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 .
This Office action is in response to Amendments filed 11/10/2025.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1-4, 15, and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gotanda (US 2019/0051464 A1) in view of Boesch et al. (US 2015/0349295 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Gotanda discloses a perovskite light-emitting device (Fig. 1, ¶ 0085) comprising:
a substrate (17 in Fig. 1);
a first electrode (11 in Fig. 1) on the substrate;
a perovskite thin film (13; ¶ 0054) positioned on the first electrode;
a passivation layer (15) positioned on the perovskite thin film; and
a second electrode (16) positioned on the passivation layer.
Gotanda does not disclose that the passivation layer comprises a compound from Applicant’s Chemical Formulas 1 to 4.
However, it was well known in the art that passivation layers may be made from a stack (“barrier stack” in ¶ 0036 of Boesch) which include compounds satisfying Applicant’s Chemical Formula 2 and contain at least one halogen element (“poly(pentabromophenyl methacrylate) in ¶ 0024 of Boesch, which contains the halogen bromine).
Boesch discloses a benefit to such a configuration in that it can smooth out slight deviations in the underlying planar layer (¶ 0019).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the Application was filed to form the passivation layer of Gotanda to be a stack as taught by Boesch which includes a compound of Applicant’s Chemical Formula 2 for this benefit.
With regards to the passivation layer containing at least one halogen element being configured to stabilize defects of the perovskite thin film by supplementing a deficiency of halogen in the perovskite thin film, Applicant discloses that this occurs when the passivation layer is formed directly on the perovskite layer. While figure 1 of Gotanda shows a buffer layer (“second buffer layer 14”, ¶ 0036) between the passivation layer and the perovskite layer, the text of Gotanda discloses that this buffer layer is optional and, therefore, not required (“buffer layers optionally formed thereon”, ¶ 0086). As such, the broad disclosure of Gotanda discloses to one having ordinary skill in the art that the passivation layer may be placed directly on the perovskite layer which will result in Applicant’s claimed stabilization of defects.
Regarding claim 2, as discussed above, Boesch discloses that the compound is poly(pentabromophenyl methacrylate).
Regarding claim 3, Gotanda discloses forming the passivation layer to have a thickness between 1 and 100 nanometers (¶ 0079).
Regarding claim 4, Gotanda discloses that the perovskite light-emitting device is a light-emitting diode (¶ 0085).
Regarding claim 15, Gotanda discloses that the crystallizability of the perovskite layer may be “improved” (¶ 0098). As such, the preponderance of evidence of the record indicates that the perovskite layer is not perfectly monocrystalline and, therefore, a least somewhat a bulk polycrystalline thin film.
Regarding claim 16, the limitation in this claim only further limits the nanocrystal particle option and not the bulk polycrystalline thin film option and, therefore, Gotanda in view of Boesch still reads on the claim.
Claim(s) 5 and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gotanda (US 2019/0051464 A1) in view of Boesch et al. (US 2015/0349295 A1), as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Gao et al. (US 2018/0040769 A1).
Regarding claims 5 and 6, Gotanda does not disclose a hole injection layer as claimed.
However, it was well known in the art to form hole injection layers (¶ 0076 of Gao; “PEDOT:PSS” in Fig. 9) between first electrodes (“ITO”) and perovskite thin films (“CsPbBr3”).
There was a benefit to using hole injection layers as such in that it improves conduction efficiency (¶ 0084 of Gao).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the Application was filed to form a hole injection layer between the first electrode and the perovskite thin film of Gotanda for this benefit.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 11/10/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that passivation layer 15 of Gotanda is located “between the active layer and the second electrode” and that “[i]n contrast, Claim 1 recites that the passivation layer is located between the emitting layer and an electrode”. This argument is not persuasive as the active layer of Gotanda is an emitting layer (“the active layer functions as . . . a light-emitting layer”, ¶ 0032). As such, the passivation layer of Gotanda is between an emitting layer and an electrode.
Applicant further alleges that the prior art references do not disclose the alleged benefits of the invention. This argument is not persuasive as the prior art is not required to disclose an alleged benefit as long as the prior art discloses the claimed structure.
Applicant further argues that there is no motivation to combine the references. This argument is not persuasive as a motivation was provided in the rejection.
Applicant further argues that modifying Gotanda in view of Boesch “would fundamentally change the basic principles of operation of the semiconductor element of Gotanda”. This argument is not persuasive as it is an allegation not supported by evidence.
Applicant further argues that there is no expectation of an increased PL lifetime and a blue shit. This argument is not persuasive as these features are not claimed.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER A CULBERT whose telephone number is (571)272-4893. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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/CHRISTOPHER A CULBERT/ Examiner, Art Unit 2815