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 .
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN113658850A in view of CN114864529 A
The CN113658850A reference teaches composite substrate of silicon carbide, note, entire reference. The composite substrate comprising: a first silicon carbide layer, the material of the first silicon carbide layer comprising single crystal silicon carbide and a second silicon carbide layer bonded to the first silicon carbide layer. The second silicon carbide layer having at least a local defect density greater than a defect density of the first silicon carbide layer. Further, a transition layer is between the first silicon carbide layer and the second silicon carbide layer. The first silicon carbide layer and the second silicon carbide layer are bonded through a transition layer, abs. The sole difference between the instant claim and the prior art is the doping level. However, CN114864529 A teaches a silicon carbide composite substrate and specifically discloses the (see specification paragraphs 1-164, Figures 1-3) a the silicon carbide composite substrate comprises a single crystal layer, an intermediate layer and a polycrystalline support layer arranged in stack. There are dopants in the intermediate layer. The introduction of the first impurity and the second impority can reduce the resistivity between the monocrystalline layer and the polycrystalline support layer. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the instant invention to modify the CN113658850A reference in view of the CN114864529 reference to added dopants in the structure layers in order to reduce the interfacial resistance between the support substrate and the single crystal silicon carbide substrate.
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN113658850A in view of CN114864529 A
The CN113658850A and CN114864529 A references are relied on for the same reasons as stated, supra, and differ from the instant claim in the separation means. The CN113658850A reference does teach (see Figures 6 and 7): implanting a back surface al of a silicon carbide single crystal t 10 having an n-type < 0001 > lattice direction offset from < 11-20 > lattice direction with hydrogen ions (H +) to form a defect layer at a predetermined depth X position within the back surface al; the first silicon carbide layer 11 and the second silicon carbide layer 30 are bonded by a transition layer 42; forming S200 'a transition layer 42 at the front surface b2 of the second silicon carbide layer 30. Then separating the layers to create a silicon carbide substrate. However, in the absence of unexpected results, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the instant invention to determine through routine experimentation the optimum, operable separation method, including heating in the combined references in order to have a clean uniform separation and a reusable base.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN113658850A in view of CN114864529 A
The CN113658850A and CN114864529 A references are relied on for the same reasons as stated, supra, and differ from the instant claim in the implantion parameters. However, in the absence of unexpected results, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the instant invention to determine through routine experimentation the optimum, operable ion implantion parameters in the combined references in order to create a uniform damage layer at a set depth.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN113658850A in view of CN114864529 A
The CN113658850A and CN114864529 A references are relied on for the same reasons as stated, supra, and differ from the instant claim in the polishing step. However, in the absence of unexpected results, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the instant invention to determine through routine experimentation the optimum, operable polishing step in the combined references in order to a smooth surface for the bonding layer.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN113658850A in view of CN114864529 A
The CN113658850A and CN114864529 A references are relied on for the same reasons as stated, supra, and differ from the instant claim in the implantion parameters. However, in the absence of unexpected results, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the instant invention to determine through routine experimentation the optimum, operable ion implantion parameters in the combined references in order to create a uniform damage layer at a set depth.
Claims 2 to 4, 6 and 7 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.
The prior art does not teach nor render obvious the instantly claimed invention. The prior art does not teach the claimed dimensions of the layers, second side deposition and roughness.
Examiner’ remarks
The remaining references are merely cited of interest as showing the state of the art.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT M KUNEMUND whose telephone number is (571)272-1464. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.
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RMK
/ROBERT M KUNEMUND/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1714