DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to the application No. 18/318,488 filed on May 16, 2023.
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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species 5 reading on Figs. 9A-9B in the reply filed on 12/01/2025 is acknowledged. The Applicants indicated that Claims 1-5 and 11-21 read on the elected species. Claims 6-10 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Accordingly, pending in this Office action are claims 1-21.25
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-15, 17-19, and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee (US 2022/0123032).
Regarding Claim 1, Lee (see, e.g., Figs. 25-26), teaches a photoelectric conversion device comprising:
a semiconductor substrate 110 having a first face 110b in which a plurality of photoelectric conversion units 112/114 are formed and a second face 110a opposed to the first face 110b (see, e.g., pars. 0055, 0067);
an insulating layer 140 provided on the second face 110a and configured to receive entry of light in the insulating layer 140 (see, e.g., par. 0053);
a light-receiving pixel region APS in which the plurality of photoelectric conversion units 112/114 are arranged and light transmitting through the insulating layer 140 is received at the plurality of photoelectric conversion units 112/114 (see, e.g., par. 0163);
a first light-shielded region OB (i.e., left portion of OB) located adjacent to the light-receiving pixel region APS and having a light-shielding film 350 formed on the insulating layer 140 (see, e.g., par. 0179);
a peripheral region PR including an opening that penetrates the insulating layer 140 and the semiconductor substrate 110 and exposes a bonding pad 236 provided on the first face side (i.e., side of 110b) (see, e.g., pars. 0161, 0177); and
a second light-shielded region OB (i.e., right portion of OB) located between the first light-shielded region OB (i.e., left portion of OB) and the peripheral region PR and having the light-shielding film 350 formed on the insulating layer 140,
wherein:
a first trench 120 is formed in the semiconductor substrate 110 in the second light-shielded region OB (i.e., right portion of OB) (see, e.g., par. 0053),
a second trench 355t is formed in the insulating layer 140 in the second light-shielded region OB (i.e., right portion of OB) (see, e.g., par. 0180),
the second trench 355t penetrates the insulating layer 140,
a side face and a bottom face of the second trench 355t are covered with the light-shielding film 350 (see, e.g., par. 0180), and
in a planar view to the semiconductor substrate 110, the first trench 120 and the second trench 355t have portions overlapping each other.
Regarding Claim 2, Lee teaches all aspects of claim 1. Lee (see, e.g., Figs. 25-26), teaches that a member 120b having a different refractive index from the semiconductor substrate 110 is embedded in the first trench 120 (see, e.g., pars. 0054, 0120).
Regarding Claim 3, Lee teaches all aspects of claim 2. Lee (see, e.g., Figs. 25-26), teaches that when the semiconductor substrate 110 is formed of silicon, the member 120b is any of silicon oxide, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, hafnium oxide, tantalum oxide, and air (see, e.g., pars. 0054, 0120).
Regarding Claim 4, Lee teaches all aspects of claim 1. Lee (see, e.g., Figs. 25-26), teaches that the first trench 120 extends from the first face 110b toward the second face 110a, and an end of the first trench 120 does not reach the second face 110a.
Regarding Claim 5, Lee teaches all aspects of claim 4. Lee (see, e.g., Figs. 25-26), teaches that D/2 ≤ T is met, where the thickness of the semiconductor substrate 110 is D, and the depth of the first trench 120 is T.
Regarding Claim 11, Lee teaches all aspects of claim 2. Lee (see, e.g., Figs. 25-26), teaches that the first light-shielded region OB (i.e., left portion of OB) comprises one or both of the plurality of photoelectric conversion units 112/114 and a circuit unit TR1 (see, e.g., par. 0059).
Regarding Claim 12, Lee teaches all aspects of claim 1. Lee (see, e.g., Figs. 25-26), teaches that at least one of an interlayer lens 165, a color filter 170, and a micro-lens 180 is formed in the light-receiving pixel region APS (see, e.g., pars. 0094-0096).
Regarding Claim 13, Lee teaches all aspects of claim 1. Lee (see, e.g., Figs. 25-26), teaches that the second trench 355t overlaps the entire first trench 120 in the planar view.
Regarding Claim 14, Lee teaches all aspects of claim 1. Lee (see, e.g., Figs. 25-26), teaches that the first light-shielded region OB (i.e., left portion of OB) is surrounded by the first trench 120 and the second trench 355t in the planar view.
Regarding Claim 15, Lee teaches all aspects of claim 1. Lee (see, e.g., Figs. 25-26), teaches that the insulating layer 140 is formed of a plurality of laminated films (see, e.g., pars. 0084-0085).
Regarding Claim 17, Lee (see, e.g., Figs. 25-26), teaches a method of manufacturing a photoelectric conversion device,
wherein the photoelectric conversion device includes a semiconductor substrate 110 having a first face 110b in which a plurality of photoelectric conversion units 112/114 are formed and a second face 110a opposed to the first face 110b (see, e.g., pars. 0055, 0067),
an insulating layer 140 provided on the second face 110a and configured to receive entry of light in the insulating layer 140 (see, e.g., par. 0053),
a light-receiving pixel region APS in which the plurality of photoelectric conversion units 112/114 are arranged and light transmitting through the insulating layer 140 is received at the plurality of photoelectric conversion units 112/114 (see, e.g., par. 0163),
a first light-shielded region OB (i.e., left portion of OB) located adjacent to the light-receiving pixel region APS and having a light-shielding film 350 formed on the insulating layer 140 (see, e.g., par. 0179),
a peripheral region PR including an opening that penetrates the insulating layer 140 and the semiconductor substrate 110 and exposes a bonding pad 236 provided on the first face side (i.e., side of 110b) (see, e.g., pars. 0161, 0177), and
a second light-shielded region OB (i.e., right portion of OB) located between the first light-shielded region OB (i.e., left portion of OB) and the peripheral region PR and having the light-shielding film 350 formed on the insulating layer 140,
the method comprising:
forming a first trench 120 in the semiconductor substrate 110 in the second light-shielded region OB (i.e., right portion of OB) (see, e.g., par. 0053); and
forming a second trench 355t in the insulating layer 140 in the second light-shielded region OB (i.e., right portion of OB) (see, e.g., par. 0180),
wherein:
the second trench 355t penetrates the insulating layer 140
a side face and a bottom face of the second trench 355t are covered with the light-shielding film 350 (see, e.g., par. 0180), and
in a planar view to the semiconductor substrate 110, the first trench 120 and the second trench 355t have portions overlapping each other.
Regarding Claim 18, Lee teaches all aspects of claim 17. Lee (see, e.g., Figs. 25-26), teaches further comprising embedding, in the first trench 120, a member 120b having a different refractive index from the semiconductor substrate 110 (see, e.g., pars. 0054, 0120).
Regarding Claim 19, Lee teaches all aspects of claim 1. Lee (see, e.g., Figs. 1, 25-26), teaches an imaging system comprising:
a signal processing unit configured to process a signal output from the photoelectric conversion device (see, e.g., par. 0044).
Regarding Claim 21, Lee teaches all aspects of claim 1. Lee (see, e.g., Figs. 1, 25-26), teaches equipment comprising at least one of the following:
an optical apparatus corresponding to the photoelectric conversion device, a control apparatus configured to control the photoelectric conversion device, a processing apparatus configured to process a signal output from the photoelectric conversion device, a mechanical apparatus controlled based on information obtained by the photoelectric conversion device, a display apparatus configured to display information obtained by the photoelectric conversion device, and a memory apparatus configured to store information obtained by the photoelectric conversion device (see, e.g., pars. 0037-0044).
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 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.
Claims 16, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (US 2022/0123032) in view of Kitamura (US 2025/0063839).
Regarding Claim 16, Lee teaches all aspects of claim 15. Lee teaches that the insulating layer 140 may be formed of multiple films, including an aluminum oxide film, a hafnium oxide film, a silicon oxide film, a silicon nitride film and a hafnium oxide film that are sequentially stacked on side surface 110a, to function as an antireflective film to prevent or reduce reflection of light incident on the substrate 110, thereby increasing the photo receiving rate of the photoelectric conversion units (see, e.g., pars. 0085-0086).
Lee is silent with respect to the claim limitation that the insulating layer includes a first layer formed of aluminum oxide or hafnium oxide, a second layer formed of tantalum oxide, and a third layer formed of silicon oxide.
Kitamura (see, e.g., Fig. 3), in similar image sensors to Lee, on the other hand, teaches an antireflection layer 61 comprising an aluminum oxide film 62, a tantalum oxide film 63, and a silicon oxide film 64 that are stacked (see, e.g., par. 0054).
Therefore, because these antireflective structures were art-recognized equivalents at the time of the invention, one skilled in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, one of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to substitute the antireflective stack of Kitamura for the antireflective stack of Lee since the substitution would yield predictable results. See Supreme Court decision in KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. _, 82 YSPQ2d 1385 (2007).
The selection of a known material based on its suitability for its intended use supported a prima facie obviousness determination in Sinclair & Carroll Co. v. Interchemical Corp., 325 U.S. 327, 65 USPQ 297 (1945) (Claims to a printing ink comprising a solvent having the vapor pressure characteristics of butyl carbitol so that the ink would not dry at room temperature but would dry quickly upon heating were held invalid over a reference teaching a printing ink made with a different solvent that was nonvolatile at room temperature but highly volatile when heated in view of an article which taught the desired boiling point and vapor pressure characteristics of a solvent for printing inks and a catalog teaching the boiling point and vapor pressure characteristics of butyl carbitol. "Reading a list and selecting a known compound to meet known requirements is no more ingenious than selecting the last piece to put in the last opening in a jig-saw puzzle." 325 U.S. at 335, 65 USPQ at 301.).
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Claims 16, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (US 2022/0123032) in view of Ogino (US 2020/0251518).
Regarding Claim 20, Lee is silent with respect to the claim limitation of a moving unit comprising:
a distance information acquisition unit configured to acquire, from a parallax image based on signals from the photoelectric conversion device, distance information on a distance to an object; and
a control unit configured to control the moving unit based on the distance information.
Ogino (see, e.g., Figs. 12A-12B), in similar image sensor systems to Lee, on the other hand, teaches a moving unit comprising:
a distance information acquisition unit 2116 configured to acquire, from a parallax image based on signals from the photoelectric conversion device APR, distance information on a distance to an object (see, e.g., par. 0206); and
a control unit 2125 configured to control the moving unit based on the distance information (see, e.g., pars. 0205-0209).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to include the photoelectric conversion device of Lee in the moving unit of Ogino, to increase ranging accuracy and perform the control of automatic driving while avoiding collisions with other vehicles.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Nelson Garces whose telephone number is (571)272-8249. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Wael Fahmy can be reached on (571)272-1705. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/Nelson Garces/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2814