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
Invention I is elected without traverse. Claims 1-18 are examined.
Claims 19, 20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 7/6/26.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
Page 11 line 22 (corresponding in PGPUB [0074]) recites “undulating surface 206”, but item 206 is piezoelectric layer and there is no label used for the undulating surface in Fig. 8 anyway.
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) 1-5, 7-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(2) as being anticipated by Gao CN-116979925 A.
1. Gao discloses a bulk acoustic wave resonator (Fig. 4, etc.) comprising: a substrate (10), and a lower conductive layer (20), a piezoelectric layer (30), and an upper conductive layer (40) which are sequentially stacked on the substrate, wherein the lower conductive layer, the piezoelectric layer and the upper conductive layer have an overlapping area in a stacking direction; at least one first cavity (K1) located between the upper conductive layer and the piezoelectric layer is provided at a boundary of the overlapping area; a plurality of first support columns (D1) are provided in the at least one first cavity, the plurality of first support columns are used for dividing the at least one first cavity into a plurality of through holes (K11) at least partially located in the overlapping area; and the plurality of through holes are arranged in a direction from a center of the overlapping area to the boundary of the overlapping area (see Fig. 4; [0080], etc.).
2. The bulk acoustic wave resonator as claimed in claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of first cavities ([0061]; the resonator as a physical object, air bridge/wing, i.e., where the K1, K11, D1 located would be around the resonator, which can be viewed as multiple sections (e.g., left, right, front, back sections) so that plurality of first cavities (e.g., left, right) are /defined), each of the plurality of first cavities (K1) is provided with the plurality of through holes (K11), the plurality of first cavities are arranged at intervals along (around) the boundary of the overlapping area, a connection cavity (e.g., front section) located between the upper conductive layer and the piezoelectric layer is provided between two adjacent first cavities, and the two adjacent first cavities are in communication with each other through the connection cavity (due to the connections between the cavities/sections).
3. The bulk acoustic wave resonator as claimed in claim 2, wherein among the plurality of first cavities, at least two first cavities comprise different numbers of through holes (Fig. 4; e.g., left and right sections have different amounts of K11).
4. The bulk acoustic resonator according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of through holes comprise: at least one first through hole (K11) located in the overlapping area and at least one second through hole (another K11) located outside the overlapping area; and/or a third through hole (other K11) across the boundary of the overlapping region (Fig. 4).
5. The bulk acoustic resonator according to claim 1, wherein a second cavity (50) is disposed between the substrate and the lower conductive layer; the orthographic projection of the plurality of through holes in the stacking direction is located in the orthographic projection of the second cavity in the stacking direction; or the orthographic projection of part of the through holes (some K11) in the laminating direction is located in the second cavity, and the orthographic projection of the other part of the through holes (some other K11) in the laminating direction is not overlapped with the orthographic projection of the second cavity in the laminating direction (Fig. 4).
7. The bulk acoustic resonator according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality through holes has a width in the direction from the center of the overlapping area to the boundary of the overlapping area, and at least part of the through hole has a different width (Fig. 4, 6).
8. The bulk acoustic wave resonator according to claim 1, wherein the upper conductive layer is provided with an anchoring part (e.g., the parts of item 40 on the left side of Fig. 4); the anchoring part is located above the first cavity (K1); the surface of the anchoring part away from one side of the piezoelectric layer is an undulating surface (e.g., the corresponding top surface of that portion).
9. The bulk acoustic wave resonator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper conductive layer (40) comprises an upper electrode (portion within the overlap area) located in the overlapping area and an upper electrode lead-out portion (portion that is) located outside the overlapping area, a peripheral edge of the upper electrode is composed of a first edge (that couples to the lead-out, e.g., on the left side of the upper electrode portion in Fig. 4) and a second edge (e.g., on the right side of the upper electrode portion in Fig. 4), and the upper electrode is connected to the upper electrode lead-out portion by means of the first edge; and the at least one first cavity (e.g., K1 on the left side) is located at the first edge, or the at least one first cavity (corresponding K1) is located at the first edge and the second edge.
10. The bulk acoustic wave resonator as claimed in claim 9, wherein at least one third cavity (one of the K1, K11, e.g., the right one in Fig. 4) is provided between the upper electrode and the piezoelectric layer, and the at least one third cavity is located at the second edge.
11. The bulk acoustic wave resonator as claimed in claim 10, wherein a side of the at least one third cavity away from the center of the overlapping area is closed by at least one second support column (corresponding D1) supported between the upper electrode and the piezoelectric layer.
12. The bulk acoustic wave resonator as claimed in claim 10, wherein at least one third support column (corresponding D1) supported between the upper electrode and the piezoelectric layer is provided in the third cavity.
13. The bulk acoustic wave resonator as claimed in claim 10, wherein there are a plurality of third cavities, and the plurality of third cavities are arranged at intervals along the second edge (K1, K11 on the right side edge and device as physical object would extend into the page, which can be viewed as plurality of sections along the depth so that a plurality of third cavities existed/defined).
14. The bulk acoustic wave resonator as claimed in claim 10, wherein when a second cavity (50) is provided between the substrate and the lower conductive layer, an orthographic projection of the at least one third cavity (K1, K11) in the stacking direction is located in the second cavity.
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(s) 6, 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gao CN-116979925 A in view of Wang US 12,334,904.
6, 17. Gao discloses the bulk acoustic wave resonator as discussed above, but does not disclose the piezoelectric alyer and the lower conductive layer are provide with at least one release hole which is in communication with second cavity, and for claim 6: the at least one release hole is located outside of the overlapping area; for claim 17: an orthographic of the at least one release hole in the stacking direction are located outside an orthographic projection of the upper electrode lead-out portion in the stacking direction.
Wang exemplarily discloses a bulk acoustic wave resonator (Fig. 1, etc.) comprising: a piezoelectric layer (400) and lower conductive layer (500) are provided with at least one release hole (830, etc.) in communication with a second cavity (1000), the at least one release hole and its an orthographic projection of in the stacking direction is located outside an overlapping area or upper electrode lead-out portion (corresponding portion of item 700) in the stacking direction (see Figs. 1-4B).
At the time of filing, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have added at least one release hole with its location/projection outside of the overlapping area or upper electrode lead-out portion. The modification would have been obvious because the release hole provided a well-known technique for the formation of the second cavity as taught by Wang (Figs. 1-4B; Col. 3 line 64 – Col. 4 line 2).
Claim(s) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gao CN-116979925 A in view of Choi US 12,334,905.
16. Gao discloses the bulk acoustic wave resonator as claimed in claim 10, including the upper conductive layer has an anchor portion (e.g., left portion of item 40) located on the at least one first cavity (corresponding K1), the anchor portion has a first (top) surface away from one side of the piezoelectric layer, the upper conductive layer has a wing portion (e.g., right portion of item 40) located on the at least one third cavity (corresponding K1), the wing portion has a second (top) surface away from one side of the piezoelectric layer; but does not disclose a maximum spacing between the first surface and a back surface of the substrate is different from a maximum spacing between the second surface and the back surface of the substrate. However, the dimensions of the resonator are well known design variables to obtain desired device characteristic of the resonator; and that there are limited choices (different or same) to try for the design.
Choi exemplarily disclose a bulk acoustic wave resonator (Figs. 1, 2, etc.) comprising: a substrate (111); an upper conductive layer (141) having an anchor portion (on right side) has a first (top) surface; the upper conductive layer has a wing portion (on left side) located on a third cavity (142), the wing portion has second (top) surface; and a maximum spacing between the first surface and a back surface of the substrate is different from a maximum spacing between the second surface and the back surface of the substrate (Fig. 2; right side has a larger max spacing than the left side).
At the time of the filing, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have made a maximum spacing between the first surface and a back surface of the substrate is different from a maximum spacing between the second surface and the back surface of the substrate. The modification would have been obvious because dimensions of resonator are design variable to obtain desired characteristic, one of the obvious to try option due to the limited choices (different or same maximum); and/or that the different maximum as taught by Zou (Figs. 1, 2; Col. 8 lines 23-31; the difference in maximum may due to the extra item 122 for prevention of parasitic capacitance, hence desired characteristic as well).
Claim(s) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gao CN-116979925 A in view of Zou US 9,401,691.
10. Gao discloses the bulk acoustic wave resonator as claimed in claim 10, wherein the at least one third cavity is spaced apart from an endpoint of the first edge by a first distance (e.g., K1 on the right side away from the first edge that is on the left side, essentially width across the overlap area) but does not disclose the first distance is greater than 5 microns. However, the dimensions of the resonator are well known design variables to obtain desired device characteristic of the resonator.
Also, Zou exemplarily discloses an acoustic wave resonator (Fig. 2A, etc.) comprising: a third cavity (154) spaced apart from an endpoint of a first edge (e.g., an edge into the page of item 135’ at where an overlap area of items 135’, 125, 115 end) by a first distance, wherein the first distance is greater than 5 micron (Col. 15 lines 43-50; the gap 234 can be 8 μm already, so the first distance from item 154 to the first edge would be at least 8 μm).
At the time of the filing, it would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art to have made the first distance greater than 5 micron. The modification would have been obvious as a matter of design to obtain desired device characteristic and Zou also shows such a distance can be achieved (Fig. 2A; Col. 15 lines 43-60; improve matching, suppress lateral modes).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 15 is 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:
For claim 15, the cited references do not disclose the width of the at least one third cavity is greater than a sum of widths of any two through holes and less than a sum of widths of any three through holes.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Luo CN-217904382-U discloses a bulk acoustic wave resonator comprising first cavities between an upper conductive layer and piezoelectric layer.
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/A.W/Examiner, Art Unit 2843
/ANDREA LINDGREN BALTZELL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2843
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