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 .
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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) 1-8 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (US 20220137267) in view of Izuha et al. (US 20110108705).
Re claim 1: Park teaches a photodetection element (fig. 5, 10 and 11), comprising: a first photoelectric conversion unit (111) that photoelectrically converts light in a first wavelength range (paragraph 55); a second photoelectric conversion unit (112) that is arranged side by side with the first photoelectric conversion unit (111) and photoelectrically converts light in a second wavelength range different from the first wavelength range (paragraph 55); a third photoelectric conversion unit (113) that is arranged side by side with the first photoelectric conversion unit (111) and the second photoelectric conversion unit (112) and photoelectrically converts light in a third wavelength range different from the first wavelength range and the second wavelength range (paragraph 55); a color splitter layer (130) arranged on a light incident side of the first photoelectric conversion unit (111), the second photoelectric conversion unit (112), and the third photoelectric conversion unit (113) (fig. 10); and an antireflection film (150) arranged on a light incident side of the color splitter layer (130) (see fig. 10 and 11), but does not specifically teach wherein the antireflection film arranged on the light incident side of the first photoelectric conversion unit, the antireflection film arranged on a light incident side of the second photoelectric conversion unit, and the antireflection film arranged on a light incident side of the third photoelectric conversion unit have different respective configurations. Izuha teaches an antireflection film (21/22) arranged on a light incident side of a first photoelectric conversion unit (right 11), the antireflection film (21/22) arranged on a light incident side of a second photoelectric conversion unit (middle 11), and the antireflection film (21/22) arranged on a light incident side of the third photoelectric conversion unit (left 11) have different respective configurations (see fig. 1 and 11, different thicknesses of 21 over respective photoelectric conversion units). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have different configurations, such as thickness, of the antireflection film for each of the photoelectric conversion units similar to Izuha with the antireflection film of Park in order to reduce a variation in intensity at different photoelectric conversion units providing for higher quality image formation.
Re claim 2: Park as modified by Izuha teaches the photodetection element, wherein the color splitter layer (Park, 130) has a meta-surface structure (planar nano-posts, paragraph 58, fig. 10).
Re claim 3: Park as modified by Izuha teaches the photodetection element, wherein the antireflection film (Park, 150, Izuha, 21/22) includes a first layer (Park, 150b, Izuha, 21a) and a second layer (Park, 150a, Izuha, 21b) having different refractive indexes (Park, paragraph 99, different materials different refractive indexes, Izuha, paragraph 99, 100 and 189, different materials different refractive indexes), and the antireflection film (Izuha, 21a/21b/22) arranged on the light incident side of the first photoelectric conversion unit, the antireflection film arranged on the light incident side of the second photoelectric conversion unit, and the antireflection film arranged on the light incident side of the third photoelectric conversion unit have different respective film thicknesses of the first layer and the second layer (Izuha, 21a/21b/22, have different thicknesses with respect to first, second and third photoelectric conversion units, see fig. 1 and 11).
Re claim 4: Park as modified by Izuha teaches the photodetection element, wherein at least one of the antireflection film (Izuha, 21a/21b/22) arranged on the light incident side of the first photoelectric conversion unit, the antireflection film arranged on the light incident side of the second photoelectric conversion unit, and the antireflection film arranged on the light incident side of the third photoelectric conversion unit does not include the first layer (Izuha, 21a) or the second layer (Izuha, 21b) (Izuha, fig. 11, the second photoelectric conversion element, middle 11, and the third photoelectric conversion element, left 11, does not include 21a).
Re claim 5: Park as modified by Izuha teaches the photodetection element, wherein at least one of the antireflection film (Izuha, 21a/21b/22) arranged on the light incident side of the first photoelectric conversion unit, the antireflection film arranged on the light incident side of the second photoelectric conversion unit, and the antireflection film arranged on the light incident side of the third photoelectric conversion unit is different from another of the antireflection films in total film thickness of the first layer and the second layer (Izuha, 21a/21b/22, different total film thickness of 21a and 21b across the photoelectric conversion units, fig. 11).
Re claim 6: Park as modified by Izuha teaches the photodetection element, wherein the antireflection film (Park, 150, Izuha, 21/22) includes a first layer (Park, 150b, Izuha, 21a), a second layer (Park, 150a, Izuha, 21b) and a third layer (Izuha, 21c) having different refractive indexes (Park, paragraph 99, different materials different refractive indexes, Izuha, paragraph 99, 100 and 189, different materials different refractive indexes), and the antireflection film (Izuha, 21a/21b/21c/22) arranged on the light incident side of the first photoelectric conversion unit, the antireflection film arranged on the light incident side of the second photoelectric conversion unit, and the antireflection film arranged on the light incident side of the third photoelectric conversion unit have different respective film thicknesses of the first layer, the second layer and the third layer (Izuha, 21a/21b/21c/22, have different thicknesses with respect to first, second and third photoelectric conversion units, see fig. 1 and 11).
Re claim 7: Park as modified by Izuha teaches the photodetection element, wherein at least one of the antireflection film (Izuha, 21a/21b/21c/22) arranged on the light incident side of the first photoelectric conversion unit, the antireflection film arranged on the light incident side of the second photoelectric conversion unit, and the antireflection film arranged on the light incident side of the third photoelectric conversion unit does not include the first layer (Izuha, 21a), the second layer (Izuha, 21b) or the third layer (Izuha, 21c) (Izuha, fig. 11, the second photoelectric conversion element, middle 11, and the third photoelectric conversion element, left 11, does not include 21a).
Re claim 8: Park as modified by Izuha teaches the photodetection element, wherein at least one of the antireflection film (Izuha, 21a/21b/21c/22) arranged on the light incident side of the first photoelectric conversion unit, the antireflection film arranged on the light incident side of the second photoelectric conversion unit, and the antireflection film arranged on the light incident side of the third photoelectric conversion unit is different from another of the antireflection films in total film thickness of the first layer, the second layer and the third layer (Izuha, 21a/21b/21c/22, different total film thickness of 21a and 21b across the photoelectric conversion units, fig. 11).
Re claim 16: Park teaches an electronic device (fig. 5, 10, 11 and 13), comprising: a photodetection element (1000); an optical system (1310) that captures incident light from an object to be detected and forms an image on a photodetection element surface of the photodetection element (1000) (see fig. 13); and a signal processing circuit (1360) that performs processing on an output signal from the photodetection element (1000) (fig. 13), wherein the photodetection element includes a first photoelectric conversion unit (111) that photoelectrically converts light in a first wavelength range (paragraph 55); a second photoelectric conversion unit (112) that is arranged side by side with the first photoelectric conversion unit (111) and photoelectrically converts light in a second wavelength range different from the first wavelength range (paragraph 55); a third photoelectric conversion unit (113) that is arranged side by side with the first photoelectric conversion unit (111) and the second photoelectric conversion unit (112) and photoelectrically converts light in a third wavelength range different from the first wavelength range and the second wavelength range (paragraph 55); a color splitter layer (130) arranged on a light incident side of the first photoelectric conversion unit (111), the second photoelectric conversion unit (112), and the third photoelectric conversion unit (113) (fig. 10); and an antireflection film (150) arranged on a light incident side of the color splitter layer (130) (see fig. 10), but does not specifically teach wherein the antireflection film arranged on the light incident side of the first photoelectric conversion unit, the antireflection film arranged on a light incident side of the second photoelectric conversion unit, and the antireflection film arranged on a light incident side of the third photoelectric conversion unit have different respective configurations. Izuha teaches an antireflection film (21/22) arranged on a light incident side of a first photoelectric conversion unit (right 11), the antireflection film (21/22) arranged on a light incident side of a second photoelectric conversion unit (middle 11), and the antireflection film (21/22) arranged on a light incident side of the third photoelectric conversion unit (left 11) have different respective configurations (see fig. 1 and 11, different thicknesses of 21 over respective photoelectric conversion units). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have different configurations, such as thickness, of the antireflection film for each of the photoelectric conversion units similar to Izuha with the antireflection film of Park in order to reduce a variation in intensity at different photoelectric conversion units providing for higher quality image formation.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-15 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
In regards to claim 9, the prior art of record individually or in combination fails to teach the photodetection element according to claim 1 as claimed, the color splitter layer includes a plurality of high refractive index portions arranged side by side at equal intervals and having a columnar shape, more specifically in combination with and the antireflection film has a portion whose film thickness is adjusted for each pitch of the plurality of high refractive index portions.
Claim 10 is objected to because of its dependency on claim 9.
In regards to claim 11, the prior art of record individually or in combination fails to teach the photodetection element according to claim 1 as claimed, further comprising: a stopper film arranged on a side opposite to a light incident side with respect to the color splitter layer, more specifically in combination with wherein the stopper film arranged on the light incident side of the first photoelectric conversion unit, the stopper film arranged on the light incident side of the second photoelectric conversion unit, and the stopper film arranged on the light incident side of the third photoelectric conversion unit have different respective configurations.
Claims 12-15 are objected to because of their dependency on claim 11.
Conclusion
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/JENNIFER D BENNETT/Examiner, Art Unit 2878
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