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 .
Response to Amendments/Arguments
The object of claim 1 is withdrawn.
Applicant’s amendments/arguments have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection based on a different mapping of Kurahashi read on the newly recited limitation.
Specifically in Fig. 1A,B of Kurahashi, conductive connector is revised to read with component 42 only. As such, a passivation layer (13) covers a top surface of a temperature compensation layer (12), covering and in contact with sidewalls of upper portions of the conductive connector (42), and covering and in contact with topmost surface of the conductive connector (42).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1-5, 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mimura US 2019/0097607 in view of Sakashita US 10,763,818.
1. Mimura discloses a surface acoustic wave resonator device (Figs. 1-3, etc.), comprising:
a base substrate (2); and
an interdigital transducer (3), located on the base substrate and comprising:
a first interdigital electrode lead-out part (6a);
a second interdigital electrode lead-out part (6b);
a plurality of first interdigital electrodes (7a), wherein each of the plurality of first interdigital electrodes has one end connected with the first interdigital electrode lead-out part, and another end facing and spaced apart from the second interdigital electrode lead-out part (see Fig. 2); and
a plurality of second interdigital electrodes (7b), wherein the plurality of second interdigital electrodes and the plurality of first interdigital electrodes extend parallel to each other in a first direction (vertical in Fig. 2) and are alternately arranged at intervals in a second direction (horizontal in Fig. 2), wherein each of the plurality of second interdigital electrodes has one end connected with the second interdigital electrode lead-out part, and another end facing and spaced apart from the first interdigital electrode lead-out part (see Fig. 2);
a temperature compensation layer (8; [0033]), disposed on the base substrate, covering the interdigital transducer (see Fig. 3);
wherein among the plurality of first interdigital electrodes and the plurality of second interdigital electrodes, each interdigital electrode comprises a body structure (e.g., Fig. 3, body portion of 7a) and a protruding structure (e.g., Fig. 3, thicken portion of 7a, in regions R3, R4) which are integrally formed from a same material layer ([0039], made thicker, hence same material), the protruding structure is disposed at an end portion (see Figs. 2, 3; R3, R4) of the each interdigital electrode and protruded from a surface of the body structure at a side away from the base substrate in a third direction (in-out of page in Fig. 2; vertical in Fig. 3) perpendicular to a main surface of the base substrate, and wherein the protruding structure and the body structure have sidewalls aligned with each other in the third direction (see Figs. 2, 3 on the alignment),
wherein each interdigital electrode comprises a central part (R2), a first end part (R3), a second end part (R4) and a connecting part (R5, R6 to connect with 6a, 6b), the first end part and the second end part are located at two opposite sides of the central part in the first direction, and together constitute an end portion; and the connecting part is located at a side of the second end part away from the central part in the first direction, and is connected to a corresponding one of the first interdigital electrode lead-out part and the second interdigital electrode lead-out part (see Figs. 2, 3);
the first end part and the second end part have a same thickness which is a first thickness (see Fig. 3; [0039]), the central part, the connecting part, the first interdigital electrode lead-out part, and second interdigital electrode lead-out part have a same second thickness that is less than the first thickness (see Fig. 3; [0039]).
Mimura does not explicitly disclose the temperature compensation layer has a first through hole exposes a portion of a surface of the first interdigital electrode lead-out part, and a second through hole exposes a portion of a surface of the second interdigital electrode lead-out part; a first conductive connector, connected with the first interdigital electrode lead-out part through the first through hole; and a second conductive connector, connected with the second interdigital electrode lead-out part through the second through hole; a passivation layer, covering a top surface of the temperature compensation layer at a side away from the base substrate, covering and in contact with sidewalls of upper portions of the first conductive connector and the second conductive connector, and covering and in contact with topmost surfaces of the first conductive connector and the second conductive connector at a side away from the base substrate.
Sakashita exemplarily discloses an elastic wave device (Figs. 1A,B, etc.) comprising: a base substrate (10), electrode structure (20, 40) including a first and second interdigital electrodes (24) connected with a first and second interdigital electrode lead-out parts (28, 40) on the base substrate; a temperature compensation layer (50; Col. 3 lines 3-22) disposed on the base substrate and covering surfaces of the electrode structure, and having a first and second through holes (52) exposing a portion of a surface of the first and second interdigital electrode lead-out parts; a first and second conductive connectors (60), connected with the first and second interdigital electrode lead-out parts through the first and second through holes.
Kurahashi discloses an elastic wave device (Figs. 1A,B, etc.) comprising: a base substrate (11); electrode structure (14, 41); temperature compensation layer (12); conductive connector (42); and a passivation layer (13), covering a top surface of the temperature compensation layer at a side away from the base substrate, covering and in contact with sidewalls of upper portions of the conductive connector, and covering and in contact with topmost surfaces of the first conductive connector at a side away from the base substrate (see Figs. 1A,B).
At the time of the filing, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have made/added through-holes and conductive connectors to the acoustic wave device. The modification would have been obvious because the through-holes and conductive connectors provided an art recognized implementation of communication connections to the device as taught by Sakashita (Figs. 1A,B).
Additionally, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have added a passivation layer to the acoustic wave device covering the surfaces and sidewalls as claimed. The modification would have been obvious because the passivation layer would provide protection (obvious as it covers other elements) and leakage absorption as taught by Kurahashi ([0035]).
2. The combination discloses there is free of interface between the protruding structure and the body structure (Mimura: Fig. 3; in R3, R4, no interface aside the protruding and body structures).
3. The combination discloses the first end part (Mimura: R3) and the second end part (R4) each comprise an end body (body portion of the electrodes 7a,b) and an end protrusion (thickened portion), and the end protrusion is located on a side of the end body away from the base substrate (Fig. 3; [0039]);
in each interdigital electrode, the central part, the connecting part and the end bodies of the first end part and the second end part together constitute the body structure of the interdigital electrode (the body portion); and the end protrusions of the first end part and the second end part together constitute the protruding structure (Figs. 2, 3; the thicken portion).
4. The combination discloses in each end part, widths of the end body and the end protrusion (Mimura: in R3, R4) in the first direction (Fig. 2, vertical direction) are equal to each other (see Fig. 2), widths of the end body and the end protrusion in the second direction (Fig. 2, horizontal direction) are equal to each other (see Fig. 2); and a plurality of sidewalls of the end body and a plurality of sidewalls of the end protrusion are respectively aligned with each other in the third direction (Fig. 2, in-out of page; Fig. 3, vertical direction; the sidewalls of corresponding portions are aligned).
5. The combination discloses the temperature compensation layer (Mimura: 8; [0033]) covers surfaces of the plurality of first interdigital electrodes, the plurality of second interdigital electrodes, the first interdigital electrode lead-out part and the second interdigital electrode lead-out part (see Fig. 3).
10. The combination discloses a filter (Mimura: [0031]), comprising the surface acoustic wave resonator device according to claim 1 ([0031]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9, 19-21 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. Fukuda US 11,533,038, Park US 11,437,563, Taniguchi US 10,476,471, Song CN-111726101-A, each discloses conductive connector to an acoustic device.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/A.W/Examiner, Art Unit 2843
/ANDREA LINDGREN BALTZELL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2843
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