DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after 16 March 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Applicant
This Office Action is in response to Applicant’s reply filed on 06 July 2026.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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) 1 and 8-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ikeda et al. (U.S. Pub. 2016/0093652) in view of O’Rourke et al. (U.S. Pub. 2017/0054097).
Claim 1: Ikeda et al. discloses a detection device, in Fig. 1A and in paragraphs 87, 90 and 101-103, comprising:
a substrate (40);
a plurality of first electrodes (75) arranged on the substrate (40);
an insulating film (74) provided between the first electrodes (75) adjacent to each other;
a plurality of photodiodes (61) provided so as to correspond to the first electrodes (75);
a second electrode (62) provided across the photodiodes (61), wherein
the photodiodes (61) each comprise an active layer (61), on the substrate (40),
the active layer (61), is provided so as to cover the first electrodes (75) and the insulating film (74) between the adjacent first electrodes (75),
a width (width of 74) of the insulating film (74) is less than a width (width of 61) of each of the photodiodes (61), and
an uppermost height (uppermost height of 74) of the insulating film (74) from the substrate (40) in a first direction (vertical direction) perpendicular to the substrate (40) is less than an uppermost height (uppermost height of 61) of the active layer (61) from the substrate (40) in the first direction (vertical direction).
Ikeda et al. appears not to explicitly disclose the photodiodes each comprise a first carrier transport layer and a second carrier transport layer stacked on the substrate,
the first carrier transport layer and the second carrier transport layer are provided so as to cover the first electrodes and the insulating film between the adjacent first electrodes, and
the active layer being disposed between the insulating film and the second carrier transport layer.
O’Rourke et al., however, in Fig. 14 and in paragraphs 15, 19, 20 and 25-27 discloses the photodiodes (136, 138 and 140) each comprise a first carrier transport layer (136) and a second carrier transport layer (140) stacked on the substrate (102),
the first carrier transport layer (136) and the second carrier transport layer (140) are provided so as to cover the first electrodes (126) and the insulating film (128) between the adjacent first electrodes (126), and
the active layer (138) being disposed between the insulating film (128) and the second carrier transport layer (140) in order to tune the work functions to the surrounding elements.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of effective filing of the invention to modify Ikeda et al. with the disclosure of O’Rourke et al. to have made comprise a first carrier transport layer and a second carrier transport layer stacked on the substrate, the first carrier transport layer and the second carrier transport layer are provided so as to cover the first electrodes and the insulating film between the adjacent first electrodes, and the active layer being disposed between the insulating film and the second carrier transport layer in order to tune the work functions to the surrounding elements (paragraphs 25 and 27 of O’Rourke et al.).
Claim 8: Ikeda et al. in view of O’Rourke et al. discloses the detection device according to claim 1.
Ikeda et al. in view of O’Rourke et al., as applied to claim 1, appears not to explicitly disclose wherein the insulating film is an organic insulating film or an inorganic insulating film.
O’Rourke et al., however, discloses an organic insulating film, such as a Cyclotene resin (paragraph 20), is a suitable material for the insulating film (128).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of effective filing of the invention to modify Ikeda et al. in view of O’Rourke et al., as applied to claim 1, with the further disclosure of O’Rourke et al. to have made the insulating film from an organic insulating film because the selection of a known material based on its suitability for its intended purpose is obvious (see, for example, M.P.E.P. § 2144.07, and precedents cited therein).
Claim 9: Ikeda et al. in view of O’Rourke et al. discloses the detection device according to claim 1, and, in paragraph 101, Ikeda et al. further discloses the second electrode (62) is made of a light-transmitting conductive material.
Claim 10: Ikeda et al. in view of O’Rourke et al. discloses the detection device according to claim 1, and in Fig. 1A, Ikeda et al. further discloses wherein the insulating film (74) covers peripheries of the first electrodes (75) and is provided with openings (openings in 74 in which 75 is located) in areas overlapping the first electrodes (75).
Ikeda et al. in view of O’Rourke et al., as applied to claim 1, appears not to explicitly disclose wherein the first carrier transport layer is in contact with the first electrodes through the openings.
O’Rourke et al., however, in Fig. 14 and in paragraph 25, further discloses the first carrier transport layer (136) is in contact with the first electrodes (126) through the openings (134) in order to tune the work functions to the surrounding elements.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of effective filing of the invention to modify Ikeda et al. in view of O’Rourke et al., as applied to claim 1, with the further disclosure of O’Rourke et al. to have made the first carrier transport layer is in contact with the first electrodes through the openings in order to tune the work functions to the surrounding elements (paragraph 25 of O’Rourke et al.).
Claim 11: Ikeda et al. in view of O’Rourke et al. discloses the detection device according to claim 1, and in Fig. 1A, Ikeda et al. further discloses wherein a height (height of 74) of the insulating film (74) is greater than a height (height of 75) of the first electrodes (75).
Ikeda et al. in view of O’Rourke et al., as applied to claim 1, appears not to explicitly disclose wherein the first electrodes, the first carrier transport layer, the active layer, the second carrier transport layer, and the second electrode are stacked in the order as listed, in areas overlapping the first electrodes, and
the insulating film, the first carrier transport layer), the active layer, the second carrier transport layer, and the second electrode are stacked in the order as listed, in areas not overlapping the first electrode.
O’Rourke et al., however, in Fig. 14 and in paragraphs 25 and 27, further discloses the first electrodes (126), the first carrier transport layer (136), the active layer (138), the second carrier transport layer (140), and the second electrode (142) are stacked in the order as listed, in areas overlapping the first electrodes (126), and
the insulating film (126), the first carrier transport layer (136), the active layer (138), the second carrier transport layer (140), and the second electrode (142) are stacked in the order as listed, in areas not overlapping the first electrode (126) in order to tune the work functions to the surrounding elements.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of effective filing of the invention to modify Ikeda et al. in view of O’Rourke et al., as applied to claim 1, with the further disclosure of O’Rourke et al. to have made the first electrodes, the first carrier transport layer, the active layer, the second carrier transport layer, and the second electrode are stacked in the order as listed, in areas overlapping the first electrodes, and the insulating film, the first carrier transport layer), the active layer, the second carrier transport layer, and the second electrode are stacked in the order as listed, in areas not overlapping the first electrode in order to tune the work functions to the surrounding elements (paragraphs 25 and 27 of O’Rourke et al.).
Claim 12: Ikeda et al. in view of O’Rourke et al. discloses the detection device according to claim 1, and, in paragraph 105, Ikeda et al. further discloses wherein the second electrode (62) is a cathode electrode, and
each first electrode (75) is an anode electrode.
Claim 13: Ikeda et al. in view of O’Rourke et al. discloses the detection device according to claim 1.
Ikeda et al. in view of O’Rourke et al., as applied to claim 1, appears not to explicitly disclose one of the first carrier transport layer and the second carrier transport layer is a hole transport layer, and
the other one of the first carrier transport layer and the second carrier transport layer is an electron transport layer.
O’Rourke et al., however, in paragraphs 25 and 27, further discloses the second carrier transport layer (140) is a hole transport layer, and
the first carrier transport layer (136) is an electron transport layer in order to tune the work functions to the surrounding elements.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of effective filing of the invention to modify Ikeda et al. in view of O’Rourke et al., as applied to claim 1, with the further disclosure of O’Rourke et al. to have made the second carrier transport layer a hole transport layer, and the first carrier transport layer an electron transport layer in order to tune the work functions to the surrounding elements (paragraphs 25 and 27 of O’Rourke et al.).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 and 8-13 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
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/J.L/ Examiner, Art Unit 2815
/JOSHUA BENITEZ ROSARIO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2815
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