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 .
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.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/15/2024 has been considered by the examiner.
Oath/Declaration
Oath/Declaration as file 11/15/2024 is noted by the Examiner.
Title Objection
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: “MAGNETIC FIELD SENSING DEVICE FOR DETERMINING MAGNETIC FIELD DISTRIBUTION IN AN AREA”
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and 21 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 disclosed the limitation “…determining the magnetic field distribution in an area comprising: a predetermined area of a diamond NV center substrate…” There is no clarification anywhere in the claims as to what “NV” stands for. Looking at the Specification, paragraph [0011] does disclose “The diamond NV center substrate may constitute a diamond material containing Nitrogen Vacancy (NV) centers in the form of a thin plate.” If this is the case, then please disclose this clarification in the claims.
Claim 21 disclosed the limitation “…field sensing device comprising a predetermined area of a diamond NV center substrate…” There is no clarification anywhere in the claims as to what “NV” stands for. Looking at the Specification, paragraph [0011] does disclose “The diamond NV center substrate may constitute a diamond material containing Nitrogen Vacancy (NV) centers in the form of a thin plate.” If this is the case, then please disclose this clarification in the claims.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(A)(1)/102(A)(2) as being anticipated by Chen et al. US 10,901,054 (Provided by Applicant; Hereinafter Chen).
Regarding claim 1, Chen teaches a magnetic field sensing device (Figs. 2A-5) for determining the magnetic field distribution in an area (Col. 4, lines 3-6; “…the atomic defects are used as atomic magnetometers capable of measuring and spatially mapping the strength of a magnetic field with high precision and at high spatial resolution.”) comprising:
a predetermined area of a diamond NV center substrate (Figs. 3A, 3B; Col. 11, line 56-Col. 12, line 20; “diamond NV centers”), the predetermined area having a plurality of sensing elements (Col. 11, lines 15-34; defect centers, 106; plurality of atomic defect sensors, 410), each of said plurality of sensing elements having a first contact (Fig. 3B; electrode, 430a) and a second contact (Fig. 3B; electrode, 430b) electrically contacting a surface of the diamond NV center substrate (Fig. 3B; electrodes, 430a, 430b), said second contact being electrically isolated from said first contact (Fig. 3B); wherein in each sensing element (Col. 11, lines 15-34; defect centers, 106; plurality of atomic defect sensors, 410), one of the first and second contact (Fig. 3B; electrodes, 430a, 430b) is located inward to the other one of the first and second contact (Fig. 3B), and
a controller (Fig. 3C; readout control circuit; 444);
wherein, in an operational mode, the controller (Fig. 3C; readout control circuit; 444) is configured to control (Fig. 3C; readout control circuit; 444)
a biasing element to apply a bias voltage to the first contacts of a selection of the plurality of sensing elements (Fig. 3B; VDD, VSS), thereby generating a local external electrical field in each of the selected sensing elements (Fig. 3B; VDD, VSS), while the selected sensing elements are illuminated by at least one light source (See the illumination via item 412 in Fig. 3B or item 202 in Fig. 4B), thereby inducing a photocurrent in each of the selected sensing elements (Col. 14, line 1; “The resulting photocurrent”), and irradiated by at least one microwave source (Fig. 3B, RFin; Fig. 3C, RF source layer, 409), thereby influencing the photocurrent generated in each of the selected sensing elements (Fig. 3B, RFin; Fig. 3C, RF source layer, 409);
a measurement unit (Fig. 2A, current sensor, 210; Fig. 3C, readout control circuit; 444) to measure the photocurrent detected by each of the second contacts of the selected sensing elements (Fig. 2A, current sensor, 210; Fig. 3C, readout control circuit; 444), and extract sensed magnetic field values therefrom for each sensing element of the selected sensing elements (Col. 9, line 53 to Col. 10, line 6), and
adjustment of the selection of the plurality of sensing elements allowing obtaining sensed magnetic field values for each selectable sensing element of the predetermined area (Col. 9, line 53 to Col. 10, line 6; “Such two-dimensional sensor array may be capable of imaging the spatial variation of an external magnetic field along a two-dimensional plane.”).
Regarding claim 2, Chen further teaches the magnetic field sensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein in each sensing element one of the first and second contact substantially surrounds the other one of the first and second contact (Fig. 3B; electrodes, 430a, 430b).
Regarding claim 3, Chen further teaches the magnetic field sensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensing elements is arranged in a 1D or 2D array (Fig. 3C; Col. 11, line 56 to Col. 12, line 19) and wherein first parallel conductive lines oriented in a first direction connect the first contacts (Fig. 3C; Col. 11, line 56 to Col. 12, line 19) and second parallel conductive lines oriented in a second direction connect the second contacts (Fig. 3C; Col. 11, line 56 to Col. 12, line 19).
Regarding claim 4, Chen further teaches the magnetic field sensing device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction (Fig. 3C; Col. 11, line 56 to Col. 12, line 19).
Regarding claim 5, Chen further teaches the magnetic field sensing device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the measurement unit is connected to the second conductive lines via a multiplexer (Fig. 3C; Col. 11, line 56 to Col. 12, line 19).
Regarding claim 6, Chen further teaches the magnetic field sensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the biasing element is controlled to connect the first contacts of the non-selected sensing elements to ground (Fig. 3C; Col. 11, line 56 to Col. 12, line 19).
Regarding claim 7, Chen further teaches the magnetic field sensing device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the biasing element is controlled to apply a differently modulated bias voltage to each of the first conductive lines (Fig. 3C; Col. 11, line 56 to Col. 12, line 19).
Regarding claim 8, Chen further teaches the magnetic field sensing device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the measurement unit comprises at least one lock-in amplifier (Fig. 3C; Col. 11, line 56 to Col. 12, line 19).
Regarding claim 9, Chen further teaches the magnetic field sensing device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a set of parallel microwave conductive lines for carrying a microwave signal generated by the at least one microwave source (Fig. 3C; RF source layer, 409), the microwave lines being formed above the first and/or second contacts (Fig. 3C; RF source layer, 409), and being electrically insulated from the first and second contacts and from the substrate (Fig. 3C; RF source layer, 409).
Regarding claim 10, Chen further teaches the magnetic field sensing device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the microwave lines are alternatingly connected to ground such as to define a set of coplanar microwave strips or a set of coplanar waveguides (Fig. 3C; RF source layer, 409).
Regarding claim 11, Chen further teaches the magnetic field sensing device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the set of parallel microwave conductive lines are oriented parallel to the second conductive lines (Fig. 3C; RF source layer, 409).
Regarding claim 12, Chen further teaches the magnetic field sensing device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the at least one microwave source is controlled to generate a modulated microwave signal (Col. 13, lines 22-47).
Regarding claim 13, Chen further teaches the magnetic field sensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one microwave source is controlled while irradiating to sweep frequency within a predetermined frequency range (Figs. 3A, 3B; Col. 11, line 56-Col. 12, line 20; “diamond NV centers”).
Regarding claim 14, Chen further teaches the magnetic field sensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first contacts and second contacts are formed on the same surface of the substrate and the light generated by the at least one light source is directed to an opposite surface such as to illuminate the selected sensing elements (Fig. 3B).
Regarding claim 15, Chen further teaches the magnetic field sensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the illumination is continuous across the predetermined area (Col. 12, lines 59-65).
Regarding claim 16, Chen further teaches the magnetic field sensing device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the illumination is spatially varied across the predetermined area (Col. 12, lines 59-65).
Regarding claim 17, Chen further teaches the magnetic field sensing device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the at least one light source is a focused laser beam (Figs. 2A-3B, 4B).
Regarding claim 18, Chen further teaches the magnetic field sensing device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the at least one light source is a line-shaped laser beam (Figs. 2A-3B, 4B).
Regarding claim 19, Chen further teaches the magnetic field sensing device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the at least one light source is a 1-dimensional or two-dimensional array of LEDs or lasers (Figs. 2A-3B, 4B).
Regarding claim 20, Chen further teaches the magnetic field sensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the measurement unit is configured to extract from the measured photocurrent sensed temperature values for each sensing element of the selected sensing elements (Col. 16, lines 23-48).
Regarding claim 21, Chen further teaches a method for determining the magnetic field distribution (Figs. 2A-5) in an area using a magnetic field sensing device (Col. 4, lines 3-6; “…the atomic defects are used as atomic magnetometers capable of measuring and spatially mapping the strength of a magnetic field with high precision and at high spatial resolution.”) comprising a predetermined area of a diamond NV center substrate (Figs. 3A, 3B; Col. 11, line 56-Col. 12, line 20; “diamond NV centers”), the predetermined area having a plurality of sensing elements (Col. 11, lines 15-34; defect centers, 106; plurality of atomic defect sensors, 410), each of said plurality of sensing elements having a first contact (Fig. 3B; electrode, 430a) and a second contact (Fig. 3B; electrode, 430b) electrically contacting a surface of the diamond NV center substrate (Fig. 3B; electrodes, 430a, 430b), said second contact being electrically isolated from said first contact (Fig. 3B); wherein in each sensing element (Col. 11, lines 15-34; defect centers, 106; plurality of atomic defect sensors, 410) one of the first and second contact (Fig. 3B; electrodes, 430a, 430b) is located inward to the other one of the first and second contact (Fig. 3B), the method comprising the steps of:
applying (Fig. 3C; readout control circuit; 444) a bias voltage to the first contacts of a selection of the plurality of sensing elements (Fig. 3B; VDD, VSS), thereby generating a local external electrical field in each of the selected sensing elements (Fig. 3B; VDD, VSS), while illuminating the selected sensing elements by at least one light source (See the illumination via item 412 in Fig. 3B or item 202 in Fig. 4B), thereby inducing a photocurrent in each of the selected sensing elements (Col. 14, line 1; “The resulting photocurrent”), and irradiating the selected sensing elements by at least one microwave source (Fig. 3B, RFin; Fig. 3C, RF source layer, 409), thereby influencing the photocurrent generated in each of the selected sensing elements (Fig. 3B, RFin; Fig. 3C, RF source layer, 409);
measuring (Fig. 2A, current sensor, 210; Fig. 3C, readout control circuit; 444) the photocurrent detected by each of the second contacts of the selected sensing elements (Fig. 2A, current sensor, 210; Fig. 3C, readout control circuit; 444), and extracting sensed magnetic field values therefrom for each sensing element of the selected sensing elements (Col. 9, line 53 to Col. 10, line 6); and
adjusting the selection of sensing elements and repeating the steps of the method till sensed magnetic field values are obtained for each selectable sensing element of the predetermined area (Col. 9, line 53 to Col. 10, line 6; “Such two-dimensional sensor array may be capable of imaging the spatial variation of an external magnetic field along a two-dimensional plane.”).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Cambou et al. US 2016/0018480 - An apparatus includes circuits including a first circuit and a second circuit, each circuit including subarrays of magnetic tunnel junctions, where: (1) the magnetic tunnel junctions in each subarray are arranged in rows, the magnetic tunnel junctions in each row are connected in series, and the rows are connected in parallel; and (2) the subarrays are connected in series.
Romero et al. US 2014/0225598 - A magnetic field sensor can use a variety of different current spinning phase sequences, and/or can provide an angle error value to correct errors of the magnetic field sensor. An associated method is described.
Vuillermet et al. US 2020/0333380 - A method can use a current sensor that can include a magnetic flux concentrator and a first magnetic field sensing element disposed proximate to the magnetic flux concentrator, the first magnetic field sensing element having a first maximum response axis, the first magnetic field sensing element operable to generate a first signal responsive to a first magnetic field proximate to the first magnetic field sensing element resulting from an electrical current passing through a conductor, wherein the magnetic flux concentrator is operable to influence a direction of the first magnetic field.
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/RAUL J RIOS RUSSO/Examiner, Art Unit 2858
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