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 § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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) 21, 24-29, 31, and 34-39 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (US 2007/0090274, hereinafter Lee) in view of Yun et al. (US 2018/0191980, hereinafter Yun).
Re claim 21, Lee discloses, an image sensor comprising: a substrate comprising a first surface and a second surface opposing the first surface (pars [0037] and [0042]); a first pixel (fig 11) comprising first-four photoelectric conversion devices (PD1-PD4) and a first floating diffusion (FD) region shared by the first-four PDs in the substrate (fig 11, pars [0087]-[0089])
Lee fails to explicitly disclose limitations which are disclosed by Yun as follows: a second pixel comprising second-four PDs and a second FD region shared by the second-four PDs in the substrate (fig 12, Px3 and Px4); a third pixel comprising third-four PDs and a third FD region shared by the third-four PDs in the substrate (fig 12, Px1 and Px2, right half of figure); a fourth pixel comprising fourth-four PDs and a fourth FD region shared by the fourth- four PDs in the substrate (fig 12, Px3 and Px4, right half of figure); and a red color filter on the first pixel (claim 21), wherein the first to fourth pixels are arranged in a clockwise direction (fig 12), wherein the first FD region is connected to the fourth FD region through a first internal wiring (fig 12, par [0098]), wherein the second FD region is connected to the third FD region through a second internal wiring (fig 12, par [0098]), and wherein each of the first-four PDs to the fourth-four PDs are arranged in a 2x2 matrix (fig 12).
One of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, would have been motivated to combine a second pixel comprising second-four PDs and a second FD region shared by the second-four PDs in the substrate; a third pixel comprising third-four PDs and a third FD region shared by the third-four PDs in the substrate; a fourth pixel comprising fourth-four PDs and a fourth FD region shared by the fourth- four PDs in the substrate; and a red color filter on the first pixel, wherein the first to fourth pixels are arranged in a clockwise direction, wherein the first FD region is connected to the fourth FD region through a first internal wiring, wherein the second FD region is connected to the third FD region through a second internal wiring, and wherein each of the first-four PDs to the fourth-four PDs are arranged in a 2x2 matrix of Yun with the sensor of Lee in order to provide an image sensor that may optimize control of each pixel and/or each photodiode according to various pixel structures and an electronic apparatus including the image sensor.
The combination of Lee and Yun fails to explicitly disclose a red color filter on the first to fourth pixels.
Official Notice is taken to note that arranging specific color filters over specific pixels, including a red color filter on first to fourth pixels, is notoriously well known and used in the related art
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to a red color filter on the first to fourth pixels with the sensor of Lee and Yun in order to collect or reject a desired color, producing a more aesthetically pleasing image.
Re claim 24, the combination of Lee and Yun discloses the limitations of claim 21 including a deep trench isolation separating the first pixel and the second pixel, wherein the deep trench isolation is in contact with the first and second surfaces of the substrate (Lee cl 3 and 4, Yun pars [0088]-[0089]).
Re claim 25, the combination of Lee and Yun discloses the limitations of claim 21 including wherein the first pixel is connected to the second pixel via a third internal wiring (Lee fig 6).
Re claim 26, the combination of Lee and Yun discloses the limitations of claim 25 including wherein each of the first and second internal wirings extends in a first direction, and wherein the third internal wiring extends in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction (Yun fig 12, Lee fig 6).
Re claim 27, the combination of Lee and Yun discloses the limitations of claim 21 including wherein each of the first to fourth FD regions is disposed at the center of corresponding first to fourth pixels in a plan view (Yun fig 12) .
Re claim 28, the combination of Lee and Yun discloses the limitations of claim 21 including a first via contact vertically arranged with the first FD region; and a second via contact vertically arranged with the fourth FD region, wherein the first FD region is connected to the fourth FD region through the first via contact, the first internal wiring, and the second via contact (Yun par [0090]).
Claim 29 recites essentially the same scope as claim 21 except for limitations disclosed by the combination of Lee and Yun as follows: wherein each of the first and second internal wirings extends in a first direction (Yun fig 12), and wherein the image sensor is configured to receive light through the first surface of the substrate (Lee pars [0037]-[0042]).
Re claims 31, 35, 36, and 37, the limitations have been addressed with respect to claims 24, 25, 26, and 28 respectively.
Re claim 34, the combination of Lee and Yun discloses the limitations of claim 29 including first-four microlens on the first-four PDs; second-four microlens on the second-four PDs; third-four microlens on the third-four PDs; and fourth-four microlens on the fourth-four PDs (Lee par [0042], Yun pars [0091] and [0122]).
Claim 38 recites essentially the same scope as claim 29 except for limitations disclosed by the combination of Lee and Yun as follows: wherein the first to fourth FD regions are connected to each other (Lee fig 11, Yun fig 12).
Re claim 39, the limitations have been addressed with respect to claim 34.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 22, 23, 30, 32, and 33 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Re claim 22, the combination of Lee and Yun fails to explicitly disclose “ a fifth pixel comprising sixteen PDs arranged in a 4x4 matrix in the substrate; and a green color filter on the sixteen PDs of the fifth pixel, wherein the fifth pixel is disposed directly adjacent to the second and third pixels” in combination with all limitations of claim 21.
Re claim 23, the combination of Lee and Yun fails to explicitly disclose “ a first microlens on the first-four PDs; a second microlens on the second-four PDs; a third microlens on the third-four PDs; and a fourth microlens on the fourth-four PDs” in combination with all limitations of claims 21 and 22.
Re claim 30, the combination of Lee and Yun fails to explicitly disclose a gain control transistor configured to connect to the first-four PDs and the fourth-four PDs; and a reset transistor is connected to the gain control transistor in series” in combination with all limitations of claim 29.
Claims 32 and 33 recite similarly allowed limitations as claims 22 and 23.
Contact
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOEL W FOSSELMAN whose telephone number is (571)270-3728. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00 - 5:00 M-F.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Twyler Haskins can be reached at (571)272-7406. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/JOEL W FOSSELMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2639