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 .
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 (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 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.
Claims 1-2, 5-7 and 10-12 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(g) as being anticipated by Kubo (US 8, 963, 199) .
With respect to Claim 1, Kubo discloses a semiconductor device (Figure 4) comprising: a chip (Figure 4, SUB) having a principal surface; a trench insulating structure (Figure 4, BRU) formed in the principal surface of the chip; a first conductivity type body region (Figure 4, P-type well PW) formed in a surface layer portion of the principal surface such that the body region is in contact with the trench insulating structure; a second conductivity type source region (Figure 4, N-type source region NS) formed in a surface layer portion of the body region while being separated from the trench insulating structure (Figure 4, BRU); a first conductivity type butting region (Figure 4, P+ type impurity region BCR) formed in a region between the trench insulating structure (Figure 4, BRU) and the source region (Figure 4, N-type source region NS) in the surface layer portion of the body region; and a planar gate structure (Figure 4, G) that passes through a side of the butting region, covers the body region and the trench insulating structure, and is capable of controlling reversal and non-reversal of a channel in the body region. See Figure 4 and corresponding text, especially column 8, line 45 to column 10, line 65.
With respect to Claim 2, Kubo discloses wherein the butting region (Figure 4, P+ type impurity region BCR) has an impurity concentration higher than the body region (Figure 4, P-type well PW) . See column 8, line 60 to column 9, line 15.
With respect to Claim 5, Kubo discloses at least one first conductivity type inside butting region formed in the surface layer portion of the body region while being separated from the trench insulating structure. See Figures 2 and 4 of Kubo, where an arrangement in which the N-type source region NS and the P+ type impurity region are alternatively disposed.
With respect to Claim 6, Kubo discloses wherein a planar area of the inside butting region is larger than a planar area of the butting region. See Figures 2 and 4 of Kubo, where an arrangement in which the N-type source region NS and the P+ type impurity region are alternatively disposed.
With respect to Claim 7, Kubo discloses the trench insulating structure (Figure 4, BRU) includes a trench formed in the principal surface, and an insulating body embedded in the principal surface such that the insulating body exposes an opening end of the trench, and the planar gate structure (Figure 4, G) includes a gate insulating film (Figure 4, GZ) that covers the body region and the opening end, and a gate electrode that opposes the body region and the opening end across the gate insulating film. See Figure 4 of Kubo, where gate (G) is formed on a portion of P-type well PW, with gate insulating film (GZ) interposed between.
With respect to Claim 10, Kubo discloses a second conductivity type drain region (Figure 4, ND) formed in the surface layer portion of the principal surface while being separated from the body region.
With respect to Claim 11, Kubo discloses further comprising: a second conductivity type drift (NW) region formed in a region different from the body region in the surface layer portion of the principal surface, wherein the drain region (ND) is formed in a surface layer portion of the drift region. The N-type well NW of Kubo corresponds to the claimed drift region.
With respect to Claim 12, Kubo discloses wherein the drain region has an impurity concentration higher than the drift region. See column 8, lines 50-65 of Kubo, NW and ND concentrations.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-4 and 8-9 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEXANDER G GHYKA whose telephone number is (571)272-1669. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9-6.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christine Kim can be reached at 571 272-8458. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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AGG
September 24, 2026
/ALEXANDER G GHYKA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812
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