NON-FINAL REJECTION
Acknowledgements
1. Claims 1-20 were presented for examination on Aug. 2, 2023. These claims are grouped as follows:
claims 1-8; and
claims 9-20.
2. The election of Species 3 without traverse, i.e., the semiconductor laser chip of figure 1C and the method of producing this chip has been received.
Claims 5, 12, and 16-18 are withdrawn as being directed to a non-elected invention.
Claims 1-4, 6-11, 13-15, and 19-20 are examined herewith.
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3. Applicant claims foreign priority to DE 10 2021 121 026.7 filed Aug. 12, 2021.
4. The presumed effective filing date of the instant application is Aug. 4, 2022, which is the filing date of the instant application.
Summary of this Action
5. Claims 1-20 are pending.
Claims 5, 12, and 16-18 are withdrawn.
Claims 1-4, 6-11, 13-15, and 19-20 are examined.
Claims 1-3, 6-9, 11, 14-15, and 20 are rejected.
Claims 4, 10, 13, and 19 contain allowable subject matter.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
6. Claims 1-3, 6-9, 11, 14-15, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US 2021/0234068 published July 29, 2021 to Von Malm et al. (“Von Malm”).
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As to claim 9, Von Malm discloses “a semiconductor laser chip.” See Examiner Annotated figure 11.
Von Malm discloses “a semiconductor layer” at fig. 11 (#10).
Von Malm discloses “a 1st mirror” at fig. 11 (#701).
Von Malm discloses “a 2nd mirror” at fig. 11 (#702).
Von Malm discloses “a 1st region” at fig. 11 (#101).
Von Malm discloses “a 2nd region” at fig. 11 (#102).
Von Malm discloses “an active region” at fig. 11 (#103). The “active region…is arranged in the 2nd region” and the active region (#103) is arranged between the 1st mirror (#701) and the 2nd mirror (#702).
Von Malm discloses the 1st mirror (#701) and the 2nd mirror (#702) are adjacent to the 2nd region (#102), and the 2nd region (#102) is arranged on the 1st region (#101) along a vertical direction (Y direction), which runs perpendicular to the main extension plane of the semiconductor layer (X direction).
As to claim 11, Von Malm discloses “an encapsulation” at passivation (#60).
As to claim 14, Von Malm discloses “…the 1st mirror comprises a lower reflectivity than the 2nd mirror…” at ¶[0076].
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As to claim 15, Von Malm discloses “the semiconductor layer comprises two side edges, which extend transversely to the main extension plane of the semiconductor layer” as shown in Examiner Annotated figure 11.
As to claim 20, Examiners find amplifier (E) reads on the claimed “waveguide.”
As to claims 1-3 and 6-8, these claims are merely the method of producing the claimed waveguide.
Allowable Subject Matter
7. Claims 4, 10, 13, and 19 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.
As to claim 4, the prior art does not disclose or make obvious “the laser chip regions are formed by removing the semiconductor layer in places by etching and by applying the 1st mirror and the 2nd mirror to the 2nd region, and wherein the 1st region comprises a larger extension parallel to the main extension plane of the semiconductor layer than the 2nd region” in combination with the other limitations of the claims.
As to claim 10, the prior art does not disclose or make obvious “the 1st region and the 2nd region comprise different extensions from each other parallel to the main extension plane of the semiconductor layer” in combination with the other limitations of the claims
As to claim 13, the prior art does not disclose or make obvious “the 1st region comprises a larger extension parallel to the main extension plane of the semiconductor layer than the 2nd region” in combination with the other limitations of the claims.
As to claim 19, the prior art does not disclose or make obvious “the 1st region comprises a larger extension parallel to the semiconductor layer than the 2nd region, in the 1st region the side edges of the semiconductor layer extend perpendicular to the main extension plane of the semiconductor layer, and in the 2nd region, the side edges of the semiconductor layer extend transversely to the main extension plane of the semiconductor layer” in combination with the other limitations of the claims.
Conclusion
8. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DEANDRA M HUGHES whose telephone number is (571)272-6982. The examiner can normally be reached Generally M-Th 8AM-6PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Hetul Patel can be reached at 571-272-4184. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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Signed:
/DEANDRA M HUGHES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3992
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