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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 5 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 5 recites “the first element unit includes an amplifier part configured to convert the charge transferred by the transfer part into an analog signal,”
Claim 1 from which Claim 5 depends, established antecedent basis only for “charges” (plural) “a light receiving part configured to generate charges…. a transfer part configured to transfer the charges”. No singular “charge” is ever introduced. IT is unclear whether “the charge” refers to a single one of “the charges” transferred by the transfer part, to the aggregate of “the charges”, or is it a typographical inconsistency for the “charges”. This ambiguity renders the metes and bounds of Claim 5 indefinite.
For the purposes of examination, the Examiner will l treat the first element unit includes an amplifier part configured to convert the charge transferred by the transfer part into an analog signal” as --the first element unit includes an amplifier part configured to convert the charges transferred by the transfer part into an analog signal”
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 and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(A1) as being anticipated by Suzuki et al. (US 2011/0186913 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Suzuki (Fig. 8-13) discloses a solid-state imaging element comprising:
a semiconductor substrate; (1A)
a first element unit (an imaging region VR) formed on the semiconductor substrate (1A); and
a second element unit (“charge-transfer device”) formed on the semiconductor substrate (1A), wherein
the first element unit includes a light receiving part configured to generate charges in response to incidence of light (“An electric charge generated in response to incidence of light in the channels CH1 to CH10 that constitute the imaging region VR is transferred in the vertical direction”), and a transfer part configured to transfer the charges (transfer electrodes),
the second element unit (signal reading unit, A signal output from the imaging region VR is transferred to the multiplication register EM by the horizontal shift registers HR via the corner register CR.) is configured to perform at least one of transmission of a signal to the first element unit and reception of a signal from the first element unit [0037], [0048-0051],
the transfer part includes a first transfer electrode and a second transfer electrode (The transfer electrodes 6A and 6B have an overlapping portion.) that are disposed over a charge transfer region (region under 6a, 6b) of the semiconductor substrate (1a), and are aligned in a transfer direction of the charges (directions of 6A, 6B), and
a discharge gate electrode (G) that is disposed over a charge discharge region (1N) of the semiconductor substrate along the charge transfer region,
the first transfer electrode (8B) is formed as a first layer,
the second transfer electrode (8A) and the discharge gate electrode (G) are formed as second layers different from the first layer (8B),
as viewed from a thickness direction of the semiconductor substrate (1A), the first transfer electrode (8B) includes a portion overlapping a part of the second transfer electrode (8A) and a portion overlapping a part of the discharge gate electrode (G) see Fig. 8, 10, 11, 13) , and
as viewed from the thickness direction of the semiconductor substrate (1A), the second transfer electrode (8A) is spaced apart from the discharge gate electrode (B) (Fig. 8).
Regarding Claim 2, Suzuki (Fig. 8-13) discloses the solid-state imaging element according to claim 1, wherein
the part of the second transfer electrode (8A) and the part of the discharge gate (G) electrode are positioned on the same side with respect to the first transfer electrode (8A) in the thickness direction of the semiconductor substrate. (1A) (Fig. 8)
Regarding Claim 3, Suzuki (Fig. 8-13) discloses the solid-state imaging element according to claim 1, wherein
the transfer part further includes an insulating layer (CS, 2) extending as the same layer between the first transfer electrode (8B) and the part of the second transfer electrode (8A) and between the first transfer electrode (8B) and the part of the discharge gate electrode (G) (Fig. 8-13)
Regarding Claim 4, Suzuki (Fig. 8-13) discloses the solid-state imaging element according to claim 1, wherein
the charge discharge region includes a drain region (1N), and the discharge gate electrode (G) and the drain region (1N) extend in the transfer direction. (Fig. 8-13)
Regarding Claim 6, Suzuki (Fig. 8-13) discloses the solid-state imaging element according to claim 1, wherein
the charge transfer region (regions under 8A, 8B) includes a first transfer region (1C) and a second transfer region (CS) having an impurity concentration (P+) different from an impurity concentration of the first transfer region (N), the first transfer electrode (8B) is disposed over the first transfer region (1C), and the second transfer electrode (8A) is disposed over the second transfer region. (CS)
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Suzuki et al. (US 2011/0186913 A1) in view of Barr et al. (US 2016/0126267 A1)
Regarding Claim 5, Suzuki (Fig. 8-13) discloses the solid-state imaging element according to claim 1, wherein
the first element unit includes an amplifier part (AMP) [0049]
Suzuki does not explicitly disclose configured to convert the charge transferred by the transfer part into an analog signal, and the second element unit includes a conversion part configured to convert the analog signal into a digital signal.
Barr (Fig. 3, 5) discloses amplifier circuitry and analog-to-digital converter circuitry.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the solid-state imaging element in Suzuki in view of Barr such that the first element unit configured to convert the charge transferred by the transfer part into an analog signal, and the second element unit includes a conversion part configured to convert the analog signal into a digital signal in order to have backside illumination image sensor provided with analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and an image pixel array on a same semiconductor substrate as system-on-chip backside illumination image sensors [0015]
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DMITRIY YEMELYANOV whose telephone number is (571)270-7920. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9a.m.-6p.m.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew Landau can be reached at (571) 272-1731. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DMITRIY YEMELYANOV/Examiner, Art Unit 2891
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