DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1 – 20 are pending in the present application.
Claims 11 – 20 are withdrawn herein (see elections section below).
Claims 1 – 10 are examined herein on the merits.
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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Korea on 24 OCT 2023.
It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the KR 10-2023-0142588 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I (claims 1-10) in the reply filed on 07/24/2026 is acknowledged. (The correct reading of the type-O in the restriction requirement of 06/10/2026 is affirmed as properly indicating “1-10” in Group I).
Claims 11-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Groups II and III, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 07/24/2026.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: in the second to final line the phrase “a channel correspond to the channel of” reads awkwardly and should probably read “a channel corresponding to the channel of” or “a channel which corresponds to the channel of” or the like.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-7 and 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Malm (US 20120139078) in view of Hosaka et al. (US 20210160439; hereinafter Hosaka).
Regarding claim 1, Malm teaches a microbolometer (title; abstract; see figs. 2b and 3) comprising:
a substrate (9; see fig. 3);
an absorption layer (21) configured to absorb incoming light in a specific wavelength range ([0047] teaches that layer 21 is for enhancing the absorption of IR radiation) and comprising an absorption body configured to float from the substrate (see fig. 3 showing that the body with layer 21 is floating relative to the substrate);
a resistance layer (1/11) provided between the substrate and the absorption body of the absorption layer (see fig. 3 and fig. 2b in view of fig. 3) and having a resistance value that changes based on temperature variations caused by thermal energy absorbed through the absorption layer ([0041] “the resistor element 1 of a bolometer can comprise a single layer 11 of mono-crystalline silicon or of a silicon-germanium alloy as a temperature sensitive thermistor material”; see [0041] and [0043]; see also [0012] and [0003] in view of fig. 3 teaching that the light is absorbed via the absorption layer and the temperature then measured by the resistor/thermistor layer); and
a resistance reduction layer provided between the absorption layer and the resistance layer to reduce interface resistance (at least 5/5’ are examples of resistance reduction layers; see [0028] teaches regarding “the low resistivity layers” and that “regions 5 having high dopant concentrations can be embedded in the two-layer structure, in order to ensure a low contact resistance”; [0035] teaches regarding layers “utilized to tailor the resistance of the complete layer stack”; [0042] “connection layer 5' having a relatively low electrical resistivity”; see figs. 1a, 2b and 3 showing this location between the absorption and resistance layers) and divided by a channel (see figs. 1a and 2b showing and teaching regarding a channel – labeled as 6 in fig. 1a; [0030]).
Malm does not directly and specifically state that the absorption layer is electrically isolated by a channel and that the resistance reduction layer channel correspond to the channel of the absorption layer.
However, Hosaka teaches an imaging device with a temperature detection element (abstract) having resistance bolometer elements ([0253]) with numerous exemplary teachings regarding placement of absorber elements (infrared absorption layer 61) with respect to channels where the channels between/among the absorber elements and resistive elements correspond (see figs. 1, 17A-22B and 37-45B showing examples of arranging the absorber elements with respect to channels and resistance detector elements).
Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the spacing/channel of Malm with the teaching and suggestion of using the corresponding spacing/channels of Hosaka. This is because such correspondence allows for the absorbed light wavelengths, such as IR wavelength, to be directed through the resistance reduction layer and to the desired resistance/measurement layer. This is important in order to provide an accurate measurement of the temperature to an end user.
Regarding claim 2, Malm teaches that the resistance reduction layer is a high-concentration impurity layer with a doping concentration ranging from 1018 cm−3 to 1020 cm−3 ([0028]; “regions 5 having high dopant concentrations”; [0035-36]; see also [0041] “Typical doping levels are in the range from 1x1014 cm−3 until the level of solid solubility 1x1020 cm−3.”; see also fig. 6a).
Regarding claim 3, Malm teaches that the high-concentration impurity layer is formed by depositing donor or acceptor impurities (abstract; [0012]) at the doping concentration ranging from 1018 cm−3 to 1020 cm−3 ([0035-36]; see also [0041] “Typical doping levels are in the range from 1x1014 cm−3 until the level of solid solubility 1x1020 cm−3.”; see also fig. 6a).
Regarding claim 4, Malm teaches that the high-concentration impurity layer is formed by ion doping with donor or acceptor impurities (see at least [0041] teaching doping with ions; see also Hosaka at [0332]) at the doping concentration ranging from 1018 cm−3 to 1020 cm−3 ([0035-36]; see also [0041] “Typical doping levels are in the range from 1x1014 cm−3 until the level of solid solubility 1x1020 cm−3.”; see also fig. 6a).
Regarding claim 5, Malm lacks direct and specific teaching that the resistance reduction layer comprises intermetallic compounds.
However, Hosaka teaches an imaging device with a temperature detection element (abstract) having resistance bolometer elements ([0253]) with numerous exemplary teachings regarding placement of absorber elements (infrared absorption layer 61) with respect to channels where the channels between/among the absorber elements and resistive elements correspond (see figs. 1, 17A-22B and 37-45B showing examples of arranging the absorber elements with respect to channels and resistance detector elements) where the device incudes conducting films ([0207]) using metals such as platinum, gold, and nickel ([0253]) and alloys as well as intermetallic stacks ([0207-208]; see also [0115] and [0120]).
Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the resistance reduction layer of Malm with the teaching and suggestion of using the conducting intermetallic films of Hosaka. This is because such allow for conducting heat and or electricity at desired rates for a given design. This is important in order to provide an accurate measurement of the temperature to an end user.
Regarding claim 6, Malm teaches that the channel in the resistance reduction layer is filled with a buffer layer (see at least [0047] “layer 20 made from silicon nitride covers the resistance element structure” in view of figs. 1a and 2b with respect to fig. 3 showing that the butter layer 20 will fill the channel of 5 / 5’ when completed).
Malm does not directly and specifically state regarding the channel in the absorption layer.
However, Hosaka teaches an imaging device with a temperature detection element (abstract) having resistance bolometer elements ([0253]) with numerous exemplary teachings regarding placement of absorber elements (infrared absorption layer 61) with respect to channels where the channels between/among the absorber elements and resistive elements correspond (see figs. 1, 17A-22B and 37-45B showing examples of arranging the absorber elements with respect to channels and resistance detector elements).
Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the spacing/channel of Malm with the teaching and suggestion of using the corresponding spacing/channels of Hosaka. This is because such correspondence allows for the absorbed light wavelengths, such as IR wavelength, to be directed through the resistance reduction layer and to the desired resistance/measurement layer. This is important in order to provide an accurate measurement of the temperature to an end user.
Regarding claim 7, Malm teaches that the buffer layer comprises silicon dioxide (SiO) or silicon nitride (SiN) (see at least [0047] “layer 20 made from silicon nitride covers the resistance element structure”).
Regarding claim 9, Malm teaches that the resistance layer comprises amorphous silicon or polycrystalline silicon (see at least [0009] teaching that “resistance element comprises mono-Si, poly-Si” is known; see also [0208] of Hosaka teaching “a polysilicon thin film that detects a temperature”; see also [0253] of Hosaka).
Regarding claim 10, Malm teaches that the resistance layer and the absorption layer are covered by an insulating film (at least passivation layer; [0059]).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Malm (US 20120139078) in view of Hosaka et al. (US 20210160439; hereinafter Hosaka) as applied to claims 1 above and further in view of Boudou (US 20220236114).
Regarding claim 8, Malm and Hosaka lacks direct and specific teaching that the absorption layer comprises titanium nitride (TiN).
However, Boudou teaches a microbolometer (abstract) with a TiN as the material for the absorption layer (see at least [0089] -- “absorption layer”: a layer that absorbs energy from IR light in a pixel of a microbolometer. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, this layer is formed of a metal such as TiN, Ti or Pt.).
Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the absorption layer(s) in a microbolometer of Malm and Hosaka with the specific teaching of using the TiN for an absorption layer in a microbolometer of Boudou. This is because TiN is known to be useful for absorbing energy from IR light (see [0089] of Boudou; [0073] of Malm and abstract of Hosaka regarding use of absorbed IR light for the measurements). This is important in order to increase the IR absorption rate and thereby the accuracy of the temperature measurement.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892.
See especially:
Yon et al. (US 20220065700); teaching regarding a microbolometer including a membrane containing a thermistor material (abstract) having and absorption layer (16; see fig. 2B) and a resistance layer (14.1) with channels (see figs. 2A-C).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PHILIP COTEY whose telephone number is (571)270-1029. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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/PHILIP L COTEY/ Examiner, Art Unit 2855
/LAURA MARTIN SWEENEY/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2855
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