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 .
Response to Amendment
The Examiner acknowledges the remarks and amendments filed on 7/13/26. Claims 1-20 are pending. Claims 14-20 have been withdrawn. Claims 1-13 are rejected.
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.
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(s) 1 and 5-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bahng “Suppression of Macrostep Formation in 4H-SiC Using a Cap Oxide Layer” in view of Yakimova USPA_20130171347_A1.
Regarding Claims 1, 5, 6, 7, Bahng discloses a process for forming a thermally-grown (corresponds to heat treatment) SiO2 (corresponds to claimed silicon oxide of claim 6) cap layer on top of a 4H-SiC substrate (corresponds to claimed single crystal) in which after said thermal treatment and annealing process by way of evaporation (corresponds to limitation of physical vapor deposition of instant Claim 7) (Page 865) at a temperature of 1600C (corresponds to claimed limitation of instant Claim 9), 10 nm thick said cap layer can be removed (Abstract), whilst the remaining 40 nm thick (corresponds to claimed thickness of instant Claim 8) said cap layer can remain (Abstract); thereby teaching the limitation of a part of said cap layer remaining. Bahng further discloses that this results in suppression of macrostep formation (abstract) which reduces channel mobility since the roughness of the channel area increases (“Introduction”, page 863, 1st paragraph).
However, Bahng does not disclose the claimed graphene layer.
Yakimova discloses a process for growth of multiple graphene layers (corresponds to claimed carbon-containing layer and claimed graphene layer) at a temperature above 1400.degree. C. on a silicon carbide surface by sublimation of silicon from the surface. The process comprises heating under special conditions up to growth temperature which ensured that the surface undergoes the proper modification for allowing homogenous graphene in one or more monolayers (Abstract). Yakimova further discloses the significance of graphene by stating that graphene has lately attracted considerable attention due to its unique properties, such as very high electron mobility and efficient heat dissipation, making it interesting especially for the microelectronic industry. It is considered to be a potential successor for silicon in the continuing desire to miniaturize and produce more efficient electronic components (paragraph 0003). The Examiner submits that the depositing of said graphene layers directly on the substrate after the removal of Bahng’s cap layer will also meet the limitation of instant Claim 5.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the SiC substrate, of Bahng, by forming a graphene layer on it, as disclosed by Yakimova. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated in doing so in order to increase the utility of its invention by having the advantages of having a graphene layer as mentioned by Yakimova (paragraphs 0003, 0011).
Regarding Claim 10, Bahng in view of Yakimova suggests 650 torr of an inert gas during annealing (Page 864).
Regarding Claims 11, 12, 13, Bahng in view of Yakimova suggests its graphene carbon layer also being an epitaxial layer at 2000C (Yakimova: paragraph 0006) by way of chemical vapor deposition (Yakimova: paragraph 0007).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed 7/13/26, with respect to the rejection(s) of all claim(s) under Kusunoki in view of Kazuhiko have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Bahng in view of Yakimova.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TAHSEEN KHAN whose telephone number is (571)270-1140. The examiner can normally be reached Mondays-Saturdays 08:00AM-10:00PM.
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/TAHSEEN KHAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1781 September 14, 2026
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