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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1-4,7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Suzuki (WO 2018139279, wherein it’s American version is US Pub No. 20210134863).
With respect to claim 1, Suzuki discloses a first pixel (upper left pixel, Fig.6a) provided on a semiconductor substrate (where 12 is formed); and an isolation region (51,51a) that isolates the first pixel from an adjacent pixel (other pixels,Fig.6a), wherein the first pixel is surrounded by first to fourth portions of the isolation region in plan view (the four sides of 51), the isolation region includes a fifth portion (51a top) and a sixth portion (51a bottom) provided between the first portion and the third portion in the plan view (Fig.6a), a contact region is provided between the fifth portion and the sixth portion in the plan view (FD and TG), and the fifth portion is in contact with the first portion (Fig.6a), and the sixth portion is in contact with the third portion (Fig.6a).
With respect to claim 2, Suzuki discloses wherein an angle formed by the first portion and the fifth portion is perpendicular (Fig.6a).
With respect to claim 3, Suzuki discloses wherein the first portion and the third portion face each other (Fig.6a).
With respect to claim 4, Suzuki discloses wherein the fifth portion, the contact region, and the sixth portion are arranged in this order along a first direction in the plan view (in the y direction).
With respect to claim 7, Suzuki discloses wherein the trench penetrates the semiconductor substrate (Fig.6b).
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) 5-6,8-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Suzuki (WO 2018139279, wherein it’s American version is US Pub No. 20210134863), in view of Koyama et al (US Pub No. 20200075660).
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With respect to claim 5, Suzuki does not explicitly disclose, wherein the first pixel includes a first transistor and a second transistor provided on both sides of the sixth portion, and a first contact, a gate electrode, and a second contact of the first transistor are arranged in this order along the first direction. On the other hand, Koyama discloses wherein the first pixel (upper left portion, Fig.5A, Fig.5B) includes a first transistor (3 to the left of 10 for the upper left pixel,Fig.5A) and a second transistor (3 to the right of 10 for the upper left pixel,Fig.5A) provided on both sides of the sixth portion (which would around 10 in 5A-B), and a first contact, a gate electrode (the gate for the left transistor), and a second contact of the first transistor (source or drain for left transistor) are arranged in this order along the first direction (the y direction). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the invention to modify Suzuki according to the teachings of the Koyama such that transistors are formed left and the right of the 5th portion, in order to reset the pixel and process the light captured by the pixel.
With respect to claim 6, Koyama discloses wherein a third contact (for the source or drain contact of the right transistor), a gate electrode (the gate for the right transistor), and a fourth contact (for the source or drain of the right transistor) of the second transistor are arranged in this order along the first direction (in the y direction).
With respect to claim 8, Suzuki does not explicitly disclose wherein the contact region is provided at a center of the first pixel. On the other hand, Koyama discloses wherein the contact region (the well connected to 10 Fig.5B) is provided at a center of the first pixel (Fig.5A-B). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the invention to modify Suzuki according to the teachings of the Koyama such that the contact region is provided at a center of the pixel, in order to increase the size of the pixel, thereby increasing the amount of light signal collected by the pixel, and cutting the cost.
With respect to claim 9, the arts cited above do not explicitly disclose wherein the contact region is a p-type impurity region. On the other hand, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the invention to modify the arts cited above such that that the contact region is a p-type well in order to prevent the electrons from the neighboring regions penetrate other parts thereby reducing cross talk, and improving the pixel performance.
With respect to claim 10, Koyama discloses wherein the contact region is provided on the semiconductor substrate (404, Fig.5B).
Conclusion
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/ALI NARAGHI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2817
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