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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 1, 7, 13, each recites “the lower electrode has a hardness of 12 GPa to 16 GPa”. It is not clear which “hardness” is being referred as there are various ones such as Vickers, Brinell, or Rockwell as mentioned by the Applicant ([0063]) and the corresponding values/ranges vary.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 5-7, 11-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cheng US 2023/0048476.
1. Cheng discloses a surface acoustic wave (SAW) device (Figs. 2D, etc.) having an electrode structure with improved nonlinearity, the device comprising:
a piezoelectric substrate (2); and
a plurality of IDT electrodes (408) formed on the piezoelectric substrate,
wherein each of the plurality of IDT electrodes includes:
a lower electrode (403) formed on a surface of the piezoelectric substrate; and an upper electrode (402) formed on the lower electrode, wherein the lower electrode has a hardness of 12 GPa to 16 GPa ([0076], item 403 is made of tungsten, which is the same material as used in Application thus same hardness property is to be expected).
5. The surface acoustic wave device of claim 1, further comprising a bonding enhancement layer (404) interposed between the lower electrode and the piezoelectric substrate.
6. The surface acoustic wave device of claim 5, wherein the bonding enhancement layer has a thickness smaller than the thickness of the lower electrode ([0078]).
7. Cheng discloses a filter comprising (Fig. 9) a transmission circuit and a reception circuit (transceiver 1302 and filters 1303 include the transmission and reception circuits),
wherein the transmission circuit comprises a first surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonator (corresponding filter 1313 with resonators, Fig. 2D; [0085]),
the reception circuit comprises a second SAW resonator (corresponding filter 1313 with resonators, Figs. 2D; [0085]),
the first SAW resonator comprises a plurality of first IDT electrodes (408),
the second SAW resonator comprises a plurality of second IDT electrodes (408), and
each of the plurality of first IDT electrodes comprises:
a lower electrode (403) formed on a surface of a piezoelectric substrate (2); and
an upper electrode (402) formed on the lower electrode, wherein the lower electrode has a hardness of 12 GPa to 16 GPa ([0076], item 403 is made of tungsten, which is the same material as used in Application thus same hardness property is to be expected).
11. The filter of claim 7, further comprising a bonding enhancement layer (404) interposed between the lower electrode and the piezoelectric substrate.
12. The filter of claim 11, wherein the bonding enhancement layer has a thickness smaller than the thickness of the lower electrode ([0078]).
13. Cheng discloses a method of manufacturing (realized by) a surface acoustic wave device (Fig. 2D) having an electrode structure with improved nonlinearity, comprising:
preparing a piezoelectric substrate (2);
forming a lower electrode film (403) on the piezoelectric substrate;
forming an upper electrode film (402) on the lower electrode film; and
forming a plurality of IDT electrodes (408) comprising a lower electrode and an upper electrode,
wherein the lower electrode has a hardness of 12 GPa to 16 GPa ([0076], item 403 is made of tungsten, which is the same material as used in Application thus same hardness property is to be expected).
Claim(s) 1-4, 7-10, 13-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Honal US 11,855,607.
1. Honal discloses a surface acoustic wave (SAW) device (Figs. 1, 5, 7, etc.) having an electrode structure with improved nonlinearity, the device comprising:
a piezoelectric substrate (310); and
a plurality of IDT electrodes (421, 621) formed on the piezoelectric substrate,
wherein each of the plurality of IDT electrodes includes: a lower electrode (430, 630) formed on a surface of the piezoelectric substrate; and
an upper electrode (535, 735-737) formed on the lower electrode,
wherein the lower electrode has a hardness of 12 GPa to 16 GPa (Col. 10 lines 5-11; e.g., items 430, 630 are made of tungsten or chromium, which is the same material as used in Application thus same hardness property is to be expected).
2. The surface acoustic wave device of claim 1, wherein the lower electrode (430, 630) comprises tungsten or chromium (Col. 10 lines 5-11), and the upper electrode (535, 735-737) comprises an aluminum-copper alloy (Col. 8 lines 40-42, Col. 10 line 55).
3. The surface acoustic wave device of claim 2, wherein the lower electrode has a thickness of 5 nm to 20 nm (Col. 10 lines 10-12).
4. The surface acoustic wave device of claim 2, wherein the lower electrode has an elastic modulus of 320 GPa or more (Col. 10 lines 5-11; e.g., items 430, 630 are made of tungsten or chromium, which is the same material as used in Application thus same hardness property is to be expected).
7. Honal discloses a filter (Col. 7 lines 18-20) comprising a transmission circuit and a reception circuit (used in mobile communication such as a smartphone necessary would have corresponding transmission and reception circuits),
wherein the transmission circuit comprises a first surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonator (Figs. 1, 5, 7, etc.; i.e., resonator in the corresponding section),
the reception circuit comprises a second SAW resonator (i.e., resonator in the corresponding section),
the first SAW resonator comprises a plurality of first IDT electrodes (421, 621),
the second SAW resonator comprises a plurality of second IDT electrodes (421, 621), and
each of the plurality of first IDT electrodes comprises:
a lower electrode (430, 630) formed on a surface of a piezoelectric substrate (310); and
an upper electrode (535, 735-737) formed on the lower electrode, wherein the lower electrode has a hardness of 12 GPa to 16 GPa (Col. 10 lines 5-11; e.g., items 430, 630 are made of tungsten or chromium, which is the same material as used in Application thus same hardness property is to be expected).
8. The filter of claim 7, wherein the lower electrode (430, 630) comprises tungsten or chromium (Col. 10 lines 5-11), and the upper electrode (535, 735-737) comprises an aluminum-copper alloy (Col. 8 lines 40-42, Col. 10 line 55).
9. The filter of claim 8, wherein the lower electrode has a thickness of 5 nm to 20 nm (Col. 10 lines 10-12).
10. The filter of claim 8, wherein the lower electrode has an elastic modulus of 320 GPa or more (Col. 10 lines 5-11; e.g., items 430, 630 are made of tungsten or chromium, which is the same material as used in Application thus same hardness property is to be expected).
13. Honal discloses a method of manufacturing (realized by) a surface acoustic wave device (Figs. 1, 5, 7, etc.) having an electrode structure with improved nonlinearity, comprising:
preparing a piezoelectric substrate (310);
forming a lower electrode film (430, 630) on the piezoelectric substrate;
forming an upper electrode film (535, 735-737) on the lower electrode film; and
forming a plurality of IDT electrodes (421, 621) comprising a lower electrode and an upper electrode,
wherein the lower electrode has a hardness of 12 GPa to 16 GPa (Col. 10 lines 5-11; e.g., items 430, 630 are made of tungsten or chromium, which is the same material as used in Application thus same hardness property is to be expected).
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the lower electrode (430, 630) comprises tungsten or chromium (Col. 10 lines 5-11), and the upper electrode (535, 735-737) comprises an aluminum-copper alloy (Col. 8 lines 40-42, Col. 10 line 55).
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the lower electrode has a thickness of 5 nm to 20 nm (Col. 10 lines 10-12).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALAN WONG whose telephone number is (571)272-3238. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 11am - 8:30pm.
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/A.W/Examiner, Art Unit 2843
/ANDREA LINDGREN BALTZELL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2843
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