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 .
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.
Response to Amendment
Applicant's amendment to the claims, filed on July 7th, 2026, is acknowledged. Entry of amendment is accepted and made of record.
Response to Arguments/Remarks
Applicant's response filed on July 7th, 2026 is acknowledged and isanswered as follows.
Applicant's remarks, see pgs. 7-9, with respect to the rejections of claims 1-2, 3, 4, and 8-9 under 35 U.S.C 102(a)(2), have been fully considered but are moot in view of new ground of rejections.
However, the examiner would like to address applicant’s argument regarding Kim fails to teach that “wherein the pad isolation pattern includes an integrated structure in which the at least one first upper isolation pattern and the at least one second upper isolation pattern are continuous” (see applicant’s argument and pg. 9). The Examiner respectfully disagree because both the illustrated portions of PIS1 and PIS2, and the illustrated isolation layer 105 are combined/connected together forming a unified feature as an integrated structure and the illustrated portion of isolation structure PIS2 and the illustrated portion of isolation structure PS1 are continuous as shown in annotated Fig. 2 below). Therefore, the examiner respectfully submits that Kim disclosed the amended limitations above.
Applicant's remarks, see pgs. 9-11, with respect to the rejections of claims 13-15 under 35 U.S.C 102(a)(2), have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejections of claims have been withdrawn.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 13-16 are allowable. The restriction requirement among Species, as set forth in the Office action mailed on January 8th, 2026, has been reconsidered in view of the allowability of claims to the elected invention pursuant to MPEP § 821.04(a). The restriction requirement is hereby withdrawn as to any claim that requires all the limitations of an allowable claim. Specifically, the restriction requirement of January 8th, 2026 is partially withdrawn. Claims 17-19, directed to non-elected Species are no longer withdrawn from consideration because the claim(s) requires all the limitations of an allowable claim. However, claims 5-12, directed to non-elected Species remain withdrawn from consideration because they do not all require all the limitations of an allowable claim.
In view of the above noted withdrawal of the restriction requirement, applicant is advised that if any claim presented in a continuation or divisional application is anticipated by, or includes all the limitations of, a claim that is allowable in the present application, such claim may be subject to provisional statutory and/or nonstatutory double patenting rejections over the claims of the instant application.
Once a restriction requirement is withdrawn, the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 121 are no longer applicable. See In re Ziegler, 443 F.2d 1211, 1215, 170 USPQ 129, 131-32 (CCPA 1971). See also MPEP § 804.01.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-2, 4, and 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (Pub. No.: US 2022/0310676 A1), hereinafter as Kim.
Regarding claim 1, Kim discloses an image sensing device in Figs. 1-2 comprising: a semiconductor substrate (substrate 101) including a first surface (surface 100b) and a second surface (surface 100a) facing or opposite to the first surface, and structured to include a pixel region (pixel region PR of central region CR) in which photoelectric conversion elements (region PDs) are formed to correspond to unit pixels (unit pixels of regions PR) and a pad region (region having contact pattern CT and contact plug PLG) that is located outside the pixel region while having an electrode pad (contact pattern CT) (see Fig. 2 and [0027-0029], [0047]); a pixel isolation pattern (a
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portion P1 of isolation structure PIS2 in pixel region PR between two regions PDs) disposed between the photoelectric conversion elements in the semiconductor substrate (see Fig. 2 and [0026]); and a pad isolation pattern (a combination of portions of isolation structures PIS1, PIS2 and isolation layer 105 in region DPR as shown in annotated Fig. 2) disposed between the pixel region and the pad region in the semiconductor substrate, wherein the pad isolation pattern includes: at least one first upper isolation pattern (a portion of isolation structure PIS2 of the illustrated pad isolation pattern in the region DPR in annotated Fig. 2) formed to extend from the first surface toward the second surface to have a same depth (same depth with the portion of PIS2 in the region PR) as the pixel isolation pattern (see Fig. 2 and [0028], [0031-0032]); and at least one second upper isolation pattern (a portion of isolation structure PIS1 in the illustrated pad isolation pattern in the region DPR in annotated Fig. 2) formed to extend from a bottom surface of the at least one first upper isolation pattern (bottom surface of dielectric layer 121) toward the second surface, wherein an upper surface of the at least one second upper isolation pattern has a smaller width (a width of upper surface of liner insulating pattern 111 of PIS1) than the bottom surface of the at least one first upper isolation pattern (a width of bottom surface of dielectric layer 121) (see illustrated pad isolation pattern in annotated Fig. 2 above and [0036], [0059]), wherein the pad isolation pattern includes an integrated structure (both portions of PIS1 and PIS2, and isolation layer 105 are combined or connected together forming a unified feature as an integrated structure) in which the at least one first upper isolation pattern and the at least one second upper isolation pattern are continuous (the illustrated portion of isolation structure PIS2 and the illustrated portion of isolation structure PS1 are continuous as shown in annotated Fig. 2 above).
Regarding claim 2, Kim discloses the image sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the pad isolation pattern further includes: a lower isolation pattern (isolation layer 105) formed to extend from the second surface of the semiconductor substrate toward the first surface of the semiconductor substrate, wherein a bottom surface of the lower isolation pattern (bottom surface of isolation layer 105) is connected to the at least one second upper isolation pattern (isolation structure PIS1) (see Fig. 2 and [0029]).
Regarding claim 4, Kim discloses the image sensing device according to claim 2, wherein: the pad isolation pattern is formed to penetrate the semiconductor substrate (the combination of portions of isolation structures PIS1 and PIS2, and isolation layer 105 in region DPR penetrate substrate 101 as shown in annotated Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 8, Kim discloses the image sensing device according to claim 1, wherein: the pad isolation pattern is formed in a loop shape surrounding the pixel region (see Fig. 1 and 2).
Regarding claim 9, Kim discloses the image sensing device according to claim 1, wherein: the first and second upper isolation patterns are configured to include a same insulation material as the pixel isolation pattern (dielectric layer 121 includes hafnium oxide and liner insulation pattern 111 includes hafnium oxide) (see Fig. 2 and [0037] and [0059]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 3 is 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 an examiner's statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: wherein: the lower isolation pattern of the pad isolation pattern is connected to two or more of the at least one second upper isolation pattern as recited in claim 3.
Claims 13-19 are allowed over prior art of record.
The following is an examiner' s statement of reason for allowance: the prior art made of record does not teach or fairly suggest the following: wherein the pad isolation pattern includes at least one first upper isolation pattern and at least one second upper isolation pattern extending from a bottom surface of the at least one first upper isolation pattern, and wherein the at least one first upper isolation pattern extends to the first depth and has a larger width than the pixel isolation pattern as recited in claim 13. Claims 14-19 depend on claim 13, and therefore also include said claimed limitation.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CUONG B NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)270-1509 (Email: CuongB.Nguyen@uspto.gov). The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM-5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steven H. Loke can be reached on (571) 272-1657. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CUONG B NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818
