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 .
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.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 6/8/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Applicant's arguments with respect to claim 1-3 and 5-20 as they pertain to the prior art have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection, as necessitated by amendment.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed on 6/12/2026 has been acknowledged and considered by the examiner. Initialed copies of supplied IDS(s) forms are included in this correspondence.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claims 1-3, 5-12, 14-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et. al US 20190016091 (hereinafter “Lee”) of record in view of Shchukin et. al US 20050117623 (hereinafter “Shchukin”) of record and Huang et. al US 20200035733 (hereinafter “Huang”) of record with evidence by L. G. Schulz1 (hereinafter Schulz) of record.
Regarding claim 1, Lee teaches a spectral filter (Lee fig. 24, 26-29, 45) comprising:
a plurality of second filter arrays (Lee fig. 45 – 100) provided on the plurality of first filter arrays, each of the plurality of second filter arrays (100) comprising a plurality of unit filters (Lee para. 0044) corresponding to the plurality of band filters (Lee fig. 45 – 100 has RGB colors that correspond to photodetectors);
wherein the plurality of unit filters comprises:
a first reflecting plate (Lee fig. 28 - 820);
a second reflecting plate (Lee fig. 28 - 910) spaced apart from the first reflecting plate (Lee fig. 28); and
a plurality of cavities (Lee fig. 28 – 830, 930) provided between the first reflecting plate (820) and second reflecting plate (910), each of the plurality of cavities having central wavelengths of different wavelength bands among a plurality of wavelength bands (Lee fig. 28-29 – a, b, c, see also para. 0094),
wherein each of the plurality of cavities (830, 930) comprises a lower cavity layer (Lee fig. 28 - 830), a upper cavity layer (Lee fig. 28 - 930), and an intermediate light absorption layer (Lee fig. 28 - 810) provided between the lower cavity layer (830) and the upper cavity layer (930, Lee fig. 28 - 810 is between 830 and 930),
wherein two or more of the plurality of cavities (830, 930) are configured to have a same effective refractive index (Lee fig. 28 – the width and spacing of the cavities is the same for 830 and 930, see also para. 0050), and
wherein the intermediate light absorption layer (810) is configured to absorb a specific central wavelength among a plurality of central wavelengths generated by a combination of the lower cavity layer and the upper cavity layer (Lee para. 0091-0093 – 810 forms a sharp and narrow transmission band and rejects out-of-band wavelengths and is made of Ag, which may generically absorb at some specified central wavelength).
Lee and Shchukin do not specify wherein the intermediate light absorption layer is configured to absorb a specific central wavelength in a visible light band, however Lee does teach a layer made of silver which rejects out-of-band wavelengths and may absorb at some specified central wavelength2 (Lee para. 0091-0093).
In the same field of endeavor, Shchukin teaches wherein the intermediate light absorption layer (Shchukin fig. 10a - 1006) is configured to absorb a specific central wavelength in a visible light band (Shchukin para. 0198 – absorbs light with a wavelength below 870 nm) for the purpose of having absorption losses of the given optical mode (Shchukin para. 0127). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the intermediate light absorption layer is configured to absorb a specific central wavelength in a visible light band as taught by Shchukin in the spectral filter of Lee in order to have absorption losses of the given optical mode (Shchukin para. 0127).
Lee and Shchukin do not specify a plurality of first filter arrays, each of the plurality of first filter arrays comprising a plurality of band filters; and wherein each of the plurality of band filters is configured to transmit light in a respective wavelength band, among the plurality of wavelength bands.
In the same field of endeavor, Huang teaches a plurality of first filter arrays (Huang fig. 9A - 902), each of the plurality of first filter arrays comprising a plurality of band filters (Huang fig. 9A – 902 includes 902a and 902b, see also para. 0069); and wherein each of the plurality of band filters (902a, 902b) is configured to transmit light in a respective wavelength band, among the plurality of wavelength bands (Huang para. 0069) for the purpose of suppressing wavelengths of radiation outside the high transmission bands of a narrow band filter (Huang para. 0070). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have first filter arrays including a plurality of band filters as taught by Huang in the spectral filter of Lee and Shchukin in order to suppress wavelengths of radiation outside the high transmission bands of a narrow band filter (Huang para. 0070).
Regarding claim 2, Lee, Shchukin, and Huang teach the spectral filter of claim 1, and Lee further teaches wherein each of the plurality of cavities is configured to have the central wavelengths of the different wavelength bands in a wavelength range of about 400 nm to about 700 nm (Lee fig. 26 – shows a graph of transmittance over wavelength for a wavelength range of about 400nm to about 650nm, fig. 29 – shows an overlapping wavelength range of about 550nm to about 800nm).
Regarding claim 3, Lee, Shchukin, and Huang teach the spectral filter of claim 1, and Lee further teaches wherein each of the plurality of cavities has a thickness of about 100 nm to about 2,000 nm (Lee fig. 29 – cavities are shown to be 100nm thick for a filter with the structure of fig. 28).
Regarding claim 5, Lee, Shchukin, and Huang teach the spectral filter of claim 1, and Lee further teaches wherein the intermediate light absorption layer (810) is positioned at an intermediate height of each of the plurality of cavities (Lee fig. 28 – 810 is at an intermediate height of 830 and 930).
Regarding claim 6, Lee, Shchukin, and Huang teach the spectral filter of claim 1, and Lee further teaches wherein the intermediate light absorption layer (810) comprises a metal material or a dielectric material configured to absorb light in a visible light band (Lee fig. 29 – 810 is made of silver, see also para. 0091-0093).
Regarding claim 7, Lee, Shchukin, and Huang teach the spectral filter of claim 1, and Lee further teaches wherein the intermediate light absorption layer (810) has a thickness of about 5 nm to about 80 nm (Lee fig. 29 – 70nm).
Regarding claim 8, Lee, Shchukin, and Huang teach the spectral filter of claim 1, and Huang further teaches wherein at least one of the first filter arrays comprises a color filter array or a broadband filter array (Huang para. 0069).
Regarding claim 9, Lee, Shchukin, and Huang teach the spectral filter of claim 1, and Lee further teaches wherein the plurality of cavities have a same thickness (Lee fig. 28-29).
Regarding claim 10, Lee, Shchukin, and Huang teach the spectral filter of claim 1, and Lee further teaches wherein two or more of the plurality of cavities comprise a same dielectric pattern (Lee fig. 26-29 – cavities within a, b, and c each comprise a same dielectric pattern in 930 and 830).
Regarding claim 11, Lee, Shchukin, and Huang teach the spectral filter of claim 1, and Lee further teaches wherein a channel array having N channels is configured by combining one or more of the plurality of band filters of one of the first filter arrays and one or more of the plurality of unit filters of one of the second filter arrays (Lee fig. 46 – shows 16 channels, N = 16), and when a number of band filters of different types is A (Lee fig. 46 – shows 4 types of filters, A = 4), a number N′ of cavities having different effective refractive indices satisfies N/A ≤N′<N (Lee fig. 46 – shows an array of channels corresponding to different colors, and fig. 26 shows the changes in index of refraction, where A = 4, N = 16, N’ = 6 based on the number of cavities in fig. 26, so 4 ≤ 6 < 16).
Regarding claim 12, Lee, Shchukin, and Huang teach the spectral filter of claim 1, and Lee further teaches wherein each of the first reflecting plate (820) and the second reflecting plate (910) comprises a metal reflecting plate or a Bragg reflecting plate (Lee fig. 29 – 820 and 890 are made of silver).
Regarding claim 14, Lee, Shchukin, and Huang teach the spectral filter of claim 1, and Lee further teaches further comprising an etch stop layer provided on the intermediate light absorption layer (Lee para. 0064).
Regarding claim 15, Lee teaches an image sensor (Lee fig. 45) comprising:
a pixel array (Lee fig. 45 – 406) comprising a plurality of pixels (Lee fig. 45 – PD1, PD2, PD3); and
a spectral filter (Lee fig. 45 – 100, which includes a plurality of second filter arrays and a plurality of unit filters, see also para. 0044) provided on the pixel array (406), wherein the spectral filter comprises:
a plurality of second filter arrays (Lee fig. 45 – 100) provided on the plurality of first filter arrays, each of the plurality of second filter arrays (100) comprising a plurality of unit filters (Lee para. 0044) corresponding to the plurality of band filters (Lee fig. 45 – 100 has RGB colors that correspond to photodetectors);
wherein the plurality of unit filters comprises:
a first reflecting plate (Lee fig. 28 - 820);
a second reflecting plate (Lee fig. 28 - 910) spaced apart from the first reflecting plate (Lee fig. 28); and
a plurality of cavities (Lee fig. 28 – 830, 930) provided between the first reflecting plate (820) and second reflecting plate (910), each of the plurality of cavities having central wavelengths of different wavelength bands among a plurality of wavelength bands (Lee fig. 28-29 – a, b, c, see also para. 0094),
wherein each of the plurality of cavities (830, 930) comprises a lower cavity layer (Lee fig. 28 - 830), a upper cavity layer (Lee fig. 28 - 930), and an intermediate light absorption layer (Lee fig. 28 - 810) provided between the lower cavity layer (830) and the upper cavity layer (930, Lee fig. 28 - 810 is between 830 and 930),
wherein two or more of the plurality of cavities (830, 930) are configured to have a same effective refractive index (Lee fig. 28 – the width and spacing of the cavities is the same for 830 and 930, see also para. 0050), and
wherein the intermediate light absorption layer (810) is configured to absorb a specific central wavelength among a plurality of central wavelengths generated by a combination of the lower cavity layer and the upper cavity layer (Lee para. 0091-0093 – 810 forms a sharp and narrow transmission band and rejects out-of-band wavelengths and is made of Ag, which may generically absorb at some specified central wavelength).
Lee and Shchukin do not specify wherein the intermediate light absorption layer is configured to absorb a specific central wavelength in a visible light band, however Lee does teach a layer made of silver which rejects out-of-band wavelengths and may absorb at some specified central wavelength3 (Lee para. 0091-0093).
In the same field of endeavor, Shchukin teaches wherein the intermediate light absorption layer (Shchukin fig. 10a - 1006) is configured to absorb a specific central wavelength in a visible light band (Shchukin para. 0198 – absorbs light with a wavelength below 870 nm) for the purpose of having absorption losses of the given optical mode (Shchukin para. 0127). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the intermediate light absorption layer is configured to absorb a specific central wavelength in a visible light band as taught by Shchukin in the image sensor of Lee in order to have absorption losses of the given optical mode (Shchukin para. 0127).
Lee and Shchukin do not specify a plurality of first filter arrays, each of the plurality of first filter arrays comprising a plurality of band filters; and wherein each of the plurality of band filters is configured to transmit light in a respective wavelength band, among the plurality of wavelength bands.
In the same field of endeavor, Huang teaches a plurality of first filter arrays (Huang fig. 9A - 902), each of the plurality of first filter arrays comprising a plurality of band filters (Huang fig. 9A – 902 includes 902a and 902b, see also para. 0069); and wherein each of the plurality of band filters (902a, 902b) is configured to transmit light in a respective wavelength band, among the plurality of wavelength bands (Huang para. 0069) for the purpose of suppressing wavelengths of radiation outside the high transmission bands of a narrow band filter (Huang para. 0070). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have first filter arrays including a plurality of band filters as taught by Huang in the image sensor of Lee and Shchukin in order to suppress wavelengths of radiation outside the high transmission bands of a narrow band filter (Huang para. 0070).
Regarding claim 16, Lee, Shchukin, and Huang teach the image sensor of claim 15, and Lee further teaches wherein the pixel array comprises a plurality of pixels (Lee fig. 46), each of the plurality of pixels comprises a wiring layer including a driving circuit and a photodiode provided in the wiring layer (Lee fig. 45 – 508, 406, which would require a circuit to operate).
Regarding claim 17, Lee, Shchukin, and Huang teach the image sensor of claim 15, and Lee further teaches wherein each of the plurality of cavities is configured to have the central wavelengths of the different wavelength bands in a wavelength range of about 400 nm to about 700 nm (Lee fig. 26 – shows a graph of transmittance over wavelength for a wavelength range of about 400nm to about 650nm, fig. 29 – shows an overlapping wavelength range of about 550nm to about 800nm).
Regarding claim 18, Lee, Shchukin, and Huang teach the image sensor of claim 15, and Huang further teaches wherein the first filter array comprises a color filter array or a broadband filter array (Huang para. 0069).
Regarding claim 19, Lee, Shchukin, and Huang teach the image sensor of claim 15, and Lee further teaches wherein a channel array having N channels is configured by combining one or more of the plurality of band filters of one of the first filter arrays and one or more of the plurality of unit filters of one of the second filter arrays (Lee fig. 46 – shows 16 channels, N = 16), and when a number of band filters of different types is A (Lee fig. 46 – shows 4 types of filters, A = 4), a number N′ of cavities having different effective refractive indices satisfies N/A ≤N′<N (Lee fig. 46 – shows an array of channels corresponding to different colors, and fig. 26 shows the changes in index of refraction, where A = 4, N = 16, N’ = 6 based on the number of cavities in fig. 26, so 4 ≤ 6 < 16).
Regarding claim 20, Lee teaches an electronic device comprising:
an image sensor (Lee fig. 45) comprising:
a pixel array (Lee fig. 45 – 406) comprising a plurality of pixels (Lee fig. 45 – PD1, PD2, PD3); and
a spectral filter (Lee fig. 45 – 100, which includes a plurality of second filter arrays and a plurality of unit filters, see also para. 0044) provided on the pixel array (406), wherein the spectral filter comprises:
a plurality of second filter arrays (Lee fig. 45 – 100) provided on the plurality of first filter arrays, each of the plurality of second filter arrays (100) comprising a plurality of unit filters (Lee para. 0044) corresponding to the plurality of band filters (Lee fig. 45 – 100 has RGB colors that correspond to photodetectors);
wherein the plurality of unit filters comprises:
a first reflecting plate (Lee fig. 28 - 820);
a second reflecting plate (Lee fig. 28 - 910) spaced apart from the first reflecting plate (Lee fig. 28); and
a plurality of cavities (Lee fig. 28 – 830, 930) provided between the first reflecting plate (820) and second reflecting plate (910), each of the plurality of cavities having central wavelengths of different wavelength bands among a plurality of wavelength bands (Lee fig. 28-29 – a, b, c, see also para. 0094),
wherein each of the plurality of cavities (830, 930) comprises a lower cavity layer (Lee fig. 28 - 830), a upper cavity layer (Lee fig. 28 - 930), and an intermediate light absorption layer (Lee fig. 28 - 810) provided between the lower cavity layer (830) and the upper cavity layer (930, Lee fig. 28 - 810 is between 830 and 930),
wherein two or more of the plurality of cavities (830, 930) are configured to have a same effective refractive index (Lee fig. 28 – the width and spacing of the cavities is the same for 830 and 930, see also para. 0050), and
wherein the intermediate light absorption layer (810) is configured to absorb a specific central wavelength among a plurality of central wavelengths generated by a combination of the lower cavity layer and the upper cavity layer (Lee para. 0091-0093 – 810 forms a sharp and narrow transmission band and rejects out-of-band wavelengths and is made of Ag, which may generically absorb at some specified central wavelength).
Lee and Shchukin do not specify wherein the intermediate light absorption layer is configured to absorb a specific central wavelength in a visible light band, however Lee does teach a layer made of silver which rejects out-of-band wavelengths and may absorb at some specified central wavelength4 (Lee para. 0091-0093).
In the same field of endeavor, Shchukin teaches wherein the intermediate light absorption layer (Shchukin fig. 10a - 1006) is configured to absorb a specific central wavelength in a visible light band (Shchukin para. 0198 – absorbs light with a wavelength below 870 nm) for the purpose of having absorption losses of the given optical mode (Shchukin para. 0127). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the intermediate light absorption layer is configured to absorb a specific central wavelength in a visible light band as taught by Shchukin in the electronic device of Lee in order to have absorption losses of the given optical mode (Shchukin para. 0127).
Lee and Shchukin do not specify a plurality of first filter arrays, each of the plurality of first filter arrays comprising a plurality of band filters; and wherein each of the plurality of band filters is configured to transmit light in a respective wavelength band, among the plurality of wavelength bands.
In the same field of endeavor, Huang teaches a plurality of first filter arrays (Huang fig. 9A - 902), each of the plurality of first filter arrays comprising a plurality of band filters (Huang fig. 9A – 902 includes 902a and 902b, see also para. 0069); and wherein each of the plurality of band filters (902a, 902b) is configured to transmit light in a respective wavelength band, among the plurality of wavelength bands (Huang para. 0069) for the purpose of suppressing wavelengths of radiation outside the high transmission bands of a narrow band filter (Huang para. 0070). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have first filter arrays including a plurality of band filters as taught by Huang in the electronic device of Lee and Shchukin in order to suppress wavelengths of radiation outside the high transmission bands of a narrow band filter (Huang para. 0070).
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee, Shchukin, and Huang as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Ishikawa et. al US 20210313359 (hereinafter “Ishikawa”) of record.
Regarding claim 13, Lee, Shchukin, and Huang teach the spectral filter of claim 1.
Lee, Shchukin, and Huang do not specifically disclose wherein two or more unit filters, among the plurality of unit filters, having a same central wavelength are configured such that effective refractive indices of the plurality of cavities change according to positions of the two or more unit filters so as to compensate for a central wavelength shift caused by a change in a chief ray angle (CRA) of an incident light. However, Lee does teach controlling a central wavelength through a change in refractive index (Lee fig. 27, see also para. 0091 and 0058).
In the same field of endeavor, Ishikawa teaches wherein two or more unit filters, among the plurality of unit filters, having a same central wavelength are configured such that effective refractive indices of the plurality of cavities change according to positions of the two or more unit filters so as to compensate for a central wavelength shift caused by a change in a chief ray angle (CRA) of an incident light (Ishikawa fig. 9-11b, para. 0158, and 0165, a finite incident angle and associated shift in wavelength may be compensated for through increasing the refractive index) for the purpose of improving the wavelength resolution of a light detecting device (Ishikawa para. 0165). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a change in effective refractive index based on the angle of incident light as taught by Ishikawa in the electronic device of Lee, Shchukin, and Huang in order to improve the wavelength resolution of a light detecting device (Ishikawa para. 0165).
Conclusion
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/ELIZABETH M HALL/Examiner, Art Unit 2872
/ZACHARY W WILKES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
1 L. G. Schulz, "The Optical Constants of Silver, Gold, Copper, and Aluminum. I. The Absorption Coefficient k," J. Opt. Soc. Am. 44, 357-362 (1954).
2 L. G. Schulz, "The Optical Constants of Silver, Gold, Copper, and Aluminum. I. The Absorption Coefficient k," J. Opt. Soc. Am. 44, 357-362 (1954).
3 L. G. Schulz, "The Optical Constants of Silver, Gold, Copper, and Aluminum. I. The Absorption Coefficient k," J. Opt. Soc. Am. 44, 357-362 (1954).
4 L. G. Schulz, "The Optical Constants of Silver, Gold, Copper, and Aluminum. I. The Absorption Coefficient k," J. Opt. Soc. Am. 44, 357-362 (1954).
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