System and Method for Performing Characterization of a Sample Using Multi-Wavelength Laser Acoustics
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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 09/26/2024, 01/06/2025, 11/24/2025 and 08/28/2026 are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to 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 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 1-2, 5-6, 8, 10-13, 15-18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jalali (US 20090073432; “Jalali”).
Regarding claim 1, Jalali discloses, in figures 1-10, an opto-acoustic metrology device (20) for non-destructive metrology of a target sample (26), comprising: a laser light source (22) for generating pulsed light having a first wavelength (¶ 0052, “pulsed probe laser”); a supercontinuum generator (32) that receives the pulsed light having the first wavelength (see fig. 2) and spectrally broadens the pulsed light (examiner asserts Jalali’s supercontinuum element inherently broadens the narrow wavelength of the pulsed laser); a pump arm ((24) examiner notes Jalali’s Raman pump laser including inherent optical components are considered a pump arm) that is configured to receive the pulsed light and to irradiate (¶ 0055, “A pulse from a second laser, the Raman pump laser 24, is also directed onto the sample 26 at a selected point so that the pump and probe pulses overlap on the sample in time and space”) the target sample (26) with one or more pump pulses (see previous comment) to cause transient perturbation in material (¶ 0056, “pump and probe pulses directed to the sample 26 stimulate Raman scattering if they are Raman resonant with the sample”) in the target sample (26); a probe arm (not enumerated, see fig. 2, examiner notes Jalali’s probe arm is the signal path that includes the dispersive element 28 that directs the pulsed probe laser signal at the sample) that is configured to receive the pulsed light and to irradiate the target sample (¶ 0054, “chirped pulse is directed to a selected point on a sample 26”) with one or more probe pulses (¶ 0052, “output from the pulsed probe laser 22 is chirped or dispersed with a temporally dispersive element 28 prior to being directed on the sample 26”) to produce reflected probe pulses (¶ 0056, “radiation that is scattered”) that are modulated based on the transient perturbation in the material (¶ 0074, Julali modulates the broadband pulse to match the spectrum of the species desired to be detected), wherein the one or more pump pulses (see previous comment) and the one or more probe pulses (see previous comment) have different wavelengths or same wavelengths selected from the spectrally broadened pulsed light (¶ 0074, examiner notes Julali’s pump pulses and probe pulses are either different wavelengths or the same wavelengths); one or more detectors (40) for receiving reflected probe pulses (¶ 0059, “he pulse may be amplified by an optional amplifier 38 and is then detected by an optical detector 40”) from the target sample (26); and at least one processor (48) coupled to the one or more detectors (40) and configured to determine at least one property (¶ 0051, “digitized electrical signal may be electronically cross-correlated with the known Raman spectrum of one or more chemicals or materials for the purpose of matched detection of unknown chemical species or other constituents in the sample under analysis”) of the target sample (26) based on reflected probe pulses (see previous comment).
Regarding claim 2, Jalali discloses, in figures 1-10, the laser light source (22) generates a single pulsed light beam (¶ 0023, Jalali uses “a single pump-probe pulse”).
Regarding claim 5, Jalali discloses, in figures 1-10, the supercontinuum generator (32) is located within the probe arm (not enumerated, see fig. 2, examiner notes Jalali’s probe arm is the signal path that includes the dispersive element 28 that directs the pulsed probe laser signal at the sample).
Regarding claim 6, Jalali discloses, in figures 1-10, a wavelength selecting filter (34) that receives the pulsed light that is spectrally broadened (examiner asserts Jalali’s supercontinuum element inherently broadens the narrow wavelength of the pulsed laser) by the supercontinuum generator (32) and selects a second wavelength (¶ 0054, Jalali’s filter is a bandpass filter therefore it selects a wavelength to pass).
Regarding claim 8, Jalali discloses, in figures 1-10, a pulse shaper (28) that shapes at least a portion of the pulsed light to vary at least one of a duration, phase, or both of the one or more pump pulses (¶ 0052, Jalali’s “output from the pulsed probe laser 22 is chirped or dispersed with a temporally dispersive element 28” therefore the output duration is increased since the pulse is spread out in time and the phase is changed since chirp occurs by introducing frequency-dependent phase shift).
Regarding claim 10, Jalali discloses, in figures 1-10, a method for non-destructive opto-acoustic metrology (ABSTRACT, method of measuring Raman-type spectra… without the use of a conventional spectrometer”) of a target sample (26) using an opto-acoustic metrology device (20), comprising: generating pulsed light having a first wavelength (¶ 0052, “pulsed probe laser”) with a laser light source (22); spectrally broadening the pulsed light (see fig. 2) with a supercontinuum generator (32); generating one or more pump pulses using the pulsed light in a pump arm ((24) examiner notes Jalali’s Raman pump laser including inherent optical components are considered a pump arm) that cause transient perturbation in material (¶ 0056, “pump and probe pulses directed to the sample 26 stimulate Raman scattering if they are Raman resonant with the sample”) in the target sample (26) that the one or more pump pulses irradiate (¶ 0055, “A pulse from a second laser, the Raman pump laser 24, is also directed onto the sample 26 at a selected point so that the pump and probe pulses overlap on the sample in time and space”); generating one or more probe pulses (¶ 0052, “output from the pulsed probe laser 22 is chirped or dispersed with a temporally dispersive element 28 prior to being directed on the sample 26”) using the pulsed light (¶ 0054, “chirped pulse is directed to a selected point on a sample 26”) in a probe arm (not enumerated, see fig. 2, examiner notes Jalali’s probe arm is the signal path that includes the dispersive element 28 that directs the pulsed probe laser signal at the sample) that produce from the target sample that the one or more probe pulses irradiate reflected probe pulses (¶ 0056, “radiation that is scattered”) that are modulated based on the transient perturbation in the material (¶ 0074, Julali modulates the broadband pulse to match the spectrum of the species desired to be detected), wherein the one or more pump pulses (see previous comment) and the one or more probe pulses (see previous comment) have different wavelengths or same wavelengths selected from the spectrally broadened pulsed light (¶ 0074, examiner notes Julali’s pump pulses and probe pulses are either different wavelengths or the same wavelengths); detecting with one or more detectors (40) reflected probe pulses (see fig. 2) from the target sample (26); and determining at least one property (¶ 0051, “digitized electrical signal may be electronically cross-correlated with the known Raman spectrum of one or more chemicals or materials for the purpose of matched detection of unknown chemical species or other constituents in the sample under analysis”) of the target sample (26) based on reflected probe pulses (see previous comment).
Regarding claim 11, Jalali discloses, in figures 1-10, the pulsed light is spectrally broadened to include a second wavelength and a third wavelength (examiner asserts Jalali’s supercontinuum element inherently broadens the narrow wavelength of the pulsed laser into multiple wavelengths including a second and third wavelength) by the supercontinuum generator (32) before the pump arm and the probe arm (¶ 0042, the source of light is a “supercontinuum”, ¶ 0044, Jalali’s probe and pump pulses can be derived from the same light source”, therefore the light source is the supercontinuum generator before the probe and pump arms), further comprising directing the second wavelength to the pump arm and directing the third wavelength to the probe arm (¶ 0044, Jalali’s system splits the light in order to produce probe and pump pulses, the examiner asserts the pump and probe receive different frequencies since in Raman spectroscopy the probe and pump frequency bands do not overlap).
Regarding claim 12, Jalali discloses, in figures 1-10, the pulsed light is spectrally broadened by the supercontinuum generator (32) within the probe arm (not enumerated, see fig. 2, examiner notes Jalali’s probe arm is the signal path that includes the dispersive element 28 that directs the pulsed probe laser signal at the sample).
Regarding claim 13, Jalali discloses, in figures 1-10, selecting a second wavelength (¶ 0054, Jalali’s filter is a bandpass filter therefore it selects a wavelength to pass) with a wavelength selecting filter (34) from the pulsed light that is spectrally broadened by the supercontinuum generator (examiner asserts Jalali’s supercontinuum element inherently broadens the narrow wavelength of the pulsed laser).
Regarding claim 15, Jalali discloses, in figures 1-10, shaping (28) at least a portion of the pulsed light to vary at least one of a duration, phase, or both of the one or more pump pulses (¶ 0052, Jalali’s “output from the pulsed probe laser 22 is chirped or dispersed with a temporally dispersive element 28” therefore the output duration is increased since the pulse is spread out in time and the phase is changed since chirp occurs by introducing frequency-dependent phase shift).
Regarding claim 16, Jalali discloses, in figures 1-10, an opto-acoustic metrology device (20) for non-destructive metrology of a target sample (26), comprising: a laser light source (22) for generating pulsed light having a first wavelength (¶ 0052, “pulsed probe laser”); means for spectrally broadening (32) the pulsed light; a pump arm ((24) examiner notes Jalali’s Raman pump laser including inherent optical components are considered a pump arm) that is configured to receive the pulsed light and to irradiate (¶ 0055, “A pulse from a second laser, the Raman pump laser 24, is also directed onto the sample 26 at a selected point so that the pump and probe pulses overlap on the sample in time and space”) the target sample (26) with one or more pump pulses (see previous comment) to cause transient perturbation in material (¶ 0056, “pump and probe pulses directed to the sample 26 stimulate Raman scattering if they are Raman resonant with the sample”) in the target sample (26); a probe arm (not enumerated, see fig. 2, examiner notes Jalali’s probe arm is the signal path that includes the dispersive element 28 that directs the pulsed probe laser signal at the sample) that is configured to receive the pulsed light and to irradiate the target sample (¶ 0054, “chirped pulse is directed to a selected point on a sample 26”) with one or more probe pulses (¶ 0054, “chirped pulse is directed to a selected point on a sample 26”) to produce reflected probe pulses (¶ 0056, “radiation that is scattered”) that are modulated based on the transient perturbation in the material (¶ 0074, Julali modulates the broadband pulse to match the spectrum of the species desired to be detected), wherein the one or more pump pulses (see previous comment) and the one or more probe pulses (see previous comment) have different wavelengths or same wavelengths selected from the spectrally broadened pulsed light (¶ 0074, examiner notes Julali’s pump pulses and probe pulses are either different wavelengths or the same wavelengths) one or more detectors (40) for receiving reflected probe pulses (¶ 0059, “he pulse may be amplified by an optional amplifier 38 and is then detected by an optical detector 40”) from the target sample (26); and at least one processor (48) coupled to the one or more detectors (40) and configured to determine at least one property (¶ 0051, “digitized electrical signal may be electronically cross-correlated with the known Raman spectrum of one or more chemicals or materials for the purpose of matched detection of unknown chemical species or other constituents in the sample under analysis”) of the target sample (26) based on reflected probe pulses (see previous comment).
Regarding claim 17, Jalali discloses, in figures 1-10, the pulsed light is spectrally broadened to include a second wavelength and a third wavelength (examiner asserts Jalali’s supercontinuum element inherently broadens the narrow wavelength of the pulsed laser into multiple wavelengths including a second and third wavelength) before the pump arm and the probe arm (¶ 0042, the source of light is a “supercontinuum”, ¶ 0044, Jalali’s probe and pump pulses can be derived from the same light source”, therefore the light source is the supercontinuum generator before the probe and pump arms), further comprising means for directing the second wavelength to the pump arm and directing the third wavelength to the probe arm (¶ 0044, Jalali’s system splits the light in order to produce probe and pump pulses, the examiner asserts the pump and probe receive different frequencies since in Raman spectroscopy the probe and pump frequency bands do not overlap).
Regarding claim 18, Jalali discloses, in figures 1-10, the pulsed light is spectrally broadened ((32) examiner asserts Jalali’s supercontinuum element inherently broadens the narrow wavelength of the pulsed laser within the probe arm (not enumerated, see fig. 2, examiner notes Jalali’s probe arm is the signal path that includes the dispersive element 28 that directs the pulsed probe laser signal at the sample).
Regarding claim 20, Jalali discloses, in figures 1-10, means for shaping (28) at least a portion of the pulsed light to vary at least one of a duration, phase, or both of the one or more pump pulses (¶ 0052, Jalali’s “output from the pulsed probe laser 22 is chirped or dispersed with a temporally dispersive element 28” therefore the output duration is increased since the pulse is spread out in time and the phase is changed since chirp occurs by introducing frequency-dependent phase shift).
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.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jalali (US 20090073432; “Jalali”) as applied to claim 1, in view of Kobayashi (WO 2014208349; "Kobayashi").
Regarding claim 3, Jalali fails to disclose the supercontinuum generator is a photonic crystal fibers.
Kobayashi teaches, in figure 6, the supercontinuum generator (51) comprises photonic crystal fibers (see Kobayashi’s translation, p. 6, ¶ 3, “photonic crystal fiber (PCF))”.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate Kobayashi’s photonic crystal fiber in combination into Jalali’s system to generate white pulse light since it is well known to combine prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results. Doing so provides a reliable way of producing a broadband pulse.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 7, 9, 14 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 4, examiner notes a search has not revealed art teaching or suggesting the apparatus of Jalali in combination with the supercontinuum generator is located before the pump arm and the probe arm and spectrally broadens the pulsed light to include a second wavelength and a third wavelength, further comprising a dichroic beam splitter that directs the pulsed light with the second wavelength to the pump arm and directs the pulsed light with the third wavelength to the probe arm, since Jalali relies on a broad probe beam and a DBS is incapable of splitting a beam into a narrow beam and a broad beam of light. The examiner concludes prior existence of the combination is improbable.
Regarding claim 7, examiner notes a search has not revealed art teaching or suggesting the apparatus of Jalali in combination with the supercontinuum generator is located before the pump arm and the probe arm and spectrally broadens the pulsed light to include a second wavelength and a third wavelength, further comprising: a wavelength selecting filter that receives the pulsed light that is spectrally broadened by the supercontinuum generator and selects the second wavelength; and one or more optical elements that direct the pulsed light with the second wavelength to the pump arm and to the probe arm, since Raman spectroscopy uses two beams that do not have overlapping frequency bands. The examiner concludes prior existence of the combination is improbable.
Regarding claim 9, examiner notes a search has not revealed art teaching or suggesting the apparatus of Jalali in combination with the pulse shaper comprises one of a spatial light modulator or an acousto-optic modulator. The examiner concludes prior existence of the combination is improbable.
Regarding claim 14, examiner notes a search has not revealed art teaching or suggesting the method of Jalali in combination with the pulsed light is spectrally broadened before the pump arm and the probe arm, further comprising: selecting a second wavelength with a wavelength selecting filter from the pulsed light; and directing the pulsed light with the second wavelength to the pump arm and the probe arm, since Raman spectroscopy uses two beams that do not have overlapping frequency bands. The examiner concludes prior existence of the combination is improbable.
Regarding claim 19, examiner notes a search has not revealed art teaching or suggesting the device of Jalali in combination with the pulsed light is spectrally broadened before the pump arm and the probe arm, further comprising: means for selecting a second wavelength with a wavelength selecting filter from the pulsed light; and means for directing the pulsed light with the second wavelength to the pump arm and the probe arm, since Raman spectroscopy uses two beams that do not have overlapping frequency bands. The examiner concludes prior existence of the combination is improbable.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TIMOTHY P GRAVES whose telephone number is (469)295-9072. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8 a.m. - 5 p.m..
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/TIMOTHY P GRAVES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2855
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