DETAILED ACTION
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-5 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter.
Claim 3 recites “wherein: the first grid structure includes a black photoresist layer on a first surface of the first grid structure, the black photoresist layer spaced apart from a second surface of the first grid structure to form an air layer disposed over the black photoresist layer and the black photoresist layer and the air layer forming a stacked structure.”
The basic structure claimed above is shown in US-2021/0091131, for example, in FIG. 3. Meaning, Examiner would need to first modify the Lin structure with the structure of FIG. 3 of ‘131 reference (Examiner does that in some rejections below). However, Examiner would then need to further modify the structure shown in FIG. 3, by replacing metal 146 with photoresist material instead. Examiner is not ready to argue for obviousness of this further modification, and thus there is an indication of allowable subject matter for claim 3.
Claim 14 (in combination with limitations of claim 13) recites limitations similar to claim 3 above and therefore is indicated as allowable subject matter for similar reasons.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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, 8, 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by (US-2022/0181370) by Lin et al (“Lin”).
Regarding claim 1, Lin discloses in FIGs. 1-2A and related text, e.g., an image sensing device comprising:
a plurality of image sensing pixels (106/108) configured to respond to light incident through first color filters (102; specifically, the 102’s located in 106/108) and generate image signals corresponding to a target object to be captured (by definition; that is the function of image sensor);
at least one phase detection pixel (“autofocus sensor units 104”; par. 3: “Phase Difference Auto Focus (PDAF) pixel”) configured to respond to light incident through a second color filter (102; specifically, the 102’s located in 104) and generate a phase signal for calculating a phase difference between images generated by the image signals (by definition; that is what “Phase Difference Auto Focus (PDAF) pixel” do);
a first grid structure (114/112/110, located between 104 and 106) disposed between the first color filters and the second color filter (see FIG. 2A), and including a light absorption layer (112; par. 29: “extra light shielding structure 112”); and a second grid structure (114/110, located between 106 and 108) disposed between adjacent first color filters (see FIG. 2A), and structured to be free from the light absorption layer (it does not have 112).
Regarding claim 8, Lin discloses in FIGs. 1-2A and related text, e.g., wherein: the first grid structure is formed in a ring shape surrounding the second color filter (see FIG. 1).
Regarding claim 10, Lin discloses in FIGs. 1-2A and related text, e.g., wherein the at least one phase detection pixel includes a plurality of phase detection pixels arranged adjacent to each other (4 of 104’s shown next to each other in FIG. 1).
Regarding claim 11, Lin discloses in FIGs. 1-2A and related text, e.g., wherein: the first grid structure surrounds the second color filter (see FIG. 1), and is not disposed between the plurality of phase detection pixels (see FIG. 1).
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 of this title, 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 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (US-2022/0181370) by Lin et al (“Lin”).
Regarding claim 12, Lin discloses in FIGs. 1 & 2A and related text, e.g., substantially the entire claim structure, as recited in above claims, except Lin does not explicitly state “wherein: the second color filter is a single green color filter formed across and covering all of the plurality of phase detection pixels”.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the device of Lin with “wherein: the second color filter is a single green color filter formed across and covering all of the plurality of phase detection pixels”, since Lin does show that the color filters 102 in phase detection pixels (104) are in direct contact with each other and therefore can all be considered a single color filter (“making integral”, MPEP 2144.04), and since Lin explicitly teaches that color filters can be green (par. 27).
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (US-2022/0181370) by Lin et al (“Lin”) in view of (US-4,846,556) by Haneda et al (“Haneda”).
Regarding claim 2, Lin discloses in FIGs. 1 & 2A and related text, e.g., substantially the entire claim structure, as recited in above claims, except “wherein: the light absorption layer includes a black photoresist layer”.
Haneda discloses in FIG. 1 and related text, e.g., “wherein: the light absorption layer (3) includes a black photoresist layer (col. 3, line 5; also, see Abstract)”.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the device of Lin with “wherein: the light absorption layer includes a black photoresist layer” as taught by Haneda, in order to simplify the processing steps of making a device, by using a notoriously well-known material (black photoresist), that is very easy to apply (spinning or coating, as Haneda teaches), in a notoriously well-known way (to elaborate briefly on the above; usage of black photoresist, for the purposes of blocking light between color filters, in an imaging application, was known way back in 1989; 1989 is ancient by semiconductor industry standards; hence, notoriously-well known).
Claims 6-7, 13, 15 & 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (US-2022/0181370) by Lin et al (“Lin”) in view of (US-2021/0091131) by Cho et al (“Cho”).
Regarding claim 6, Lin discloses in FIGs. 1 & 2A and related text, e.g., substantially the entire claim structure, as recited in above claims, except “wherein: the second grid structure includes a capping layer spaced apart from a first surface of the second grid structure to form an air layer on the first surface, the capping layer covering the air layer”.
Cho discloses in FIG. 3 and related text, e.g., “wherein: the second grid structure (120’/140’) includes a capping layer (144) spaced apart from a first surface of the second grid structure (bottom surface of structure) to form an air layer (142) on the first surface, the capping layer covering the air layer (see FIG. 3).”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the device of Lin with “wherein: the second grid structure includes a capping layer spaced apart from a first surface of the second grid structure to form an air layer on the first surface, the capping layer covering the air layer” as taught by Cho, in order to have a grid structure that is suitable for modern high-performance image sensors (Abstract and par. 3).
Regarding claim 7, the combined device of Lin and Cho disclose in cited figures and related text, e.g., wherein: the capping layer (144) is formed to extend to be below the first color filters (130; it is below all color filters).
Regarding claim 13, the combined device of Lin and Cho disclose in cited figures and related text, e.g., an image sensing device comprising:
a plurality of image sensing pixels configured to generate image signals corresponding to a target object to be captured (see claim 1);
one or more phase detection pixel disposed between the image sensing pixels (see claim 1);
an air layer disposed both between color filters of the image sensing pixels and between color filters of the image sensing pixels and a color filter of the phase detection pixel (see claim 6; Cho’s teachings apply to all Lin’s grid structures); and
a light absorption layer (Cho’s 146, or Lin’s 112) disposed between color filters of the image sensing pixels and a color filter of the phase detection pixel.
Regarding claim 15, the combined device of Lin and Cho disclose in cited figures and related text, e.g., wherein: the light absorption layer is formed in a ring shape surrounding the color filters of the phase detection pixels (see claim 8).
Regarding claim 17, the combined device of Lin and Cho disclose in cited figures and related text, e.g., further comprising: a capping layer (see claim 6) formed to cover: the air layer disposed in a boundary region of the image sensing pixels (see claim 6), and a stacked structure of the air layer disposed in the boundary region between the phase detection pixel and the image sensing pixels and the light absorption layer (see claim 6; also, stacked structure is shown in FIG. 3 of Cho).
Conclusion
Additional references (if any) are cited on the PTO-892 as disclosing similar features to those of the instant invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Alexander Belousov whose telephone number is (571)-272-3167. The examiner can normally be reached on 10 am-4 pm. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Jeff Natalini can be reached on 571-272-2266. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Alexander Belousov/Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2894
05/29/26
/Mounir S Amer/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818
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