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 .
Election/Restrictions
During a telephone conversation with David Hall on 9/16/2026 a provisional election was made without traverse to prosecute the invention of Species I. Affirmation of this election must be made by applicant in replying to this Office action. Claims 4-7, 9, 11-14, and 21-23 are withdrawn from further consideration by the examiner, 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a non-elected invention.
Drawings
Figures 2-3 should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. 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 § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by applicant’s admitted prior art (US PG PUB 2025/0386569, hereinafter AAPA).
Regarding claim 1, figures 2-3 of AAPA disclose a semiconductor device, comprising:
a semiconductor layer having an active region (22) and a gate contact region (45) adjacent the active region;
a plurality of alternating mesa stripes (42) and trenches (52) in the active region;
a gate contact pad (11) on the semiconductor layer; and
an under-gate mesa (43) in the gate contact region beneath the gate contact pad.
Regarding claim 3, figures 2-3 of AAPA disclose the under-gate mesa (43) is electrically isolated from the plurality of alternating mesa stripes (42) in the active region.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 15-20 are allowed.
Regarding claim 15, the closest prior art of record, AAPA, either singularly or in combination, does not disclose or suggest the combination of limitations including “a semiconductor device, comprising:
a substrate;
a semiconductor layer on the substrate, the semiconductor layer having an active region and an edge termination region surrounding the active region;
a plurality of alternating mesa stripes and trenches in the active region;
a gate contact pad on the semiconductor layer within a gate contact region; and
a saw street at an outer periphery of the semiconductor layer, wherein a top surface of the saw street is at a same height above the substrate as top surfaces of the plurality of mesa stripes.”
Claims 2, 8 and 10 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YU-HSI DAVID SUN whose telephone number is (571)270-5773. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8am-4pm ET.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Marlon Fletcher can be reached at 571-272-2063. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/YU-HSI D SUN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2817
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