IPC Publication
H
ELECTRICITY

Note(s)

  • These Notes cover the basic principles and general instructions for use of section H.
    • Section H covers:
      • basic electric elements, which cover all electric units and the general mechanical structure of apparatus and circuits, including the assembly of various basic elements into what are called printed circuits and also cover to a certain extent the manufacture of these elements (when not covered elsewhere);
      • generation of electricity, which covers the generation, conversion and distribution of electricity together with the controlling of the corresponding gear;
      • applied electricity, which covers:
        • general utilisation techniques, viz. those of electric heating and electric lighting circuits;
        • some special utilisation techniques, either electric or electronic in the strict sense, which are not covered by other sections of the Classification, including:
          • electric light sources, including lasers;
          • electric X-ray technique;
          • electric plasma technique and the generation and acceleration of electrically charged particles or neutrons;
      • basic electronic circuits and their control;
      • radio or electric communication technique;
      • the use of a specified material for the manufacture of the article or element described. In this connection, paragraphs 88 to 90 of the Guide should be referred to.
    • In this section, the following general rules apply:
      • Subject to the exceptions stated in I(c), above, any electric aspect or part peculiar to a particular operation, process, apparatus, object or article, classified in one of the sections of the Classification other than section H, is always classified in the subclass for that operation, process, apparatus, object or article. Where common characteristics concerning technical subjects of similar nature have been brought out at class level, the electric aspect or part is classified, in conjunction with the operation, process, apparatus, object or article, in a subclass which covers entirely the general electrical applications for the technical subject in question;
      • The electrical applications referred to under (a), above, either general or particular, include:
        • the therapeutic processes and apparatus, in class A61;
        • the electric processes and apparatus used in various laboratory or industrial operations, in classes B01 and B03 and in subclass B23K;
        • the electricity supply, electric propulsion and electric lighting of vehicles in general and of particular vehicles, in the subsection "Transporting" of section B;
        • the electric ignition systems of internal-combustion engines, in subclass F02P, and of combustion apparatus in general, in subclass F23Q;
        • the whole electrical part of section G, i.e. measuring devices including apparatus for measuring electric variables, checking, signalling and calculating. Electricity in that section is generally dealt with as a means and not as an end in itself;
      • All electrical applications, both general and particular, presuppose that the "basic electricity" aspect appears in section H (see I(a) above) as regards the electric "basic elements" which they comprise. This rule is also valid for applied electricity, referred to in I(c), above, which appears in section H itself.
    • In this section, the following special cases occur:
      • Among the general applications covered by sections other than section H, it is worth noting that electric heating in general is covered by subclasses F24D or F24H or class F27, and that electric lighting in general is partly covered by class F21, since in section H (see I(c), above) there are places in H05B which cover the same technical subjects;
      • In the two cases referred to under (a), above, the subclasses of section F, which deal with the respective subjects, essentially cover in the first place the whole mechanical aspect of the apparatus or devices, whereas the electrical aspect, as such, is covered by subclass H05B;
      • In the case of lighting, this mechanical aspect should be taken to cover the material arrangement of the various electric elements, i.e., their geometrical or physical position in relation to one another; this aspect is covered by subclass F21V, the elements themselves and the primary circuits remaining in section H. The same applies to electric light sources, when combined with light sources of a different kind. These are covered by subclass H05B, whereas the physical arrangement which their combination constitutes is covered by the various subclasses of class F21;
      • As regards heating, not only the electric elements and circuitry designs, as such, are covered by subclass H05B, but also the electric aspects of their arrangement, where these concern cases of general application; electric furnaces being considered as such. The physical disposition of the electric elements in furnaces is covered by section F. If a comparison is made with electric welding circuits, which are covered by subclass B23K in connection with welding, it can be seen that electric heating is not covered by the general rule stated in II, above.
H01
BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS

Note(s) [7]

  • Processes involving only a single technical art, e.g. drying, coating, for which provision exists elsewhere are classified in the relevant class for that art.
  • Attention is drawn to the Notes following the titles of class B81 and subclass B81B relating to "micro-structural devices" and "micro-structural systems".
H01L
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (use of semiconductor devices for measuring G01; resistors in general H01C; magnets, inductors, transformers H01F; capacitors in general H01G; electrolytic devices H01G 9/00; batteries, accumulators H01M; waveguides, resonators, or lines of the waveguide type H01P; line connectors, current collectors H01R; stimulated-emission devices H01S; electromechanical resonators H03H; loudspeakers, microphones, gramophone pick-ups or like acoustic electromechanical transducers H04R; electric light sources in general H05B; printed circuits, hybrid circuits, casings or constructional details of electrical apparatus, manufacture of assemblages of electrical components H05K; use of semiconductor devices in circuits having a particular application, see the subclass for the application) [2]

Note(s) [2010.01]

  • This subclass covers :
    • electric solid state devices which are not covered by any other subclass and details thereof, and includes: semiconductor devices adapted for rectifying, amplifying, oscillating or switching; semiconductor devices sensitive to radiation; electric solid state devices using thermoelectric, superconductive, piezo-electric, electrostrictive, magnetostrictive, galvano-magnetic or bulk negative resistance effects and integrated circuit devices;
    • photoresistors, magnetic field dependent resistors, field effect resistors, capacitors with potential-jump barrier, resistors with potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, incoherent light emitting diodes and thin-film or thick-film circuits;
    • processes and apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of such devices, except where such processes relate to single-step processes for which provision exists elsewhere.
  • In this subclass, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:
    • "wafer" means a slice of semiconductor or crystalline substrate material, which can be modified by impurity diffusion (doping), ion implantation or epitaxy, and whose active surface can be processed into arrays of discrete components or integrated circuits;
    • "solid state body" means the body of material within which, or at the surface of which, the physical effects characteristic of the device occur. In thermoelectric devices, it includes all materials in the current path.

    Regions in or on the body of the device (other than the solid state body itself), which exert an influence on the solid state body electrically, are considered to be "electrodes" whether or not an external electrical connection is made thereto. An electrode may include several portions and the term includes metallic regions which exert influence on the solid state body through an insulating region (e.g. capacitive coupling) and inductive coupling arrangements to the body. The dielectric region in a capacitive arrangement is regarded as part of the electrode. In arrangements including several portions, only those portions which exert an influence on the solid state body by virtue of their shape, size, or disposition or the material of which they are formed are considered to be part of the electrode. The other portions are considered to be "arrangements for conducting electric current to or from the solid state body" or "interconnections between solid state components formed in or on a common substrate", i.e. leads;

    • "device" means an electric circuit element; where an electric circuit element is one of a plurality of elements formed in or on a common substrate it is referred to as a "component";
    • "complete device" is a device in its fully assembled state which may or may not require further treatment, e.g. electroforming, before it is ready for use but which does not require the addition of further structural units;
    • "parts" includes all structural units which are included in a complete device;
    • "container" is an enclosure forming part of the complete device and is essentially a solid construction in which the body of the device is placed, or which is formed around the body without forming an intimate layer thereon. An enclosure which consists of one or more layers formed on the body and in intimate contact therewith is referred to as an "encapsulation";
    • "integrated circuit" is a device where all components, e.g. diodes, resistors, are built up on a common substrate and form the device including interconnections between the components;
    • "assembly" of a device is the building up of the device from its component constructional units and includes the provision of fillings in containers.

  • In this subclass, both the process or apparatus for the manufacture or treatment of a device and the device itself are classified, whenever both of these are described sufficiently to be of interest.
  • Attention is drawn to Note (3) after the title of section C, which Note indicates to which version of the periodic table of chemical elements the IPC refers. In this subclass, the Periodic System used is the 8 group system indicated by Roman numerals in the Periodic Table thereunder.
H01L 33/00
Semiconductor devices with at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier specially adapted for light emission; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof (H01L 51/50 takes precedence; devices consisting of a plurality of semiconductor components formed in or on a common substrate and including semiconductor components with at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, specially adapted for light emission H01L 27/15; semiconductor lasers H01S 5/00) [2010.01]

Note(s) [2010.01]

  • This group covers light emitting diodes [LEDs] or superluminescent diodes [SLDs], including LEDs or SLDs emitting infra-red [IR] light or ultra-violet [UV] light.
  • In this group, the first place priority rule is applied, i.e. at each hierarchical level, in the absence of an indication to the contrary, classification is made in the first appropriate place.
H01L 33/02
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characterised by the semiconductor bodies [2010.01]
H01L 33/04
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with a quantum effect structure or superlattice, e.g. tunnel junction [2010.01]
H01L 33/06
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within the light emitting region, e.g. quantum confinement structure or tunnel barrier [2010.01]
H01L 33/08
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with a plurality of light emitting regions, e.g. laterally discontinuous light emitting layer or photoluminescent region integrated within the semiconductor body (H01L 27/15 takes precedence) [2010.01]
H01L 33/10
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with a light reflecting structure, e.g. semiconductor Bragg reflector [2010.01]
H01L 33/12
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with a stress relaxation structure, e.g. buffer layer [2010.01]
H01L 33/14
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with a carrier transport control structure, e.g. highly-doped semiconductor layer or current-blocking structure [2010.01]
H01L 33/16
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with a particular crystal structure or orientation, e.g. polycrystalline, amorphous or porous [2010.01]
H01L 33/18
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within the light emitting region [2010.01]
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Note(s) [2010.01]

  • When classifying in this group, classification is also made in group H01L 33/26 or one of its subgroups in order to identify the chemical composition of the light emitting region.
H01L 33/20
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with a particular shape, e.g. curved or truncated substrate [2010.01]
H01L 33/22
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Roughened surfaces, e.g. at the interface between epitaxial layers [2010.01]
H01L 33/24
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of the light emitting region, e.g. non-planar junction [2010.01]
H01L 33/26
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Materials of the light emitting region [2010.01]
H01L 33/28
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containing only elements of group II and group VI of the periodic system [2010.01]
H01L 33/30
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containing only elements of group III and group V of the periodic system [2010.01]
H01L 33/32
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containing nitrogen [2010.01]
H01L 33/34
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containing only elements of group IV of the periodic system [2010.01]
H01L 33/36
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characterised by the electrodes [2010.01]
H01L 33/38
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with a particular shape [2010.01]
H01L 33/40
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Materials therefor [2010.01]
H01L 33/42
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Transparent materials [2010.01]
H01L 33/44
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characterised by the coatings, e.g. passivation layer or anti-reflective coating [2010.01]
H01L 33/46
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Reflective coating, e.g. dielectric Bragg reflector [2010.01]
H01L 33/48
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characterised by the semiconductor body packages [2010.01]
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Note(s) [2010.01]

  • This group covers elements in intimate contact with the semiconductor body or integrated with the package.
H01L 33/50
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Wavelength conversion elements [2010.01]
H01L 33/52
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Encapsulations [2010.01]
H01L 33/54
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having a particular shape [2010.01]
H01L 33/56
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Materials, e.g. epoxy or silicone resin [2010.01]
H01L 33/58
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Optical field-shaping elements [2010.01]
H01L 33/60
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Reflective elements [2010.01]
H01L 33/62
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Arrangements for conducting electric current to or from the semiconductor body, e.g. leadframe, wire-bond or solder balls [2010.01]
H01L 33/64
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Heat extraction or cooling elements [2010.01]
H01L 35/00
Thermoelectric devices comprising a junction of dissimilar materials, i.e. exhibiting Seebeck or Peltier effect with or without other thermoelectric effects or thermomagnetic effects; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof (devices consisting of a plurality of solid state components formed in or on a common substrate H01L 27/00) [2006.01]
H01L 35/02
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Details [2006.01]
H01L 35/04
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Structural details of the junction; Connections of leads [2006.01]
H01L 35/06
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detachable, e.g. using a spring [2006.01]
H01L 35/08
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non-detachable, e.g. cemented, sintered, soldered [2006.01]
H01L 35/10
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Connections of leads [2006.01]
H01L 35/12
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Selection of the material for the legs of the junction [2006.01]
H01L 35/14
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using inorganic compositions [2006.01]
H01L 35/16
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comprising tellurium or selenium or sulfur [2006.01]
H01L 35/18
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comprising arsenic or antimony or bismuth (H01L 35/16 takes precedence) [2006.01]
H01L 35/20
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comprising metals only (H01L 35/16, H01L 35/18 take precedence) [2006.01]
H01L 35/22
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comprising compounds containing boron, carbon, oxygen, or nitrogen [2006.01]
H01L 35/24
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using organic compositions [2006.01]
H01L 35/26
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using compositions changing continuously or discontinuously inside the material [2006.01]
H01L 35/28
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operating with Peltier or Seebeck effect only [2006.01]
H01L 35/30
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characterised by the heat-exchanging means at the junction [2006.01]
H01L 35/32
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characterised by the structure or configuration of the cell or thermo-couple forming the device [2006.01]
H01L 35/34
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Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of these devices or of parts thereof [2006.01]