CTNF 18/969,428 CTNF 78820 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Specification 06-11 AIA 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 § 112 07-30-01 AIA The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a): (a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention. The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112: The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Regarding claim 1, the Specification does not disclose “the reflective region comprises a plurality of reflective portions that are arranged at different vertical positions within the reflective region and that have different reflective properties.” Claims 2-10 are rejected upon the dependencies of the rejected independent claim 1. Regarding claim 2 , the Specification does not disclose “the one or more dielectric materials vertically extend past a top and a bottom of one or more of the plurality of reflective portions.” Regarding claim 3, the Specification does not disclose “a lateral distance between sides of the metal and the sidewalls of the substrate varying over a height of the metal.” Regarding claim 4, the Specification does not disclose “a second reflective portion comprising a gas pocket.” Regarding claim 5, the Specification does not disclose “the gas pocket is vertically between the metal and the front-side of the substrate.” Regarding claim 6, the Specification does not disclose “the gas pocket is formed by surfaces of the metal and the one or more dielectric materials.” Regarding claim 7, the Specification does not disclose “a second reflective portion that continuously wraps around the first reflective portion in a closed loop.” Regarding claim 8, the Specification does not disclose “the first reflective portion meeting the second reflective portion along an interface that extends between outermost sides of the reflective region.” Regarding claim 9, the Specification does not disclose “the first reflective portion having a different width than the second reflective portion.” Regarding claim 10, the Specification does not disclose “the first reflective portion being entirely above a top of the second reflective portion.” Regarding claim 11, the Specification does not disclose “the conductive core has a first width, a second width below the first width, and a third width below the second width, the second width being smaller than both the first width and the third width or larger than both the first width and the third width; wherein the one or more dielectric materials have a sidewall comprising a curved segment disposed along a side of the conductive core; and wherein the conductive core is vertically separated from a surface of the dielectric structure facing the semiconductor substrate by a non-zero distance.” Claims 12-14 are rejected upon the dependencies of the rejected independent claim 11. Regarding claim 12, the Specification does not disclose “the conductive core protrudes outward from along the sidewalls of the semiconductor substrate to past a second side of the semiconductor substrate that opposes the first side of the semiconductor substrate.” Regarding claim 13, the Specification does not disclose “the conductive core has a tapered width.” Regarding claim 14, the Specification does not disclose “a width of the one or more dielectric materials varies over a height of the conductive core.” Regarding claim 15, the Specification does not disclose “forming a conductive material onto the one or more dielectric materials and within the one or more trenches; and forming a conductive interconnect over the second side of the substrate and onto the conductive material.” Claims 16-20 are rejected upon the dependencies of the rejected independent claim 15. Regarding claim 16, the Specification does not disclose “the conductive interconnect is formed between interior sidewalls of the conductive material that face the conductive interconnect.” Regarding claim 17, the Specification does not disclose “the conductive material has one or more curved outer edges.” Regarding claim 18, the Specification does not disclose “the conductive material has a first width, a second width below the first width, and a third width below the second width, the second width being smaller than both the first width and the third width or larger than both the first width and the third width.” Regarding claim 19, the Specification does not disclose “performing a second patterning process on the one or more dielectric materials to form one or more sidewalls of the one or more dielectric materials, the conductive material being formed between the one or more sidewalls of the one or more dielectric materials.” Regarding claim 20, the Specification does not disclose “the outermost sidewalls of the conductive material being within the one or more trenches.” Conclusion 07-96 AIA The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure : Su et al. (Patent Pub. No. US 2019/0288027 A1) discloses a substrate having sidewalls defining a plurality of protrusions over the image sensing element. Chou et al. (Patent Pub. No. US 2019/0378863 A1) discloses a first dielectric disposed in one or more trenches within a first side of the substrate. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SEUNG C SOHN whose telephone number is (571)272-4123. The examiner can normally be reached M - F 8 - 5. 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, GEORGIA EPPS can be reached at 571-272-2328. 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. /SEUNG C SOHN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2878 Application/Control Number: 18/969,428 Page 2 Art Unit: 2878 Application/Control Number: 18/969,428 Page 3 Art Unit: 2878 Application/Control Number: 18/969,428 Page 4 Art Unit: 2878
