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 Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 6 - 7, filed 07/22/2026, with respect to the independent claims 1 and 12 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection of 04/22/2026 has been withdrawn.
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.
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 – 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0140225 A1 to Xia (hereinafter “Xia”).
Regarding Claims 1 and 12, Xia teaches a micro electromechanical sensor assembly (see abstract describing MEMS device and method of forming the MEMS device, see paragraphs [0004] – [0006], see MEMS device 500, Fig. 12), comprising:
a semiconductor die (see composite substrate 310, Fig. 12, which comprises multiple semiconductor layers as described at paragraph [0024]) having a sealed cavity (see cavity formed at 450a and 320 at Fig. 12, see paragraphs [0039] – [0041]);
a microelectromechanical inertial sensor (see paragraphs [0035], [0041], [0042] describing the MEMS device which can be configured as an accelerometer device, thus reading on the invention as claimed) having a sensing mass (see sensing mass or proof mass regions at 315c, Fig. 12, see paragraph [0041]); and
a piezoelectric vibration sensor having a piezoelectric membrane (see the piezoelectric stacking structure 200 disposed on the composite substrate 310, Fig. 12, see also paragraphs [0030], [0034] describing the piezoelectric stacking structure 200 further including at least one suspended region 210, Fig. 10, which is capable of vibrating at a certain frequency, hence reading on the invention as claimed);
wherein the sensing mass (315c, Fig. 12) and the piezoelectric membrane (210) are housed in the sealed cavity (see arrangement in Fig. 12 illustrating the sensing mass 315 and the piezoelectric membrane 210 which is arranged above the mass 315a as being housed in the cavity 450a, hence reading on the invention as claimed).
Insofar as Xia may be construed as not explicitly state an inertial sensor, Xia teaches that the MEMS device can be configured as an accelerometer device as described above, therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to recognize the MEMS device of Xia as an inertial sensor as claimed, since it is known in the art that an accelerometer is a type of inertial sensor.
Regarding Claim 16, Xia teaches a microelectromechanical sensor assembly (see abstract describing MEMS device and method of forming the MEMS device, see paragraphs [0004] – [0006], see MEMS device 500, Fig. 12), comprising:
a semiconductor die (see composite substrate 310, Fig. 12, which comprises multiple semiconductor layers as described at paragraph [0024]) having a sealed cavity (see cavity formed at 450a and 320 at Fig. 12, see paragraphs [0039] – [0041]);
a microelectromechanical inertial sensor (see paragraphs [0035], [0041], [0042] describing the MEMS device which can be configured as an accelerometer device, thus reading on the invention as claimed) having a sensing mass (see sensing mass or proof mass regions at 315c, Fig. 12, see paragraph [0041]); and
a piezoelectric vibration sensor having a piezoelectric membrane (see the piezoelectric stacking structure 200 disposed on the composite substrate 310, Fig. 12, see also paragraphs [0030], [0034] describing the piezoelectric stacking structure 200 further including at least one suspended region 210, Fig. 10, which is capable of vibrating at a certain frequency, hence reading on the invention as claimed);
wherein the microelectromechanical inertial sensor (300, 315c) and the piezoelectric vibration sensor (200, 210) are stacked on top of one another in the sealed cavity (see arrangement at Fig. 12);
wherein the sensing mass (315c) and the piezoelectric membrane (210) are housed in the sealed cavity (450a, see arrangement at Fig. 12);
wherein the semiconductor die comprises a substrate (see semiconductor layer 312, see paragraph [0031]), a supporting body (see multiple semiconductor layers above the first semiconductor layer as described at paragraph [0024]), and a cap joined together (see cover layer 450, Fig. 12, see paragraphs [0039] – [0040]), and
wherein the sealed cavity is defined between the substrate, the supporting body, and the cap (see arrangement at Fig. 12).
Insofar as Xia may be construed as not explicitly state an inertial sensor, Xia teaches that the MEMS device can be configured as an accelerometer device as described above, therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to recognize the MEMs device of Xia as an inertial sensor as claimed, since it is known in the art that an accelerometer is a type of inertial sensor.
Regarding Claims 2 and 13, Xia as modified above teaches wherein the microelectromechanical inertial sensor (300, 315c) and the piezoelectric vibration sensor (200, 210) are stacked on top of one another in the sealed cavity (see arrangement at Fig. 12).
Regarding Claim 3, Xia as modified above teaches wherein the semiconductor die comprises a substrate (see semiconductor layer 312, see paragraph [0031]), a supporting body (see multiple semiconductor layers above the first semiconductor layer as described at paragraph [0024]), and a cap joined together (see cover layer 450, Fig. 12, see paragraphs [0039] – [0040]), and wherein the sealed cavity is defined between the substrate, the supporting body, and the cap (see arrangement at Fig. 12).
Regarding Claims 4 and 17, Xia as modified above teaches wherein the sensing mass (315c) of the microelectromechanical inertial sensor is arranged between the substrate (312) and the piezoelectric membrane of the piezoelectric vibration sensor (200, 210, see arrangement at Figs. 10, 12).
Regarding Claims 5 and 18, Xia as modified above teaches wherein the microelectromechanical inertial sensor (315c) and the piezoelectric vibration sensor (210, 200) are supported by the supporting body (see arrangement at Fig. 12), and the piezoelectric membrane is coupled to the supporting body so that vibrations propagating in the supporting body are transmitted to the piezoelectric vibration sensor (see paragraphs [0030], [0034] - [0035] and [0042], hence reading on the invention as claimed).
Regarding Claims 6 and 19, Xia as modified above teaches wherein the supporting body comprises a first portion (see for instance first portion at regions of 315, and 202 Fig. 12), said first portion joined to the substrate (see 313a, 330a joining the first portion 315, 202 and the substrate 312 at Fig. 12) and laterally delimiting a first volume of the sealed cavity (see 1st volume formed in cavity 320, Fig. 12, see annotated figure below), and wherein the microelectromechanical inertial sensor comprises a sensing mass (315c) elastically supported by the first portion of the supporting body in the first volume of the sealed cavity so as to be able to oscillate along a sensing axis (see arrangement at Fig. 12 and/or see annotated figure below, which results in the elastically supported arrangement due to the suspended arrangement of 210, hence reading on the invention as claimed) .
Regarding Claims 7 and 20, Xia as modified above teaches wherein the supporting body comprises a second portion, joined to the first portion on a side opposite to the substrate (see region above 202 of 200, Fig. 12) and laterally delimiting a second volume of the sealed cavity (see second volume formed above the first volume at Fig. 12, see annotated figure below), the second volume being in communication with the first volume, and wherein the piezoelectric membrane is anchored to the second portion of the supporting body and delimits at least partially the second volume of the sealed cavity on a side opposite to the first volume (see arrangement of the piezoelectric membrane 210 formed in suspended manner, see annotated figure below).
Regarding Claim 8, Xia as modified above teaches wherein the cap (450, Fig. 12) is joined to the second portion of the supporting body by bonding structures (see arrangement at Fig. 12), wherein the cap (450) and the bonding structures delimit a third volume of the sealed cavity (see annotated figure below).
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Regarding Claim 9, Xia as modified above teaches wherein the piezoelectric membrane separates at least partially the second volume and the third volume of the sealed cavity (see annotated arrangement above).
Regarding Claim 10, Xia as modified above teaches wherein the piezoelectric membrane has through slits and wherein the second volume and the third volume of the sealed cavity are in communication with each other by way of said through slits (see arrangement at Fig. 12, see slit forming at the second volume as also illustrated in the annotated figure above).
Regarding Claim 11, Xia as modified above teaches wherein the second portion of the supporting body defines a spacer element between the microelectromechanical inertial sensor and the piezoelectric vibration sensor (see arrangement at Fig. 12 and/or annotated figure above, hence reading on the invention as claimed).
Regarding Claim 14, Xia as modified above teaches wherein forming the microelectromechanical inertial sensor (see Figs. 1 – 10 which illustrates fabricating process of the MEMS device 300, see paragraph [0024]) comprises:
forming a first structural layer on a substrate containing semiconductor material (see paragraph [0024] describing “a composite substrate 310 such as a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate is firstly provided for fabricating the MEMS device 300. The composite substrate 310 further includes a first semiconductor layer 311, with a material thereof being single-crystalline silicon, polysilicon, amorphous silicon or other suitable material for example, a bonding layer 313, with a material thereof being silicon oxide (SiO), silicon oxynitride (SiON) or silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2) for example, and a second semiconductor layer 315”, hence reading on the invention as claimed); and
defining the sensing mass in the first structural layer in a region corresponding to a first volume of the sealed cavity (see paragraph [0024] which states “ Preferably, the thickness T1 of the second semiconductor layer 315 is equal to a predetermined thickness of a proof mass formed subsequently, for example 50 μm, but not limited thereto”, see region forming a first volume in the sealed cavity as illustrated at Fig. 12 and/or in the annotated figure above, hence reading on the invention as claimed);
wherein defining the sensing mass comprises forming flexures between the movable mass and a remaining portion of the first structural layer and electrodes fixed to the substrate and capacitively coupled to the movable mass (see paragraphs [0024] – [0030] describing the fabrication which includes suspension arrangement including top and bottom electrodes, hence reading on the invention as claimed).
Regarding Claim 15, Xia as modified above teaches wherein forming the piezoelectric vibration sensor comprises:
forming a second structural layer on the first structural layer (see forming the piezoelectric stacking structure 200 formed on the insulating layer 330, see paragraph [0029]);
etching the second structural layer in a region corresponding to a second volume of the sealed cavity, the second volume being in communication with the first volume (see paragraph [0029] describing selectively etching material layers to form the structure, see Figs. 6-7, see Fig. 12 as well as annotated figure above showing the second volume as claimed);
forming a sacrificial supporting structure in the second volume (see multiple supporting layers in the second volume as illustrated at Fig. 12 and/or annotated figure above);
forming the piezoelectric membrane (200, 210) on the sacrificial supporting structure (see arrangement at Fig. 12 and/or annotated figure above); and
releasing the second volume underneath the piezoelectric membrane (see modification and rejection in claims 7 and 8 above and annotated figure above, hence reading on the invention as claimed).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892 form accompanying this office action which includes the following relevant prior arts:
Ye (U.S. 2020/0288250 A1) teaches MEMS based bone conduction sensor comprising a closed cavity 1 which includes an accelerometer sensor 11 and a vibrating diaphragm 112 as seen at Figs. 1, 2.
Ling, Fang-Zhou et al. (CN 216313420 U) teaches bone conduction accelerometer for picking up speech comprising a sealed cavity, a sensitive frame 7 and a mass block 8 within the sealed cavity.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARRIT EYASSU whose telephone number is (571)270-1403. The examiner can normally be reached M - F: 9:00AM - 6:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Laura E. Martin can be reached at (571) 272-2160. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MARRIT EYASSU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2855
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