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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 08/31/2022, 07/14/2025 and 12/22/2025 was filed after the mailing date of the non-final action. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species I (claims 1-8 and 15-24) in the reply filed on 01/12/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim 9-10 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 01/12/2026.
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 1-8, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Danesh teaches et al, hereinafter Danesh teaches (US 2020/0075803 A1).
Re claim 1: Danesh teaches A light emitting device comprising:
a first light transmitting layer (22);
a second light transmitting layer (24) provided on the first light transmitting layer (22);
a plurality of mesa structures (54) provided on the second light transmitting layer (24) and configured (par.54 mentions LED being point sources of UV radiation) to generate light in an ultraviolet band;
and passivation patterns (60/82) provided on side surfaces of the plurality of mesa structures (54), wherein each of the plurality of mesa structures (54) comprises:
a first epitaxial pattern (36) comprising an aluminum gallium nitride (par.73),
a second epitaxial pattern (34) provided on the first epitaxial pattern (36) and comprising an aluminum gallium nitride (par.68),
a third epitaxial pattern (32) provided on the second epitaxial pattern (34) and comprising an aluminum gallium nitride (Aluminum gallium nitride is group III-V material, par.66),
and a fourth epitaxial pattern (26) provided on the third epitaxial pattern (32) and comprising a gallium nitride (par.61),
and wherein a horizontal width (par.56 mentions center to center space of bumps 22 which would be approximate size of 54 are about 3-15 micron) of each of the plurality of mesa structures (54) is in a range of about 5 µm to about 30 µm.
Re claim 2: Danesh teaches the light emitting device of claim 1, wherein the horizontal width (par.56 mentions center to center space of bumps 22 which would be approximate size of 54 are about 3-15 micron) of each of the plurality of mesa structures (54) is less than or equal to 15 m.
Re claim 3: Danesh teaches the light emitting device of claim 1, wherein a distance between adjacent mesa structures (54) of the plurality of mesa structure (54) is in a range (par.56 mentions center to center space of bumps 22 which would be approximate size of 54 are about 3-15 micron which is also about the space apart from each 54 as shown in fig. 15) of about 5 µm to about 30 µm.
Re claim 4: Danesh teaches the light emitting device of claim 1, wherein each of the passivation patterns (60/82) comprises (par.84) A1203.
Re claim 5: Danesh teaches the light emitting device of claim 1, wherein the passivation patterns (60/82) are configured (par.95) to reflect light, among lights generated by the second epitaxial pattern (34), having (par. 95 mentions light can be reflected with controlled viewing angle of 30 to 150 degrees) a direction angle greater than a critical angle of an interface between the first light transmitting layer (24) and the second light transmitting layer (26).
Re claim 6: Danesh teaches the light emitting device of claim 1, wherein the passivation patterns (60/82) are formed through a thermal oxidation process (par.84 mentions deposition methods that are commonly known in the art to use thermal oxidation processes).
Re claim 7: Danesh teaches the light emitting device of claim 1, further comprising a filling insulating layer (50) configured (as shown in fig.15) to cover the passivation patterns (60/82) and to fill a space between the plurality of mesa structures (54).
Re claim 8: Danesh teaches the light emitting device of claim 7, wherein the filling insulating layer (50) comprises a material different (par.110) from a material of the passivation patterns (60/82).
Claims 15-18, and 21-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gao teaches et al, hereinafter Gao teaches (US 2020/0194610 A1).
Re claim 15: Gao teaches A light emitting device comprising:
a first light transmitting layer (10) comprising sapphire (par.50);
a second light transmitting layer (20) comprising an aluminum nitride (par.50) and provided on the first light transmitting layer (10);
a first epitaxial layer (30) provided on the second light transmitting layer (20) and comprising a plurality of first epitaxial patterns (Mesa portions of 30, hereinafter 30M) separated (as shown in fig. 6B) from each other in a first direction;
a plurality of second epitaxial patterns (40) provided on the plurality of first epitaxial patterns (30M), separated from each other in the first direction, and comprising a multiple quantum well (MQW) structure (40 is MQW as shown in all figs.);
a plurality of third epitaxial patterns (50) provided on the plurality of second epitaxial patterns (40) and separated from each other in the first direction;
and a plurality of fourth epitaxial patterns (59/63) provided on the plurality of third epitaxial patterns (50) and separated from each other in the first direction,
wherein a width (par.41, 10-1000µm) of each of the plurality of first epitaxial patterns (30M) in the first direction is in a range of about 5 m to about 30 km.
Re claim 16: Gao teaches the light emitting device of claim 15, wherein the plurality of first epitaxial patterns (30), the plurality of second epitaxial patterns (40), the plurality of third epitaxial patterns (50), and each of the plurality of fourth epitaxial patterns (59) have a line shape (as shown in fig.2E and 2F) extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.
Re claim 17: Gao teaches the light emitting device of claim 16, further comprising:
a contact layer (62) contacting the first epitaxial layer (30), wherein the contact layer (62) comprises:
a pad portion (640) in contacting a electrode layer (65), and branches (parts of 62 extending to 640, hereinafter B1) connected to the pad portion (640), wherein the branches are interposed between the plurality of first epitaxial patterns, and wherein each of the branches has a line shape extending in the second direction.
Re claim 18: Gao teaches the light emitting device of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of first epitaxial patterns (30M) and each of the plurality of fourth epitaxial patterns (59/63) have an island shape (MESA structure forms an island shape).
Re claim 21: Gao teaches A light emitting device comprising:
a first light transmitting layer (10) having a flat plate shape (as shown in all figures);
a second light transmitting layer (20) provided on the first light transmitting layer (10) and having a flat plate shape;
a first epitaxial layer (30) provided on the second light transmitting layer (20) and comprising a plurality of first epitaxial patterns (Mesa portion of 30, hereinafter 30M) separated from each other in a first direction;
a plurality of second epitaxial patterns (40) provided on the plurality of first epitaxial patterns (30M), separated from each other in the first direction, and comprising a multiple quantum well (MQW) structure (40 is MQW as shown in all figs.);
a plurality of third epitaxial patterns (50) provided on the plurality of second epitaxial patterns (40) and separated from each other in the first direction;
and a plurality of fourth epitaxial patterns (59/63) provided on the plurality of third epitaxial patterns (50) and separated from each other in the first direction,
wherein the plurality of first epitaxial patterns (30M), the plurality of second epitaxial patterns (40), and the plurality of third epitaxial patterns (50) each comprise an aluminum gallium nitride (as shown in fig1A),
wherein the plurality of fourth epitaxial patterns (59, par. 35) each comprise a gallium nitride,
wherein the plurality of first epitaxial patterns (30M), the plurality of second epitaxial patterns (40), the plurality of third epitaxial patterns (50), and the plurality of fourth epitaxial patterns (59) form a plurality of mesa structures (mesa structures shown in all figures hereinafter MESA) separated from each other,
and wherein a width of each of the plurality of mesa structures (MESA) in the first direction is in a range of about 5 m to about 30 km.
Re claim 22: Gao teaches the light emitting device of claim 21, further comprising passivation patterns (70) provided on side surfaces of the plurality of mesa structures (MESA).
Re claim 23: Gao teaches the light emitting device of claim 22, further comprising:
a contact layer (623) in contact with the first epitaxial layer (30);
wherein the contact layer (623) comprises: a pad portion (contacts are commonly known to have a pad portion, PP), and branches (BR from fig. below) connected to the pad portion (PP), wherein the branches (BR) are interposed between the plurality of mesa structures (MESA), and wherein each of the branches (BR) has a line shape (as shown in fig. below) extending in the first direction.
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642
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Re claim 24: Gao teaches the light emitting device of claim 23, further comprising:
a first electrode layer (62) in contact with the contact layer (62);
and a second electrode layer (63) in contact with the plurality of fourth epitaxial patterns (59/63) and separated from the contact layer (62).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 19-20 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.
Danesh and Gao fail to teach the limitations of claim 19 “and a plurality of second branches connected to the plurality of first branches, the plurality of second branches being interposed between the plurality of first epitaxial patterns, wherein each of the plurality of second branches has a line shape extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction”.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RICKY VERDES whose telephone number is (703)756-1401. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 07:30 - 03:30 PM.
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/RICKY VERDES/Examiner, Art Unit 2898
/JESSICA S MANNO/SPE, Art Unit 2898
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