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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 8/19/2025 has been entered.
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 and 3-6 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.
Claim 1 recites “the distance from the light scattering layer to the second photoactive layer is 100 to 400 μm” is unclear because layer 107 is considered the light scattering layer and is within the second photoactive layer. Therefore it is unclear how the above distance is measured between what portions of the light scattering and second photoactive layer.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1 and 3-6 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter. The closest prior art of record includes Kirner (WO 2019/048839 A1) and Son (US 2014/0338743 A1). Kirner discloses a multijunction solar cell with a first subcell comprising a perovskite cell and a second subcell comprising a silicon cell. Kirner discloses an intermediate connection layer which comprises an insulation layer with holes formed within the insulation layer the hole are filled with an electrically conductive material to provide an electrical connection (see pg. 17 and Fig. 2). Kirner also discloses that the top layer of the silicon cell is an n-type layer (see pg. 17). It is known in the art an aluminum contact provides p-type doping to a silicon layer.
Son discloses a front side contact for a silicon solar cell that comprises forming holes in an electrically insulating layer and depositing phosphorus-doped nickel nanoparticle-containing paste and then depositing screen-printing a silver paste on the phosphorus-doped nickel nanoparticle-containing paste and then heating to form the front side electrode ([0084]-[01113], nickel-silicide layer is formed).
No teaching, suggestion or motivation can be found to modify the closest prior art of record to have the entirety of claim 1.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DEVINA PILLAY whose telephone number is (571)270-1180. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:30-6:00.
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DEVINA PILLAY
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1726
/DEVINA PILLAY/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1726