DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, FIG. 1A-11 (claims 1-4, 7-13, and 15-21) in the reply filed on is acknowledged.
Claims 5, 6, 14, and 22-30 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 7/8/26.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description: 153d. See Fig. 11. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to because the Drawings are grainy, lacking resolution that it is difficult to determine where certain elements are pointing to. For example, in Fig. 1B, element 300 and element 100b appear to be pointing to the same structure. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the another substrate including a pixel part (claim 21) must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claim 4 is objected to because of the following informalities: in line 1, the limitation “wherein element part” appears to contain a typographical error. Appropriate correction is required.
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 thru 4, 7 thru 12, and 15 thru 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jeon et al. US 2017/0103916 A1. Jeon discloses (see, for example, FIG. 2) a semiconductor device comprising a semiconductor device comprising: a substrate 100; and at least one element part 140/130/120/125 provided on the substrate 100, wherein at least a part of the element part 141 is shaped to increase in width toward the substrate, the part including a side 142 opposite to a side near the substrate 100.
Regarding claim 2, see, for example, FIG. 2 wherein Jeon discloses an embedded layer
181.
Regarding claims 3, see, for example, paragraph [0119] wherein Jeon discloses a
part 141 of the element part 140 is shaped to increase in width toward the substrate 100, the part 141 including the side 142 opposite to the side near the substrate 100.
Regarding claim 4, see, for example, FIG. 2 wherein Jeon discloses element part 140 is
entirely shaped to increase in width toward the substrate.
Regarding claim 7, see, for example, FIG. 2 wherein Jeon discloses a protective
film 130.
Regarding claim 8, see, for example, FIG. 2 wherein Jeon discloses a wiring layer MG1,
semiconductor layer MG2, and side wall 140. In paragraph [0087], Jeon discloses the semiconductor layer MG2 includes poly-Si, etc.
Regarding claim 9, see, for example, FIG. 2 wherein Jeon discloses the side wall 140
being part of a protective film covering the semiconductor layer MG2, the wiring layer MG1 and the substrate 100.
Regarding claim 10, see, for example, FIG. 2 wherein Jeon discloses a protective film
127.
Regarding claims 11-12, see, for example, paragraph [0023] wherein Jeon discloses the
side wall 140 may include SiOCN, which is an inorganic material, and type of SiN material.
Regarding claim 15, see, for example, paragraph [0109] wherein Jeon discloses includes
silicon oxide, etc. which are inorganic materials.
Regarding claim 16, see, for example, FIG. 2 wherein Jeon discloses a semiconductor
substrate 100 and wiring layer MG1.
Regarding claim 17, see, for example, FIG. 2 wherein Jeon discloses at least one element
part 140t being a plurality of element parts 140t/240t.
Regarding claims 18-19, see, for example, paragraph [0046] wherein Jeon discloses a
memory element, etc.
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) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jeon et al. US 2017/0103916 A1, as applied to claims 1-4, 7-12, and 15-19. Jeon does not specifically disclose the widest part of the side wall has a width of 450 nm or more in an in-plane direction. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at a time prior to the effective filing date, to have the widest part of the side wall has a width of 450 nm or more in an in-plane direction in order to increase operating speed while enhancing integration, since it has been held that discovering the 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).
Claim(s) 20, and 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jeon et al. US 2017/0103916 A1, as applied to claims 1-4, 7-12, and 15-19, and further in view of WO 2020/129712 A1. Jeon does not disclose the pixel part having a photoelectric conversion element, and each of the element part processes a signal outputted from the substrate. However, WO 2020/129712 A1 discloses (see, for example, figure 18) a semiconductor device 1 comprising a pixel part having photoelectric conversion element 41 and each of the element part processes a signal outputted from the substrate. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at a time prior to the effective filing date, to have the pixel part having a photoelectric conversion element, and each of the element part processes a signal outputted from the substrate in order to utilize the semiconductor device into a more robust circuit such as an imager and/or display device.
Regarding claim 21, see, for example, figure 1 wherein WO 2020/129712 A1 discloses
another substrate 11.
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Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EUGENE LEE whose telephone number is (571)272-1733. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 730-330 PM.
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Eugene Lee
July 15, 2026
/EUGENE LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2815
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