DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-20 are pending in the application.
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 § 102
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 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.
Claims 1 and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hsieh et al (US 2018/0026065 A1).
As per claim 1, Hsieh discloses a method of manufacturing an image sensor (fig. 1, image sensor 10), the method comprising:
providing a plurality of pixels on a substrate, wherein the plurality of pixels include one or more first pixels and one or more second pixels (fig. 1, image sensor 10, photoelectric conversion units 14, substrate 12);
providing a first micro-lens on each of the one or more first pixels using a first process (figs. 1 and 2A, image sensor 10, microlens 56 and 58); and
providing a second micro-lens on each of the one or more second pixels using a second process, wherein the first micro-lens comprises a different shape from the second micro-lens (figs. 1 and 2A, image sensor 10, microlens 48 and 52 are a different shape than microlens 56 and 58, also see para 0025 regarding “forming”, i.e. process).
As per claim 3, Hsieh further discloses the method of claim 1, wherein:
the one or more first pixels comprise image sensing pixels (figs. 1 and 2A, image sensor 10, photoelectric conversion units 14); and
the one or more second pixels comprise phase detection shared pixels configured to generate a phase signal for calculating a phase difference between images (figs. 1 and 2A, image sensor 10, pixels 14 below microlens 48 and 52 may be comprised of phase detection pixels, para 0047).
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 2, 4, 6-8, 11, 12, 14-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hsieh et al (US 2018/0026065 A1) in view of Lu et al (US 2019/0339422 A1).
As per claim 2, the method of claim 1, further comprising:
forming a micro-lens material layer over the plurality of pixels, wherein the first process comprises:
forming a first mask pattern;
forming a first reflow pattern based on the first mask pattern; and
forming the first micro-lens from the micro-lens material layer based on the first reflow pattern; and
wherein the second process comprises:
forming a second mask pattern;
forming a second reflow pattern based on the second mask pattern; and
forming the second micro-lens based on the second reflow pattern.
Hsieh fails to teach the limitations as recited above in claim 2. However, Lu discloses a method for forming a micro-lens array is provided, according to the method, a substrate is provided, and a hard-mask layer is formed. A lithography process is performed on the hard-mask layer by a hard-mask to form a first pattern and a second pattern. Then, the first pattern and the second pattern are reflowed to form a first lens structure and a second lens structure respectively (Lu, figs. 3A-3F, para 0018 and 0019, abstract).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to combine the teachings of Hsieh in view of Lu, as a whole, by incorporating the process of manufacturing microlens as taught by Lu, into the image sensor as taught by Hsieh, because doing so would provide a more efficient way of creating microlenses, thus being able to control light rays entering an image sensor.
As per claim 4, the combined teachings of Hsieh in view of Lu, as a whole, further discloses the method of claim 2, wherein:
a height of the second micro-lens is greater than a height of the first micro-lens (Lu, fig. 3E).
As per claim 6, the combined teachings of Hsieh in view of Lu, as a whole, further discloses the method of claim 2, wherein:
forming the first reflow pattern is performed by a process of applying heat treatment to the first mask pattern, and
forming the second reflow pattern is performed by a process of applying heat treatment to the second mask pattern (Lu, para 0028).
As per claim 7, the combined teachings of Hsieh in view of Lu, as a whole, further discloses the method of claim 2, wherein:
the first mask pattern has a first width in a horizontal direction, and
the second mask pattern has a second width in the horizontal direction greater than the first width (Lu, figs. 3E and 3F).
As per claim 8, the combined teachings of Hsieh in view of Lu, as a whole, further discloses the method of claim 2, wherein:
the first mask pattern has a first height in a vertical direction, and
the second mask pattern has a second height in the vertical direction greater than the first height (Lu, figs. 3E and 3F).
As per claim 11, the combined teachings of Hsieh in view of Lu, as a whole, further discloses a method of manufacturing an image sensor, the method comprising:
providing a plurality of pixels on a substrate, wherein the plurality of pixels include one or more first pixels and one or more second pixels, each of the plurality of pixels includes a photodiode in the substrate;
forming a micro-lens material layer on the substrate;
forming a first mask pattern on the micro-lens material layer at a position vertically overlapping the one or more first pixels;
forming a second mask pattern on the micro-lens material layer at a position vertically overlapping the one or more second pixels;
forming a first reflow pattern based on the first mask pattern;
forming a second reflow pattern based on the second mask pattern;
forming a first micro-lens from the micro-lens material layer based on the first reflow pattern; and
forming a second micro-lens from the micro-lens material layer based on the second reflow pattern,
wherein the first micro-lens comprises a different shape from the second micro-lens (claim limitations have been discussed and rejected, see claims 1 and 2 above).
As per claim 12, the combined teachings of Hsieh in view of Lu, as a whole, further discloses the method of claim 11, wherein a height of the second micro-lens is greater than a height of the first micro-lens (claim limitations have been discussed and rejected, see claim 2 above).
As per claim 14, the combined teachings of Hsieh in view of Lu, as a whole, further discloses the method of claim 11, wherein:
forming the first reflow pattern is performed by a process of applying heat treatment to the first mask pattern, and
forming the second reflow pattern is performed by a process of applying heat treatment to the second mask pattern (claim limitations have been discussed and rejected, see claim 6 above).
As per claim 15, the combined teachings of Hsieh in view of Lu, as a whole, further discloses the method of claim 11, wherein:
the first mask pattern has a first width in a horizontal direction, and
the second mask pattern has a second width in the horizontal direction greater than the first width (claim limitations have been discussed and rejected, see claim 7 above).
As per claim 16, the combined teachings of Hsieh in view of Lu, as a whole, further discloses the method of claim 11, wherein:
the first mask pattern has a first height in a vertical direction, and
the second mask pattern has a second height in the vertical direction greater than the first height (claim limitations have been discussed and rejected, see claim 8 above).
As per claim 17, the combined teachings of Hsieh in view of Lu, as a whole, further discloses the method of claim 11, wherein:
the one or more first pixels comprise image sensing pixels; and
the one or more second pixels comprise phase detection shared pixels configured to generate a phase signal for calculating a phase difference between images (claim limitations have been discussed and rejected, see claim 3 above).
Claims 5 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hsieh et al (US 2018/0026065 A1) and Lu et al (US 2019/0339422 A1), in further view of Do (US 2019/0319060 A1).
As per claim 5, the method of claim 2, wherein the micro-lens material layer is formed using a light-transmitting organic material.
The combined teachings of Hsieh in view of Lu, as a whole, fails to teach the limitations as recited above in claim 5. However, Do discloses an image sensor, wherein the microlenses 91 and 92 disposed may be made of organic material (Do, fig. 4A, microlenses 91 and 92, para 0060).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to combine the teachings of Hsieh and Lu, in further view of Do, as a whole, by incorporating the ability to make organic microlenses as taught by Do, into the image sensor as taught by Hsieh and Lu, because doing so would provide a more efficient way of disposing microlenses, thus increasing sensitivity of image sensor.
As per claim 13, the combined teachings of Hsieh and Lu, in further view of Do, further discloses the method of claim 11, wherein the micro-lens material layer is formed using a light-transmitting organic material (claim limitations have been discussed and rejected, see claim 5 above).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hsieh et al (US 2018/0026065 A1) and Lu et al (US 2019/0339422 A1), in further view of Borthakur et al (US 2019/0123083 A1).
As per claim 9, the method of claim 2, wherein:
the plurality of pixels include:
a color filter fence arranged on the substrate; and
a color filter arranged on the substrate and disposed on a side wall of the color filter fence.
The combined teachings of Hsieh in view of Lu as a whole, fails to disclose the limitations as recited above in claim 9. However, Borthakur discloses an image sensor 20 comprising a grid of color filter container material 50 raised vertically disposed on the edges of the color filter element(s) 34 (Borthakur, fig. 4, image sensor 20, color filter element(s) 34, grid of color filter container material 50, para 0035-0037).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to combine the teachings of Hsieh and Lu, in further view of Borthakur as a whole, by incorporating the grid of color filter container material as taught by Borthakur, into the image sensor as taught by Hsieh and Lu, because doing so would provide a more efficient way of preventing cross talk amongst adjacent pixels.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10 and 18-20 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:
Regarding claim 10, none of the prior art cited alone or in combination provides the motivation to teach the following claimed limitations, with emphasis that it is each claim, taken as a whole, including the interrelationships and interconnections between various claimed elements make them allowable over the prior art of record, the method of claim 9, wherein the color filter fence comprises a first fence portion arranged between the one or more first pixels in a plan view and having a first width in a horizontal direction and a second fence portion arranged on at least one side of the one or more second pixels in a plan view and having a second width in the horizontal direction greater than the first width.
Regarding claim 18, none of the prior art cited alone or in combination provides the motivation to teach the following claimed limitations, with emphasis that it is each claim, taken as a whole, including the interrelationships and interconnections between various claimed elements make them allowable over the prior art of record, the method of claim 17, wherein the plurality of pixels include a color filter fence arranged on the substrate, the color filter fence comprising a first fence portion arranged between the one or more first pixels in a plan view and having a first width in a horizontal direction, and a second fence portion arranged on at least one side of the one or more second pixels in a plan view and having a second width in the horizontal direction greater than the first width, and a color filter arranged on the substrate and disposed on a side wall of the color filter fence.
Regarding claims 19 and 20, claims depend from claim 18, and are allowable for the same reasons stated above.
Conclusion
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/JOHN H MOREHEAD III/Examiner, Art Unit 2639
/TWYLER L HASKINS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2639
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