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 .
Drawings
Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g).
Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. 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 following is a quotation of 37 CFR 1.84(p)(3)
Numbers, letters, and reference characters must measure at least.32 cm. (1/8 inch) in height. They should not be placed in the drawing so as to interfere with its comprehension. Therefore, they should not cross or mingle with the lines. They should not be placed upon hatched or shaded surfaces. When necessary, such as indicating a surface or cross section, a reference character may be underlined and a blank space may be left in the hatching or shading where the character occurs so that it appears distinct.
In all drawings the shades have low resolution and text is placed upon them, and as evidenced by the publication of the application they render the text difficult to clearly distinguish the parts and the text.
The following is a quotation of 37 C.F.R 1.84(q)
Lead lines. Lead lines are those lines between the reference characters and the details referred to. Such lines may be straight or curved and should be as short as possible. They must originate in the immediate proximity of the reference character and extend to the feature indicated. Lead lines must not cross each other. Lead lines are required for each reference character except for those which indicate the surface or cross section on which they are placed. Such a reference character must be underlined to make it clear that a lead line has not been left out by mistake. Lead lines must be executed in the same way as lines in the drawing. See paragraph (l) of this section.
In Fig. 3 for proper addressing, the lead lines pointing to each element should start from a position close to the respective reference number. The numbers 350,340, 330, 325,320 are partially covering the text. They should be clear of the text.
In Fig. 4 there is a legend with a cross out that covers part of it; there is no need to write and cross what is not intended in the drawing.
In Fig. 4 the lead line from reference number 430 covers part of the structure. It is recommended that pointer lines with smaller thickness be use and placed in a way to minimize interference with the structure elements.
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.
Claims 1-12 are rejected under 35 USC 103 as being unpatentable over Bornfreund (US 20120161001 A1) in view of Brown et al. (US 20130075699 A1).
Regarding Claim 1:
Bornfreund teaches a multiband focal plane array (FPA) (para. 0015) comprising:
a readout integrated circuit (ROIC) substrate; (para. 0016);
a plurality of short wave infrared (SWIR) and long wave infrared (LWIR) pixels on the ROIC substrate; (para. 0016, 0017, 0021);
a microbolometer on the plurality of SWIR and LWIR pixels; (para. 0021, 0043-0046); and
an electro optic (EO) polymer detector for visible and short wave infrared radiation on a SWIR pixel under a microbolometer in the monolithic focal plane array (para. 0021), wherein the microbolometer is coupled to the LWIR pixels through metal contacts on the LWIR pixels (para. 0045).
However, Bornfreund fails to explicitly teach the electro optic (EO) polymer detector being a colloidal quantum dot photodiode on the SWIR pixel.
Brown et al. teaches a multiband focal plane array (FPA) (para. 0260) comprising:
a readout integrated circuit (ROIC) substrate; (para. 0146);
a plurality of short wave infrared (SWIR) and long wave infrared (LWIR) pixels on the ROIC substrate; (para. 0095); and
a quantum dot photodiode on the SWIR and LWIR pixels, wherein the SWIR pixels and LWIR pixels are coupled to metal contacts (para. 0023, 0145, 0146).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the polymer-based semiconductor detector material with a quantum dot photodiode, as quantum dots were known semiconductor absorbers for infrared detection. Since the prior art teaches that absorption enhancement mechanism is achieved through plasmonic interaction with metal nanoparticle embedded in a semiconductor matrix (Brown et al. para. 0092), it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to substitute one known absorber for another to obtain predictable results with the motivation of improved performance or cost. See MPEP 2143.
Regarding claim 2:
Bornfreund in view of Brown et al. disclose the multiband FPA of claim 1.
Bornfreund does not explicitly name CMOS as one type of ROIC, but describes many forms of monolithic silicon substrate and its general variations adapted for the purpose of the invention (para. 0006, 0035, 0036, 0048), thereby allowing for that which is known in the art.
Brown et al. further teaches a multiband FPA with a single CMOS ROIC substrate for detector arrays (para. 0126, 0127, 0260).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to implement the readout circuitry of Bornfreund using the CMOS ROIC architecture taught by Brown.
One would have been motivated to make this selection because CMOS ROICs were well-known in the art for detector arrays due to their low power consumption, high integration density, and compatibility with monolithic silicon substrates, thereby providing predictable performance or cost improvements.
Regarding claim 3:
Bornfreund in view of Brown et al. disclose the multiband FPA of claim 1, wherein Bornfreund further discloses the FPA combines SWIR and LWIR detection into a single FPA and/or single aperture camera (para. 0006, 0046).
Regarding claim 4:
Bornfreund in view of Brown et al. discloses the multiband FPA of claim 1, but fails to explicitly teach wherein the FPA including the colloidal quantum dot photodiode has a particular broadband sensitivity nor a flexible pixel size.
Bornfreund describes the range of visible to LWIR but does not explicitly discuss UV. However, Bornfreund teaches an EO polymer sensor (para. 0006 and 0046), which inherently responds to higher-energy UV photons unless specifically filtered. Furthermore, Bornfreund emphasizes broadband, multispectral detection. Therefore, expanding spectral sensitivity to include shorter ultraviolet wavelengths within the claimed 200 nm to 2400 nm range would have been an obvious modification to increase overall spectral coverage in the multi-band focal plane array.
Bornfreund describes different methods of EO polymer pixel deposition which are common in the art and have the capability to produce the claimed suggested size ranges from about less than 3.0 mm x 3.0 mm to 25 mm x 25 mm (para. 0039).
Brown et al. describes the possible lower range of 1-2 mm pixel size in the art which is less than the critical claimed lower pixel size of 3 mm (para. 0127).
Pixel dimensions in focal plane arrays are known design variables determined by resolution requirements, sensitivity, and manufacturing capability. Selecting pixel sizes within the claimed range would have been a matter of preference and design requirements.
Regarding claim 5:
Bornfreund in view of Brown et al. disclose the multiband FPA of claim 1, wherein Bornfreund teaches the multiband FPA is free of Indium bumps (para. 0006, 0039) and through-vias (0024, 0037- 0039, 0043).
Regarding claim 6:
Bornfreund teaches a method of fabricating a multiband focal plane array (FPA) comprising:
providing a readout integrated circuit (ROIC) substrate (Fig. 1A, Block 102);
forming a plurality of short wave infrared (SWIR) and long wave infrared (LWIR) pixels on the ROIC substrate (Fig. 1A, Blocks 104-112);
forming a microbolometer on the plurality of SWIR and LWIR pixels; and
depositing a colloidal quantum dot photodiode on the SWIR pixels between the SWIR pixels and the microbolometer, wherein the microbolometer is coupled to the LWIR pixels through metal contacts on the LWIR pixels (Fig. 1A, Block 116).
Bornfreund teaches the method of fabricating EO polymer detector for visible and short wave infrared radiation, but does not explicitly teach the method for nanoparticles or quantum dots.
Brown et al. teaches application of various nano particles including semiconductor particles on a substrate, or photo diode on a substrate, for detection of visible to short wave infrared radiation.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the process described by Bornfreund and place nano particles on short wave pixels instead of EO polymer as described by Bornfreund (Fig. 5 and 6, para. 0006 and 0010-0013). One would have been motivated to make such a modification because nanoparticles are well known for enhancing shortwave absorption efficiency and spectral selectivity at the detector surface, thereby improving signal generation.
Regarding claim 7:
Bornfreund in view of Brown disclose the method of Claim 6, wherein Bornfreund disclose further comprising forming the metal contacts on the ROIC substrate (para. 0021, 0023, 0036, 0039, 0044).
Regarding claim 8:
Bornfreund in view of Brown discloses the method of Claim 6, wherein providing the ROIC substrate comprises providing a single silicon CMOS ROIC substrate.
Bornfreund does not explicitly name CMOS as one type of ROIC, but describes many forms of silicon substrate and its general variations adapted for the purpose of the invention (para. 0006, 0035, 0036, 0048).
Brown et al. discusses the use of CMOS in detector arrays (para. 0126, 0127).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to implement the readout circuitry of Bornfreund using the CMOS ROIC architecture taught by Brown.
One would have been motivated to make this selection because CMOS ROICs were well-known in the art for detector arrays due to their low power consumption, high integration density, and compatibility with monolithic silicon substrates, thereby providing predictable performance or cost improvements.
Regarding claim 9:
Bornfreund in view of Brown discloses the method of Claim 6, wherein Bornfreund further discloses the FPA combines SWIR and LWIR detection into a single FPA and/or single aperture camera (para. 0006, 0046).
Regarding claim 10:
Bornfreund in view of Brown discloses the method of claim 6, but fails to explicitly teach wherein the FPA including the colloidal quantum dot photodiode has broadband sensitivity from 200 to about 2400 nm and a flexible pixel size from about less than 3.0 mm x 3.0 mm to 25 mm x 25 mm.
Bornfreund describes the range of visible to LWIR but does not explicitly discuss UV. However, Bornfreund teaches an EO polymer sensor (para. 0006 and 0046), which inherently responds to higher-energy UV photons unless specifically filtered. Furthermore,
Bornfreund emphasizes broadband, multispectral detection. Therefore, expanding spectral sensitivity to include shorter ultraviolet wavelengths within the claim 200 nm to 2400 nm range would have been an obvious modification to increase overall spectral coverage in the multi-band focal plane array.
Bornfreund describes different methods of EO polymer pixel deposition which are common in the art and have the capability to produce the suggested size ranges (para. 0039).
Brown et al. describes the possible lower range of pixel size in the art which could be the critical part of the claim (para. 0127).
Pixel dimensions in focal plane arrays are known design variables determined by resolution requirements, sensitivity, and manufacturing capability. Selecting pixel sizes within the claimed range would have been a matter of preference and design requirements.
Regarding claim 11:
Bornfreund in view of Brown disclose the method of Claim 6, wherein the method does not include bump bonding (0024, 0039, 0043), forming through InGaAs vias, InP polishing and planarization (para. 0006, 0035, 0039, indium free embodiments).
Regarding claim 12:
Bornfreund in view of Brown disclose the method of Claim 6, but fail to explicitly teach further comprising removing CQD layers from microbolometer pixel contacts on the ROIC substrate.
Bornfreund describes the method of selectively etching the deposited EO polymer as required (para. 00380).
Since the polymer detector material of Bornfreund was substituted with the known colloidal quantum dot photodiode as made obvious above over Brown, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to likewise selectively remove the CQD layers from the pixel contacts to ensure proper electrical isolation and contact functionality. Such selective removal represents a routine fabrication step and a predictable adaptation of the patterning process to the substituted detector material.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant’s Disclosure:
Haddad et al. (US-20130207214-A1) teach an integrated visible and infrared imager device by forming detection layers on both sides of a substrate.
Huang (US-20210225941-A1) teach configuring two groups of pixels on a substrate to detect two different wavebands of electromagnetic radiation.
Lo et al. (US-20230033475-A1) teach an uncooled long wave infrared detector on a substrate with direct radiation to current conversion as a low cost replacement to microbolometer.
McCarten et al. (US-20250040265-A1) disclose an infrared silicon sensor with an intermediate band layer and readout structure, extending the range of detection to ultraviolet and visible radiation.
Koenck et al. (US-9117722-B1) Teaches an IC sensor with a multiplicity of pixels each including an EMR absorption region defined by nanoparticles embedded in a matrix.
Jiang et al. (US-9741761-B2) describe a monolithic sensor for detecting infrared and visible light using photodiodes with respective wavelengths in proximity to each other.
Haddad et al. (US-9911781-B2) disclose photo sensitive device having multiple textured doped regions on a substrate for detection of infrared light.
Klem et al. (US-20210288195-A1) discloses a colloidal quantum dot photo detector with 250 nm to 5000 nm sensitivity in the form of an integrated structure on a wafer.
Any inquiry concerning this communication should be directed to MAHMOUD RAZZAGHI at telephone number (571) 272-8477.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, David Makiya, can be reached at (571) 272-2273. The fax number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8477
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/Mahmoud Razzaghi/
Examiner, Art Unit 2884
03/13/2026
/DAVID J MAKIYA/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2884