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 .
Priority
Acknowledgement is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority based on an application filed 07/20/2020.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 01/10/2023 has been considered by the examiner and made of record in the application file.
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 1-3, 7-10 and 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being anticipated by US 20200027909 A1; EBIKO; YOSHIKI; 07-18-2018; (“Ebiko”) in view of Kang (US 2007/0053037).
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FIG. 13, EBIKO
Regarding Claims 1 and 12:
Ebiko discloses a light receiving element, ranging module and electronic apparatus, comprising:
a semiconductor substrate (fig. 13, EBIKO; 41) including therein a photoelectric conversion section which may include a camera (fig. 13, EBIKO PD and paragraph 218);
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fig. 16 (A,B); Ebiko
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fig. 17 (A,B), Ebiko
a scattering structure (moth-eye structure, paragraph 150) provided cyclically (fig. 16, Ebiko and fig. 17, Ebiko) on the semiconductor substrate on a side of an incident surface of light (fig. 13);
and an on-chip lens (fig. 13 EBIKO, 47) provided further on the scattering structure on a side of an incident surface of the light, the prism-shaped on-chip lens having a planar incident surface of the light.
Ebiko fails to specifically state that the lens (47) provided is prism-shaped, however the inclusion of a prism or prism shaped lens into a photoelectric conversion system is provided by Kang.
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figs. 8, Kang
Kang discloses and image sensor that includes the use of a prism shaped lens to focus light onto a photoelectric conversion element (figs. 8, Kang and 10-12). Kang shows that the use of a prism shaped lens or a prism with a circular lens are well known in the art of photoelectric conversion devices.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art prior to filing as the use of a prism shaped lens would ensure proper focus and direction of the incident light while ensuring optical efficiency. (Kang, paragraph 77).
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18 (A, B), Ebiko
Regarding Claim 2:
Ebiko and Kang disclose the invention as provided in claim 1,
in addition Ebiko further discloses that the scattering structure comprises a cyclic uneven structure formed on the semiconductor substrate (fig. 16 (A,B) EBIKO, 17 (A,B) EBIKO and 18 (A, B) EBIKO).
Regarding Claim 3:
Ebiko and Kang further disclose a recess of the uneven structure has a quadrangular pyramid shape or a truncated quadrangular pyramid shape (Ebiko, para. 173).
Regarding Claim 7:
Ebiko and Kang further disclose near infrared (Ebiko, para 45).
Regarding Claim 8:
Ebiko and Kang further disclose that the scattering structure is provided cyclically in each of two-dimensional directions inside a plane of the semiconductor substrate (fig. 16 (A,B) EBIKO, 17 (A,B) EBIKO and 18 (A, B) EBIKO).
Regarding Claim 9:
Ebiko and Kang further disclose that the on-chip lens has a quadrangular prism shape (Kang figs. 8, and 10-12). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill at the time of filing to include a quadrangular prism shaped lens to provide optical conversion and proper efficiency and direction of light (Kang. Para. 77).
Regarding claim 10:
Ebiko and Kang further disclose an element separation section (Ebiko, 211, fig. 14, EBIKO) extending in the thickness direction of the substrate, the element separation section separating an inside of a plane of the semiconductor substrate for each pixel (Ebiko, paragraph 143).
Regarding claim 11:
Ebiko and Kang further disclose wherein the element separation section includes a material having a smaller refractive index than the semiconductor substrate (Ebiko, paragraph 144).
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fig. 22, EBIKO
Regarding Claim 13:
Ebiko and Kang further disclose a light source that irradiates a subject with laser light, wherein the photodetector detects reflected light of the laser light from the subject (fig. 22, EBIKO paragraph 212).
Claim’s 1 and 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being anticipated by Yokogawa et al (US 2021/0091135 A1) in view of Kang (US 2007/0053037).
Regarding Claim 1,
Yokogawa discloses an image sensor comprising:
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fig. 6, Yokogawa
a semiconductor substrate (103, fig. 6, Yokogawa) including therein a photoelectric conversion area (pixel array unit)
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fig. 2, Yokogawa
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fig. 6, Yokogawa
a scattering structure (diffraction grating 12A, paragraph 191) provided cyclically (fig. 2, Yokogawa) on the semiconductor substrate on a side of an incident surface of light (fig. 6);
and an on-chip lens (microlens array, fig. 6, Yokogawa) provided further on the scattering structure on a side of an incident surface of the light, the prism-shaped on-chip lens having a planar incident surface of the light.
Yokogawa fails to specifically state that the lens (47) provided is prism-shaped, however the inclusion of a prism or prism shaped lens into a photoelectric conversion system is provided by Kang.
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figs. 8, Kang
Kang discloses and image sensor that includes the use of a prism shaped lens to focus light onto a photoelectric conversion element (figs. 8, Kang and 10-12). Kang shows that the use of a prism shaped lens or a prism with a circular lens are well known in the art of photoelectric conversion devices.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art prior to filing as the use of a prism shaped lens would ensure proper focus and direction of the incident light while ensuring optical efficiency. (Kang, paragraph 77).
Regarding Claims 4-6:
Yokogawa and Kang disclose the invention as provide din claim 1,
in addition Yokogawa discloses;
Cyclically arranged diffraction grating structures (fig. 2, Yokogawa) inside a planarization film between the substrate and the lens array (fig. 5, Yokogawa) and has a cycle for the diffraction of light (fig. 5, Yokogawa).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 20100243869 A1; Wano; Hiromi; [0021], [0050]
US 20180331148 A1; YOKOYAMA; Toshifumi; [0019], [0040]
US 20070053037 A1; Kang; Shinill
US 20060193214 A1; Shimano; Takeshi
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/TIMOTHY K SCHOW/Examiner, Art Unit 2899
/ZANDRA V SMITH/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2899