim 10, Jeong teaches the structure according to claim 1, further comprising:
a first intermediate layer (buffer layer 113, Fig. 1, [0041]) provided between the base (substrate 111, Fig. 1) and the stacked structure (second semiconductor layer 116, Fig. 1), the first intermediate layer (buffer layer 113, Fig. 1) including Alz1Ga1-z1N (0 < z1 < 1) ([0041]: “AlxInyGa1-x-yN where 0≦x≦1, 0≦y≦1, 0≦x+y≦1”; the case of y=0 leads to AlxGa1-xN).
Jeong, however, does not teach
the first intermediate layer including a protrusion protruding toward the stacked structure, and
a direction from at least a part of the protrusion to the first connecting portion being along the first direction.
Wuu, on the other hand, teaches a nitride structure (epitaxial structure, Fig. 7, [0014] and [0017]), comprising
the first intermediate layer (base layer 2, Fig. 7, [0024]: the surface of the base layer 2 corresponds to the intermediate layer, as it is the second layer below the first film) including a protrusion (rectangular regions between second recesses 21, Fig. 7, [0017] and [0024]) protruding toward the stacked structure (the defect-termination blocks 4, Figs. 4-7), and
a direction from at least a part of the protrusion (rectangular regions between second recesses 21, Fig. 7) to the first connecting portion (the tip of the defect-termination blocks 4, Fig. 7) being along the first direction (vertical direction, Fig. 7: the protrusions are directly below the connecting portions as defined in Illustrative Fig. 1).
Wuu further discloses that growing the epitaxial layer (first epitaxial layer 3, Fig. 7, [0026]: first epitaxial layer is analogous to first semiconductor layer 115 (Fig. 1) of Jeong) on the recesses and protrusions leads to concentrating the defects (concentrated defect groups 31, Fig. 7) on the flat surface protrusions ([0026] and [0031]) and reduces the density of defects in between protrusions (above second recesses 21, Fig. 7, [0026]). Accordingly, placing the recesses under the connecting portions would help to prevent propagation of defects to the upper layers ([0036]). Therefore, a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would be motivated to form a protrusion on the first intermediate layer under the first connecting portion in the nitride structure of Jeong to be able to concentrate the defects on the location of protrusions, and thereby effectively prevent defect propagation therefrom to upper layers. Thus, the combination of Jeong and Wuu meets the limitation that the nitride structure of claim 1 further comprises
the first intermediate layer including a protrusion protruding toward the stacked structure, and
a direction from at least a part of the protrusion to the first connecting portion being along the first direction.
Regarding claim 16, Jeong teaches the structure according to claim 13, further comprising:
a first intermediate layer (buffer layer 113, Fig. 1, [0041]) provided between the base (substrate 111, Fig. 1) and the stacked structure (second semiconductor layer 116, Fig. 1), the first intermediate layer (buffer layer 113, Fig. 1) including Alz1Ga1-z1N (0 < z1 < 1) (([0041]: “AlxInyGa1-x-yN where 0≦x≦1, 0≦y≦1, 0≦x+y≦1”; the case of y=0 leads to AlxGa1-xN).
Jeong, however, does not teach
the first intermediate layer including a protrusion protruding toward the stacked structure, and
at least a part of the protrusion overlapping the first inclined region in the first direction.
Wuu, on the other hand, teaches a nitride structure (epitaxial structure, Fig. 7, [0014] and [0017]), comprising
the first intermediate layer (base layer 2, Fig. 7, [0024]: the surface of the base layer 2 corresponds to the intermediate layer, as it is the second layer below the first film) including a protrusion (rectangular regions between second recesses 21, Fig. 7, [0017] and [0024]) protruding toward the stacked structure (the defect-termination blocks 4, Figs. 4-7), and
at least a part of the protrusion (rectangular regions between second recesses 21, Fig. 7) overlapping the first inclined region portion (the inclined region of defect-termination blocks 4, Fig. 7) in the first direction (vertical direction, Fig. 7: the protrusions are directly below the connecting portions as defined in Illustrative Fig. 5).
Wuu further discloses that growing the epitaxial layer (first epitaxial layer 3, Fig. 7, [0026]: first epitaxial layer is analogous to first semiconductor layer 115 (Fig. 1) of Jeong) on the recesses and protrusions leads to concentrating the defects (concentrated defect groups 31, Fig. 7) on the flat surface protrusions ([0026] and [0031]) and reduces the density of defects in between protrusions (above second recesses 21, Fig. 7, [0026]). Accordingly, placing the recesses under the connecting portions (defect-termination blocks 4, Fig. 7) would help to prevent propagation of defects to the upper layers ([0036]). Therefore, a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would be motivated to form a protrusion on the first intermediate layer overlapping the first inclined region in the nitride structure of Jeong to be able to concentrate the defects on the location of protrusions, and thereby effectively prevent defect propagation therefrom to upper layers. Thus, the combination of Jeong and Wuu meets the limitation that the nitride structure of claim 13 further comprises
the first intermediate layer including a protrusion protruding toward the stacked structure, and
at least a part of the protrusion overlapping the first inclined region in the first direction.
Regarding claim 17, Jeong in view of Wuu teaches the structure according to claim 10,
Wherein Jeong teaches that the nitride structure further comprising:
a second intermediate layer (first semiconductor layer 115, Fig. 1, [0037]) provided between the base body (substrate 111, Illustrative Fig. 5) and the first intermediate layer (buffer layer 113, Fig. 1), the second intermediate layer (first semiconductor layer 115, Fig. 1) including Alz2Ga1-z2N (0 < z2 ≤1) ([0043]: “AlGaN”).
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jeong (US 2016/0380155 A1) as applied to claims 1-6, 8-9, 11-15, and 18 above, and further in view of Cheng (US 2023/0207617 A1).
Regarding claim 19, Jeong teaches a semiconductor device (light emitting device, Figs. 1-2, [0037]), comprising:
the nitride structure according to claim 1 (nitride structure of claim 1 above; the Examiner points out here that Cheng also teaches a nitride structure similar to the nitride structure of claim 1 (see Fig. 2 and [0046] of Cheng) with an InGaN/GaN stack instead of a AlGaN/GaN stack);
the nitride member (comprising active layer 117, third semiconductor layer 119 and fourth semiconductor layer 121, Fig. 1, [0067]-[0068]) including
a first semiconductor layer (third semiconductor layer 119, Fig. 1, [0065]) including Alα1Ga1-α1N (0 ≤ α1 < 1) ([0065]: ”third semiconductor layer 119 may be formed of a semiconductor doped with a second conductive dopant, and, thus, formed of, for example, a compound semiconductor selected from GaN, …”, and therefore α1 = 0), and
a second semiconductor layer (fourth semiconductor layer 121, Fig. 1, [0068]) including Alα2Ga1-α2N (0 < α2 ≤ 1, α1 < α2) ([0068]: “The fourth semiconductor layer 121 may be formed of one of compound semiconductors such as … AlGaN…” and therefore α2>0 and α1<α2), and
the first semiconductor layer (third semiconductor layer 119, Fig. 1) being provided between the stacked body (second semiconductor layer 116, Fig. 1) and the second semiconductor layer (fourth semiconductor layer 121, Fig. 1) in the first direction (vertical direction in Fig. 1),
the second semiconductor layer (fourth semiconductor layer 121, Fig. 1) including a first semiconductor portion (left half of the fourth semiconductor layer 121, Fig. 1) and a second semiconductor portion (right half of the fourth semiconductor layer 121, Fig. 1),
a direction from the first semiconductor portion (left half of the fourth semiconductor layer 121, Fig. 1) to the second semiconductor portion (right half of the fourth semiconductor layer 121, Fig. 1) being along the second direction (horizontal direction, Fig. 1).
Jeong, however, does not teach a transistor device (the semiconductor device of Jeong is a light emitting device), therefore Jeong does not teach
a first electrode;
a second electrode; and
a third electrode,
a second direction from the first electrode to the second electrode crossing the first direction,
a position of the third electrode in the second direction being between a position of the first electrode in the second direction and a position of the second electrode in the second direction,
the first electrode being electrically connected to the first semiconductor portion, and
the second electrode being electrically connected to the second semiconductor portion.
Cheng, on the other hand, teaches a semiconductor device (field effect transistor, Fig. 4, [0053]) comprising a nitride structure (second semiconductor layer 43 comprising the nitride structure shown in Fig. 2 ([0046]), Fig. 4, [0053]), a first semiconductor layer (channel layer 410, Fig. 4, [0053]: “GaN”) and a second semiconductor layer (barrier layer 420, Fig. 4, [0053]: “AlGaN”). Cheng further teaches that the semiconductor device also comprises
a first electrode (first electrode 51, Fig. 4 (shown as S in Fig. 4, see Fig. 5 for labeling), [0053]-[0054]);
a second electrode (electrode 52, Fig. 4 (shown as D in Fig. 4, see Fig. 5 for labeling), [0053]-[0054]); and
a third electrode (gate 47, Fig. 4, [0053]),
a second direction (horizontal direction in Fig. 4) from the first electrode (S, Fig. 4) to the second electrode (D, Fig. 4) crossing the first direction (vertical direction in Fig. 4),
a position of the third electrode (gate G, Fig. 4) in the second direction (horizontal direction in Fig. 4) being between a position of the first electrode (S, Fig. 4) in the second direction (horizontal direction in Fig. 4) and a position of the second electrode (D, Fig. 4) in the second direction (horizontal direction in Fig. 4),
the first electrode (S, Fig. 4) being electrically connected to the first semiconductor portion (left half of the barrier layer 420, Fig. 4), and
the second electrode (D, Fig. 4) being electrically connected to the second semiconductor portion (right half of the barrier layer 420, Fig. 4).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that the semiconductor layers of Jeong and Cheng are analogous, and therefore a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention who is aiming to use the nitride structure of Jeong with low dislocation density to form other electronic devices such as a transistor, would be motivated to add a first electrode, a second electrode and a third electrode on the nitride structure of Jeong, as taught by Cheng, to obtain a transistor device with low dislocation density in the active layers. Thus, the combination of Jeong and Cheng meets all the limitations of claim 19.
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jeong (US 2016/0380155 A1) in view of Cheng (US 2023/0207617 A1) as applied to claim 19 above, and further in view of Hikosaka (US 2022/0190119 A1).
Regarding claim 20, while Jeong in view of Cheng teaches the device according to claim 19, wherein
neither Jeong nor Cheng teaches that the semiconductor device further comprises:
a first insulating member including a first insulating portion, and
the first insulating portion being provided between the third electrode and the nitride member.
Hikosaka, on the other hand, teaches a semiconductor device (high electron mobility transistor 120, Fig. 9, [0094]) comprising
a first insulating member (insulating member 61, [0093]) including a first insulating portion (first insulating region 61p, Fig. 9, [0093]), and
the first insulating portion (first insulating region 61p, Fig. 9) being provided between the third electrode (third electrode 53, Fig. 9, [0090]) and the nitride member (nitride member 10M, Fig. 9, [0091]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that the semiconductor layers of the nitride member of Jeong in view of Cheng and Hikosaka are analogous, and therefore a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention who is aiming to use the nitride structure of Jeong in View of Cheng with low dislocation density to form more different types of electronic devices, such as a high electron mobility transistor, would be motivated to modify the semiconductor device of Jeong in view Cheng according to the teachings of Hikosaka to include a first insulating member between the third electrode and nitride member to obtain a high electron mobility transistor device with low dislocation density in the active layers. Thus, the combination of Jeong, Cheng, and Hikosaka meets all the limitations of claim 19.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Park (US 2018/0261724 A1) teaches a nitride structure which is relevant to claims 1-18.
Kashihara (US 2014/0332756 A1) teaches a nitride structure which is relevant to claims 1-18.
Hirai (US 2019/0109246 A1) teaches a nitride structure which is relevant to claims 1-18.
Lee (US 2022/0262983 A1) teaches a nitride structure which is relevant to claims 1-18.
Zhang (US 2024/0072123 A1) teaches a nitride structure which is relevant to all claims.
Miyoshi (US 2013/0181327 A1) teaches a nitride structure which is relevant to claims 11-12.
Li (CN 116779669 A) teaches a nitride structure which is relevant to all claims.
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/ILKER NMN OZDEN/Examiner, Art Unit 2812
/William B Partridge/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2812
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