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 .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: the specification provides the abbreviation of GaN” and “In” without introducing the unabbreviated terms. Appropriate correction is required.
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: at[0012-0015] & [0059-0062]of the specification as filed recites: a range of the proportion of In component in the red photosensitive layer is from 0.4 to 0.6; a range of the proportion of In component in the green photosensitive layer is from 0.2 to 0.3; a range of the proportion of In component in the blue photosensitive layer is from 0.01 to 0.1; and a range of the proportion of In component in the infrared photosensitive layer is from 0.7 to 0.9. However, Examiner notes that the terms are not clearly defined. The specification does not provide a standard of measure for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. For example, the ranges (e.g., "0.4 to 0.6") lack any context or unit of measurement to render a value to the component, and it is not clear whether the components of various layers are related to each other by any particular unit of measurement. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claim 2 is objected to because of the following informalities: the claim introduces the abbreviated limitation "GaN-based" and “In” without introducing the unabbreviated form of the term. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities: the claim introduces the abbreviated limitation “In” without introducing the unabbreviated form of the term. Appropriate correction is required.
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Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
With regards to claim 3, the limitation of “a range of the proportion of In component in the red photosensitive layer is from 0.4 to 0.6; a range of the proportion of In component in the green photosensitive layer is from 0.2 to 0.3; a range of the proportion of In component in the blue photosensitive layer is from 0.01 to 0.1; and a range of the proportion of In component in the infrared photosensitive layer is from 0.7 to 0.9” are relative terms which render the claims indefinite. The terms are not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. The Indium component ranges of "0.4 to 0.6, 0.2 to 0.3, 0.01 to 0.1, and 0.7 to 0.9” lack any context or unit of measurement to render a value to the component, and it is not clear whether the components of various layers are related to each other by any particular unit of measurement. Appropriate correction is required.
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ITO (US Pub o. 2016/0337605 A1)
Regarding claim 1, Ito et al discloses An image sensor comprising: a substrate(chip ) [0070] with multiple charge storage regions(24)[0162]; a photosensitive unit (P)on the substrate(chip)[0070][[0160], wherein the photosensitive unit (P)comprises multiple photosensitive subunits[0069][0160], teach each of the multiple photosensitive subunits (P)comprises a red photosensitive layer(PD3), a green photosensitive layer(PD2), a blue photosensitive layer(PD1), and an infrared photosensitive layer(PD4) that are stacked fig. 43[0160], and the multiple photosensitive subunits(P) are respectively electrically connected to the multiple charge storage regions(24); and a lens structure (31)on a side of the photosensitive unit (P)far from the substrate(chip)[0070].
However, the sixth embodiment of Ito et al refers to a back side illuminating image sensor. Ito et al further teaches that the configuration can be applied to a front illuminating type device[0165]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the sixth embodiment of Ito et al with the teachings of a front illuminating device to achieve saturation capacity of a pixel having a FSI structure.
Claim(s) 2 & 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ITO (US Pub o. 2016/0337605 A1)in view of Ristic (US Pub no. 2024/0136176 A1)
Regarding claim 2, Ito et al discloses all the claim limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein materials of the red photosensitive layer(PD3), the green photosensitive layer(PD2) , the blue photosensitive layer(PD1), and the infrared photosensitive layer (PD4)[0160] and to generate photosensitive charges based on wavelengths of received light and store the photosensitive charges in a corresponding charge storage region (24)or not generate photosensitive charges based on the wavelengths of the received light[0070] [0074] [0195-0196]but fails to teach comprise GaN-based materials containing In element, and proportions of In components in the red photosensitive layer, the green photosensitive layer, the blue photosensitive layer, and the infrared photosensitive layer are different,
However, Ristic et al teaches a detector for electromigration radiation such as a photodiode comprising InAlGaN that operates between 200 nm and 1770 nm by varying the atomic composition [0043]. Ristic et al explicitly discloses the capability of InAlGaN being configured to detect the visible and IR region by tuning variables x and y, which includes indium content. Since tuning the atomic composition of InAlGaN by varying the indium proportion is one finite solutions to achieve wavelengths that include visible and IR photodetecting regions as taught by Ristic et al, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to try varying indium in the InAlGaN material in the red, green ,blue, and the infrared photosensitive layer of Ito et al to achieve the specific indium concentrations for each layer and to generate specific charges for each layer since a person of ordinary skill has good reason to pursue the known options within his or her technical grasp. If this leads to the anticipated success, it is likely the product not of innovation but of ordinary skill and common sense (KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 82 USPQ2d 1385 (U.S. 2007).
Regarding claim 3, Ito et al in view of Ristic et al discloses all the claim limitations of claim 2. Ito et al teaches wherein materials of the red photosensitive layer(PD3), the green photosensitive layer(PD2) , the blue photosensitive layer(PD1), and the infrared photosensitive layer (PD4)[0160] but fails to teach a range of the proportion of In component in the red photosensitive layer is from 0.4 to 0.6; a range of the proportion of In component in the green photosensitive layer is from 0.2 to 0.3; a range of the proportion of In component in the blue photosensitive layer is from 0.01 to 0.1; and a range of the proportion of In component in the infrared photosensitive layer is from 0.7 to 0.9.
However, Ristic et al teaches a detector for electromigration radiation such as a photodiode comprising InAlGaN that operates between 200 nm and 1770 nm by varying the atomic composition[0043]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to achieve a range of the proportion of In component in the red photosensitive layer is from 0.4 to 0.6; a range of the proportion of In component in the green photosensitive layer is from 0.2 to 0.3; a range of the proportion of In component in the blue photosensitive layer
is from 0.01 to 0.1; and a range of the proportion of In component in the infrared photosensitive layer is from 0.7 to 0.9 through routine experimentation "[W]here the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation. "In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955)
Claim(s)4-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ITO (US Pub o. 2016/0337605 A1) in view of Kwon (US Pub no. 2022/0064182 A1).
Regarding claim 4, Ito et a l discloses all the claim limitations of claim 1 and further teach each of the multiple photosensitive subunits but fails to teach sequentially comprises the blue photosensitive layer, the green photosensitive layer, the red photosensitive layer, and the infrared photosensitive layer.
Kwon et al discloses a combination sensor comprising the blue photosensitive layer(200a), the green photosensitive layer(200b), the red photosensitive layer(200c), and the infrared photosensitive layer(100)[0256]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Ito et al with the teachings of Kwon et al to achieve the optimized configuration of the sensor stack.
Regarding claim 5, Ito et al discloses multiple transistors(16a-16c and 23) on the substrate(chip), and a source region or a drain region of at least one of the multiple transistors (16a-16c and 23)is one of the multiple charge storage regions(24) ; and a metal interconnecting layer (14a-c)[0081]between the substrate (chip) and the photosensitive unit(P), wherein a metal interconnecting structure (TCV)) of the metal interconnecting layer (14a-c) is configured to electrically connect the multiple transistors(16a-16c and 23).
Regarding claim 6, Ito et al wherein at least one of the multiple transistors (102) is provided with a photosensitive processing circuit(130), and the photosensitive processing circuit (130) is configured to detect a photosensitive electrical signal generated by the photosensitive subunit(P of 1a)0070]; wherein in response to determining that a photosensitive electrical signal intensity detected by the photosensitive processing circuit (130)from the photosensitive subunit(P of 1a)is
greater than a first threshold, a blue-light incident signal is stored[0074] [0195-0196];
in response to determining that a photosensitive electrical signal intensity detected
by the photosensitive processing circuit from the photosensitive subunit is
greater than a second threshold and less than or equal to the first threshold, a green-light incident signal is stored[0074] [0195-0196]; in response to determining that a photosensitive electrical signal intensity detected by the photosensitive processing circuit (130)from the photosensitive subunit (P of 1a)is
greater than a third threshold and less than or equal to the second threshold, a red-light
incident signal is stored[0074] [0195-0196]; and in response to determining that a photosensitive electrical signal intensity detected by the photosensitive processing circuit (130)from the photosensitive subunit(P of 1a) is less than or equal to the third threshold, an infrared-light incident signal is stored[0074] [0195-0196].
Regarding claim 7, Ito et al discloses further comprising: a conductive plug (TCV) in the metal interconnecting layer(14a-14c), wherein a first end of the conductive plug (TCV) is connected to one of the multiple photosensitive subunits (PD1-PD4), and a second end of the conductive plug (TCV) is electrically connected to one of the
multiple charge storage regions(24)(fig. 4/fig. 43[0081][0161-0162].
Regarding claim 8, Ito et al discloses wherein the first end of the conductive plug (TCV-111) is connected to a side wall of one of the multiple photosensitive subunits(P)[0081] fig 4/fig. 43.
Claim(s) 9 & 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ITO (US Pub o. 2016/0337605 A1) in view of Luo (US Pub no. 2019/0393256 A1).
Regarding claim 9, Ito et al discloses all the claim limitations of claim 1 but fails to teach a light blocking structure between adjacent photosensitive subunits of
the multiple photosensitive subunits.
However, Luo et al discloses a conductor member (2221)disposed between pn junction detector 221b to prevent cross talk [0025][0029][0035].It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Ito et al with the teachings of Luo et al to improve quality of the photodetector.
Regarding claim 10, Luo et al discloses wherein a material of the light blocking structure (2221) comprises a metal aluminum, or an alloy of metal aluminum[0035]. one of the multiple photosensitive subunits(PD1-PD4).
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ITO (US Pub o. 2016/0337605 A1) in view of Yamaguchi (US Pub no. 2015/0349015 A1)
Regarding claim 11, Ito et al discloses all the claim limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein one of the multiple charge storage regions is a floating diffusion region(24) [0162]but fails to teach
the substrate comprises a monocrystalline silicon substrate and wherein the floating diffusion region is an n- type lightly doped region formed in a p-type well.
However, Yamaguchi et al teaches a semiconductor device comprising a monocrystalline silicon substrate(1S)[0098] and wherein the floating diffusion region ( (FD))is an n- type lightly doped region formed in a p-type well (PWL)[0085][0097]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Ito et al with the teachings of Yamaguchi et al since using monocrystalline substrate ensures carrier mobility and reduced leakage current and N-Type FD on a p-well provides signal readout capabilities.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LATANYA N CRAWFORD EASON whose telephone number is (571)270-3208. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:30 PM.
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/LATANYA N CRAWFORD EASON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2813