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 11/12/2025.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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) 6, 7, 10-11, 13 and 15-29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kang et al. (KR 2020-0026770 A; translation previously mailed on 3/5/2025).
Regarding claim 6, Kang discloses a display device comprising:
a first electrode (rightmost 261c in Fig. 15d) and a second electrode (adjacent 261c) spaced apart from each other on a substrate (261a);
an insulating layer (261b) disposed on the first and second electrodes;
a first barrier wall (261e) disposed on the insulating layer and comprising a first assembly hole; and
a semiconductor light emitting device (combination of 350’s and 370) disposed in the first assembly hole of the first barrier wall,
wherein the semiconductor light emitting device comprises:
a light emitting structure (rightmost 350), wherein the light emitting structure comprises a first conductivity type semiconductor layer (355 in Fig. 11), an active layer (354), and a second conductivity type semiconductor layer (353);
a passivation layer on the light emitting structure (370 in Fig. 15);
a first reflective alignment structure (combination of a single canonical element 161b’ directly beneath the rightmost 354 and a single conical element 353’ directly above said single canonical element 161b’ in Fig. 11) disposed in the light emitting structure; and
a first electrode layer (rightmost 356 in Fig. 15) disposed on and electrically connected to the first conductivity type semiconductor layer of the semiconductor light emitting device (the examiner notes that “on” can be interpreted as on the side of instead of being over and can also be indirectly on) and a second electrode layer (rightmost 352 in Fig. 15) disposed on and electrically connected to the second conductivity type semiconductor layer of the semiconductor light emitting device (see Fig. 15), and wherein the first reflective alignment structure vertically overlaps only one of the first electrode layer or the second electrode layer of the semiconductor light emitting device (see Fig. 15), and
wherein a lateral width of the entire first reflective alignment structure (“a lateral width” being the lateral width of the single conical element 353’ in Fig. 11 as the single conical element 353’ is the wider of the two canonical elements of the first reflective alignment structure) is less than a lateral width of the first electrode layer.
Regarding claim 7, Kang discloses the display device according to claim 6, as discussed above. Kang further discloses wherein the first electrode comprises a first electrode body and a first protruding electrode protruding from the first electrode body toward the second electrode (see Fig. 14), and
wherein the second electrode comprises a second electrode body and a second protruding electrode protruding from the second electrode body toward the first electrode (see Fig. 14).
Regarding claim 10, Kang discloses the display device according to claim 6, as discussed above. Kang further discloses wherein a dielectric constant of the first reflective alignment structure (dielectric constant of “Ge”, Page 8 of the translation of Kang, which is approximately 16) is greater than a dielectric constant of the light emitting structure (dielectric constant of “GaAs”, Page 8 of the translation of Kang, which is approximately 12.85).
Regarding claim 11, Kang discloses the display device according to claim 7, as discussed above. Kang further discloses wherein the first reflective alignment structure is disposed at a position overlapping the first protruding electrode and the second protruding electrode (see Figs. 11 and 14).
Regarding claim 13, Kang discloses the display device according to claim 7, as discussed above. Kang further discloses wherein a second axial-directional second-first width of the first reflective alignment structure is greater than a second axial-directional first protrusion width of the first protruding electrode, and is greater than a second axial-directional second protrusion width of the second protruding electrode (the second axial-directional second-first width of the first reflective alignment structure being the width in the top-to-bottom direction as seen in Fig. 14 which is equal to the width of 161d; this width is spans both the first and second protruding electrodes and, therefore, is greater than the second axial-directional first protrusion width of the first protruding electrode and the second axial-directional second protrusion width of the second protruding electrode).
Regarding claim 15, Kang discloses the display device according to claim 7, as discussed above. Kang further discloses wherein a surface of the first reflective alignment structure comprises a roughness (see Fig. 11).
Regarding claim 16, Kang discloses the display device according to claim 7, as discussed above. Kang further discloses wherein the first reflective alignment structure comprises a first reflective alignment body (161b’) and a first reflective protrusion (353’) protruding from the first reflective alignment body toward the first electrode layer.
Regarding claim 17, Kang discloses the display device according to claim 7, as discussed above. Kang further discloses wherein the semiconductor light emitting device comprises a repulsive structure (370 is a passivation layer which repels debris and, therefore, constitutes a “repulsive structure”) disposed spaced apart from the first reflective alignment structure in the light emitting structure.
Regarding claim 18, Kang discloses the display device according to claim 6, as discussed above. Kang further discloses wherein the second electrode includes a second-second electrode body and a second-second protrusion electrode protruding from the second-second electrode body toward the first electrode (see Fig. 14), and wherein the second-second electrode body does not overlap the upper and lower portions of the semiconductor light emitting device (see Fig. 14).
Regarding claim 19, Kang discloses the display device according to claim 6, wherein the first electrode includes a first-second electrode body and a first-second protruding electrode protruding from the first-second electrode body toward the second electrode (see Fig. 14).
Regarding claim 20, Kang discloses the display device according to claim 6, as discussed above. Kang further discloses wherein the first reflective alignment structure is imbedded in the second conductivity type semiconductor layer (see Fig. 11).
Regarding claim 21, Kang discloses the display device according to claim 6, as discussed above. Kang further discloses wherein the first reflective alignment structure is formed of a metal layer (“any one of Au, Ag, Al, Cu, Mo, Cr, Ti, Ni, W and Ge”, Page 8 of the translation of Kang).
Regarding claim 22, Kang discloses the display device according to claim 6, as discussed above. Kang further discloses wherein the first reflective alignment structure comprises a first spaced distance from one end of the light emitting structure (top end of the light emitting structure) and a second spaced distance less than the first spaced distance from another one end of the light emitting structure (bottom end of the light emitting structure; as the bottom end of the light emitting structure is closer to the first reflective alignment structure than the top end, the second spaced distance is smaller).
Regarding claim 23, Kang discloses the display device according to claim 6, as discussed above. Kang further discloses wherein the first reflective alignment structure comprises a third spaced distance from one side of the first barrier wall (outside wall of the first barrier wall) and a fourth spaced distance less than the third spaced distance from another side of the first barrier wall (interior sidewall adjacent to the first reflective alignment structure; as the interior side of the first barrier wall is closer to the first reflective alignment structure than the outside wall, the fourth spaced distance is smaller).
Regarding claim 24, Kang discloses wherein a center portion of the entire first reflective alignment structure is horizontally spaced apart from a center of the semiconductor light emitting device (see Fig. 15D).
Regarding claim 25, Kang discloses wherein a thickness of the first reflective alignment structure protruding in an upper direction of the light emitting structure is greater than a thickness of the first electrode or a thickness of the second electrode (see Fig. 11).
Regarding claim 26, Kang further discloses wherein the entire first reflective alignment structure is horizontally spaced apart from a side surface of the semiconductor light emitting device (see Fig. 15D).
Regarding claim 27, Kang further discloses wherein a center portion of the entire first reflective alignment structure is horizontally spaced apart from one end side surface of the semiconductor light emitting device at a first distance, and wherein the center portion of the entire first reflective alignment structure is horizontally spaced apart from the other side surface of the semiconductor light emitting device at a second distance different from the first distance (see Fig. 15D).
Regarding claim 28, Kang further discloses wherein the first electrode layer is directly disposed over the first conductivity type semiconductor layer of the semiconductor light emitting device (see Fig. 11) and the second electrode layer is directly disposed over the second conductivity type semiconductor layer of the semiconductor light emitting device (see Fig. 11).
Regarding claim 29, Kang further discloses wherein the entire first reflective alignment structure vertically overlaps only one of the first electrode layer or the second electrode layer of the semiconductor light emitting device (see Fig. 11).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s amendments to claim 6 overcome the prior rejection in view of Kang, specifically with regard to prior mapping of the reflective alignment structure. However, as seen in the rejections above, Kang discloses the entirety of the claims as currently presented using the new mapping of the reflective alignment structure.
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