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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 04/01/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 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.
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 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okada et al. (U.S. 2007/0145420 A1, hereinafter refer to Okada) in view of Ishimura et al. (U.S. 2009/0218595 A1, hereinafter refer to Ishimura).
Regarding Claim 1: Okada discloses a semiconductor light receiving device (see Okada, Figs.7 and 6 as shown below and ¶ [0003]) comprising
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a semiconductor substrate (2) having a first and second surfaces opposite each other transparent to incident light in an infrared region for optical communications and a light receiving portion (1) having a light absorption layer (1) for absorbing the incident light formed on the first surface of the semiconductor substrate (2) (see Okada, Fig.7 as shown above and ¶ [0012]);
wherein an anti-reflection portion (8/9/10) is provided on the second surface of the semiconductor substrate (2) in an irradiation region where incident light that enters the light receiving portion (1) from the first surface side and transmitted through the light absorption layer (1) reaches (see Okada, Fig.7 as shown above and ¶ [0012]),
the anti-reflection portion (8/9/10) is formed by layering a first metal film (8) having a real part and an imaginary part of a complex refractive index (note: metal material such as, for example, aluminum, gold, silver) respectively, a dielectric film (9) having a refractive index of 2 or less (note: a silicon oxide film were known to have refractive index of 2 or less), and a second metal film (10) (see Okada, Fig.7 as shown above, ¶ [0027], ¶ [0029], and ¶ [0031]).
Okada is silent upon explicitly disclosing wherein a first metal film having a real part and an imaginary part of a complex refractive index each of which is 3 or more and 5 or less.
For support see Ishimura, which teaches a first metal film (14 metal AuZn/21/ AuZn/Ni, Cr, and Ti ) having a real part and an imaginary part of a complex refractive index each of which is 3 or more and 5 or less respectively (note: platinum, molybdenum, Ni, Cr, and Ti were known to have a reflective index of 3 or more or less), a dielectric film (22) having a refractive index of 2 or less (note: silicon oxide and silicon nitride were known to have reflective index of 2 or less), and a second metal film (15) (see Ishimura, Fig. 5 as shown below and ¶ [0047]).
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Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Okada and Ishimura to enable the first metal film having a real part and an imaginary part of a complex refractive index each of which is 3 or more and 5 or less as taught by Ishimura in order to achieved high reflectivity without deteriorating connection resistance.
Regarding Claim 2: Okada as modified teaches a semiconductor light receiving device as set forth in claim 1 as above. The combination of Okada and Ishimura further teaches wherein a third metal film (note: the integral metal film 15 is equivalent to the claimed separable third metal film and second metal film because making separable metal films is not sufficient by itself to patentably distinguish over an otherwise the integral metal film unless there are new or unexpected results) having a real part and an imaginary part of a complex refractive index each of which is 3 or more and 5 or less respectively (note: Ni, Cr, and Ti were known to have a reflective index of 3 or more or less), and thinner than the first metal film (14/21) is provided between the dielectric film (22) and the second metal film (a portion of the thickness of metal film 15) (see Ishimura, Fig. 5 as shown above and ¶ [0042]- ¶ [0047]).
Regarding Claim 3: Okada as modified teaches a semiconductor light receiving device as set forth in claim 1 as above. The combination of Okada and Ishimura further teaches wherein the first metal film (14/21) is mainly composed of one element selected from titanium, chromium, and tungsten (see Ishimura, Fig. 5 as shown above and ¶ [0042]- ¶ [0047]).
Claim(s) 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ishimura et al. (U.S. 2009/0218595 A1, hereinafter refer to Ishimura) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Matsubara et al. (JP 2004-31857 A, hereinafter refer to Matsubara).
Regarding Claim 4: Okada as modified teaches a semiconductor light receiving device as applied to claim 1 above. The combination of Okada and Ishimura is silent upon explicitly disclosing wherein the second metal film is mainly composed of gold.
For support see Matsubara, which teaches wherein the second metal film (20) is mainly composed of gold (see Matsubara, Fig.1 and ¶ [0024]).
Ishimura discloses the claimed invention except for the material of the second metal film. Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Okada, Ishimura, and Matsubara to enable the known gold material as taught by Matsubara in order to bond the optoelectronics device to carrier substrate and secure a high degree of durability, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the base of its suitability, for its intended use involves only ordinary skill in the art. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BITEW A DINKE whose telephone number is (571)272-0534. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7 a.m. - 5 p.m..
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/BITEW A DINKE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812
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