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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of species A and E (Figure 2D, claims 1-16 and 19-20) in the reply filed on 02/09/2026 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/05/2023 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
3. Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being unpatentable over US20230215893A1; Sekine et al.; (hereinafter “Sekine”).
Regarding Claim 1, Sekine teaches an image sensor (#100, Figure 10A), comprising:
a plurality of pixels (#2) arranged to form an active pixel array (#12), wherein the plurality of pixels includes a plurality of photodiodes formed within a semiconductor substrate (#301, [0046]) and configured to generate image charge in response to incident light;
a plurality of contact pads (#PE, Figure 11) disposed within a peripheral region (#13) of the image sensor, the peripheral region surrounding the active pixel array (#13 surrounds #12); and
an optical structure (#1350, [0087]) disposed on the semiconductor substrate (#301) within the peripheral region (#13) between the plurality of contact pads (#PE) and the active pixel array (#12), wherein the optical structure is adapted to mitigate stray light from reaching the active pixel array ([0101-0102]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-16 and 19 are 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.
Claim 20 is allowed.
Regarding Claim 2, the most relevant prior art of record, Sekine discloses the image sensor as described in claim 1. Sekine further discloses a light shielding film (#LSM, Figure 11) in peripheral region (#13) disposing above a side of the substrate (#S2) and charge discharge unit (#1350).
None of the prior art of record discloses or makes obvious the limitation: “the metal shield is disposed between the first side of the semiconductor substrate and the optical structure” recited in claim 2, in combination with the other claimed elements.
Therefore, claim 2 is allowed, and claims 3-16 and 19 are allowed at least by virtue of their dependency on claim 2.
Regarding Claim 20, the most relevant prior art of record, Sekine discloses an image sensor (#100, Figure 10A), comprising:
a plurality of pixels (#2) arranged to form an active pixel array (#12), wherein the plurality of pixels includes a plurality of photodiodes formed within a semiconductor substrate (#301, [406]);
an optical structure (#1350, [0087]) disposed within a peripheral region (#13) of the image sensor, the peripheral region surrounding the active pixel array (#13 surrounds #12); and
a light shielding film (#LSM, Figure 11) in peripheral region (#13) disposing above a side of the substrate (#S2) and charge discharge unit (#1350);
wherein the optical structure (#1350) is segmented to form a plurality of regions (Figure 10A-11, #1350 comprises multiple regions) of a first material ([0097]).
None of the prior art of record discloses or makes obvious the limitations: “the metal shield is disposed between the first side of the semiconductor substrate and the optical structure” and “the optical structure…separated by a low-refractive-index material, and wherein the plurality of regions of the first material have a first refractive index greater than a corresponding refractive index of the low-refractive-index material but less than a metal refractive index of a first metal included in the metal shield” as recited in claim 20, in combination with the other claimed elements.
Therefore, claim 20 is allowed.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US20200058809A1 – Figures 3, 6 and [0067]
US20220123041A1 – Figures 18-19 and [0135]
US20210057570B1 – Figures 11 and [0057]
CN116153954A – Figures 2-6
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/TIEN TRAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2812
/CHRISTINE S. KIM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2812
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