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 .
Drawings Objections
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the limitations recited in claim 11 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a) because they fail to show [0008] A method according to an example embodiment of the present invention for producing a power finFET having two-part control electrodes and a semiconductor body which has a second connection region and a drift layer, wherein the second connection region forms a front side of the semiconductor body, comprises: producing a first structured mask on the front side of the semiconductor body by means of a lithography step, wherein the first mask has oxide regions and first open regions, wherein the first open regions expose the front side of the semiconductor body; and producing first trenches below the first open regions by means of a first etching process starting from the front side of the semiconductor body into the drift layer. Furthermore, the method comprises producing shielding zones below the first trenches by means of a first implantation process, and applying a polysilicon layer to the front side of the semiconductor body so that the first trenches are filled. The method comprises: applying an isotropic oxide layer to the front side of the semiconductor body; producing a second structured mask by means of a second etching process so that the isotropic oxide layer has second open regions, wherein the second open regions expose the front side of the semiconductor body; and producing second trenches below the second open regions by means of a third etching process starting from the front side into the drift layer, wherein the second trenches are arranged substantially in parallel with the first trenches, and the first trenches and the second trenches alternate, wherein the second trenches have a smaller width than the first trenches. The method further comprises oxidizing the front side so that a further oxide layer is arranged on the front side, and widening the first trenches and the second trenches by means of a fourth etching process so that fins are produced between the first trenches and the second trenches, wherein the fins have a width of less than 500 nm. The method comprises activating the shielding zones by means of annealing, and producing two-part control electrodes within the first trenches as described in the specification. Any structural detail that is essential for a proper understanding of the disclosed invention should be shown in the drawing. MPEP § 608.02(d). Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
Claim 18 is 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.
Claim 18 recites “ehrtrin” in unclear and indefinite.
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.
Claims 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over SUGAWARA et al. 20170271323.
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Regarding claim 16, fig. 2 of SUGAWARA discloses a power finFET having two-part control electrodes and a semiconductor body, the power finFET comprising:
a drift layer 2a; and
a second connection region 3, the second connection region being arranged above the drift layer, and first trenches 30 and second trenches 5 extending from the second connection region into the drift layer, the first trenches and the second trenches being arranged in an alternating manner, the second trenches having a smaller width than the first trenches, shielding zones 7 being arranged below the first trenches, the shielding zones directly adjoining the first trenches, and the shielding zones being connected to source regions in an electrically conductive manner,
a two-part control electrode (left and right part) being arranged within each of the first trenches 30, and each two-part control electrode being electrically insulated from the shielding zone below the first trenches in each case, wherein fins are arranged between the first trenches and the second trenches.
SUGAWARA does not disclose that the fins having a width of at most 500 nm.
However, although SUGAWARA is silent about the claimed width, it should be noted that a width inherently exists.
Therefore, the prior art of SUGAWARA provides foundation for experimental optimization and suggests a progress of changes in size/proportion in order to reduce dimension for device shrinkage.
Therefore, while the structure of SUGAWARA does not quantitatively state a width, the courts have held that when the only difference between the claimed invention and the prior art is a size/proportion, then a prima facie case of obviousness exists [See MPEP 2144.04(IV)(A)].
Therefore, it would have been obvious form a power finFET wherein the fins having a width of at most 500 nm in order to reduce dimension for device shrinkage.
Regarding claim 17, fig. 2 of SUGAWARA discloses wherein spreading zones 7 are arranged below the second trenches.
Regarding claim 18, par [0057] of SUGAWARA discloses wherein the shielding zones are p-doped and have a dopant concentration of at least 1E18/cm.sup.3.
Regarding claim 19, par [0031] of SUGAWARA discloses wherein the semiconductor body includes SiC.
Regarding claim 20, par [0099] of SUGAWARA discloses wherein the semiconductor body includes GaN.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-15 are allowed.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VONGSAVANH SENGDARA whose telephone number is (571)270-5770. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-6PM EST.
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/VONGSAVANH SENGDARA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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