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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-13 in the reply filed on 04/17/26 is acknowledged.
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.
(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 & 4-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and/or 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by NIHELI et al (US Pub. 2024/0352314).
Regarding claim 1, NIHELI teaches a solid-state imaging device comprising a photoelectric conversion element 100 (Fig. 3),
the photoelectric conversion element 100 including
a first electrode 102 disposed on a substrate (Para [0101] and see Fig. 3 below),
a photoelectric conversion layer disposed on the first electrode 102 (see annotations in Fig. 3 below), and
an electron transport layer (see annotations in Fig. 3 below) disposed between the first electrode 102 and the photoelectric conversion layer and including a buffer layer 107 and a particulate layer 104, the buffer layer having an ionization potential larger than a work function of the first electrode 102 and an electron affinity larger than the photoelectric conversion layer, the particulate layer 104 being disposed between the buffer layer 107 and the photoelectric conversion layer and including particulates 20 that contain conductive zinc oxide as a main component (NIHELI teaches in Para [0074] wherein the particulates contain zinc oxide, and zinc oxide is understood to be conductive).
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Regarding claim 2, NIHELI teaches the solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the photoelectric conversion element 100 further includes a second electrode 101 disposed on the photoelectric conversion layer (Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 4, NIHELI teaches the solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the buffer layer 107 includes a hole injection barrier against the first electrode 102, and the buffer layer 107 has higher mobility of electrons than mobility of holes (Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 5, NIHELI teaches the solid-state imaging device according to claim 4, wherein the buffer layer 107 includes an n-semiconductor or an n-type organic semiconductor as the main component (Para [0074]).
Regarding claim 6, NIHELI teaches the solid-state imaging device according to claim 5, wherein the n-type semiconductor comprises at least one inorganic material selected from the group of TiO2, ZnO, ZnS, SrTiO3, Nb2O5, WO3, In2O3, CuTiO3, SnO2, InGaZnO4, InTiO2, and p-Ga203 (Para [0074]).
Regarding claim 7, NIHELI teaches the solid-state imaging device according to claim 5, wherein the n-type organic semiconductor comprises an organic metal dye complex-formed with an organic material and a transition metal ion represented by phthalocyanine zinc (II); fullerene or a fullerene derivative; or a non-fullerene acceptor represented by an ITIC or BTP derivative (Para [0053]).
Regarding claim 8, NIHELI teaches the solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the particulate layer has an emission intensity ratio of defect emission intensity to band-edge emission intensity of an emission spectrum of 1 or more (Fig. 3, NIHELI’s particulate layer comprises the same material as applicant’s particulate layer and therefore has same emission intensity ratio of claim 8).
Regarding claim 9, NIHELI teaches the solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein an energy level of a conductor or a lowest unoccupied molecular orbital is deeper in the order of the photoelectric conversion layer, the particulate layer, and the buffer layer (Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 10, NIHELI teaches the solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein a mean primary particle size of the particulates of the particulate layer is 1 nm or more and 20 nm or less (Para [0015]).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claims 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over NIHELI as applied to claim 1 above.
Regarding claim 11-12, NIHELI teaches the solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the particulate layer has a thickness larger than a thickness of the buffer layer (claim 11); and wherein the electron transport layer has a thickness of 400 nm or less (claim 12) (Para [0074]). Notwithstanding, it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or working ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233. Furthermore, it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980).
Claims 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over NIHELI as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of AGUI et al. (US Pub. 2011/0186125).
Regarding claim 3, NIHELI is silent on the solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the conductive zinc oxide comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of boron-doped zinc oxide, aluminum-doped zinc oxide, and gallium-doped zinc oxide. However, AGUI discloses wherein a conductive zinc oxide comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of boron-doped zinc oxide, aluminum-doped zinc oxide, and gallium-doped zinc oxide. (see Para [0019 & 0026]). This has the advantage of increasing carrier electrons by introducing dopants. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to modify the invention of NIHELI with the conductive zinc oxide, as taught by AGUI, so as to increase carrier electrons in the photoelectric conversion element.
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over NIHELI as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of YAMAMOTO et al. (US Pub. 2023/0380206).
Regarding claim 13, NIHELI is silent on the solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein organic functional groups are bonded to a surface of the particulates. However, YAMAMOTO discloses wherein organic functional groups 52 are bonded to a surface of the particulates 50 (see Fig. 3). This has the advantage of improving electrical contact and lowering electrostatic capacity. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to modify the invention of NIHELI with the functional group, as taught by YAMAMOTO, so as to obtaining an improved photoelectric conversion element.
Conclusion
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/TIMOR KARIMY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818
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