DETAILED ACTION
This correspondence is in response to the communications received 03/04/2026. Claim 1 has been canceled. Claims 2, 4, 7, and 8 have been amended. Claims 9-14 have been added. Claims 2-14 are pending.
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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 03/04/2026 has been entered.
Applicant’s Claim to Figure Comparison
It is noted that this comparison is merely for the benefit of reviewers of this office action during prosecution, to allow for an understanding of the examiner’s interpretation of the Applicant’s independent claims as compared to disclosed embodiments in Applicant’s Figures. No response or comments are necessary from Applicant.
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Regarding claim 9, a light emitting device having a light-emitting element emitting a laser light, the light emitting device comprising:
a substrate (10) having a surface (see Fig. 2);
a buffer layer (22) provided above the surface of the substrate (see Fig. 2);
a plurality of first columns (30a) provided above the buffer layer (see Figs. 2 and 3);
a plurality of second columns (30b) provided above the buffer layer (see Figs. 2 and 3), the second columns being aligned to surround the first columns when viewed from an orthogonal direction of the surface (as seen in Figs. 1-3, 30b surround 30a when viewed in the Z direction);
a first semiconductor layer (40) provided on the first columns (as seen in Fig. 3, 40 is on 30a), the first semiconductor layer contacting the first columns (see Fig. 3);
an insulating layer (60) provided above the first columns, the second columns and the first semiconductor layer (see Fig. 2); and
a wiring line (72) provided above the insulating layer (as seen in Fig. 2, 72 is above 60), the wiring line being electrically connected to the first semiconductor layer ("The second wiring line 72 is electrically coupled to the first semiconductor layer 40", [0058]),
wherein each of the first columns and each of the second columns include:
a second semiconductor layer being n-type semiconductor (32), the second semiconductor layer being provided above the buffer layer (see Figs. 2 and 3),
a third semiconductor layer being p-type semiconductor (36), the third semiconductor layer being provided above the second semiconductor layer (see Fig. 3),
a fourth semiconductor layer being u-type semiconductor (34), the fourth semiconductor layer being disposed between the second semiconductor layer and the third semiconductor layer (see Fig. 3),
the first columns are configured to emit a light by a current injection to the first columns ("first column portions 30a are column portions that are injected with current to emit light", [0042]), whereby the first columns constitute the light emitting element,
the second columns are not coupled to the first semiconductor layer (see Fig. 3),
the wiring line is disposed to overlap at least one of the second columns when viewed from the orthogonal direction (72 overlaps at least one 30b when viewed in the Z direction, see Fig. 2), the wiring line is not electrically connected to the second columns, whereby the second columns do not emit the light.
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 and 9-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Taniguchi et al. (US 6,630,366 B2) in view of Gasse et al. (US 8,841,151 B2).
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Regarding claim 9, Figs. 1 and 2 of Taniguchi disclose a light emitting device (“a semiconductor light emitting device”, col. 1, lines 66-67) having a light-emitting element (“semiconductor light emitting sections M1 to M4”, col. 6, line 10) emitting a laser light (“The high resistance isolation region 22D is formed, for example, into a T-shaped pattern comprising a first portion 22DA extended in parallel with the direction of the stripe and a second portion 22DB in perpendicular thereto, which defines first and second partitioning regions S1 and S2 forming adjacent bonding pads PD1 and PD2, and third and fourth partitioning areas S3 and S4 forming the bonding pads PD3 and PD4 respectively. The defined area surrounds the portion for forming each of the bonding pads by the partitioning high resistor isolation regions 22D and the edge of the semiconductor substrate constituting the multi-semiconductor laser”, col 6, lines 43-53, thus M1 to M4 emit laser light), the light emitting device comprising:
a substrate (“substrate 1”, col. 7, lines 19-20) having a surface (as seen in Fig. 2, the top face of 1 is a surface);
Taniguchi fails to disclose “a buffer layer provided above the surface of the substrate;
a plurality of first columns provided above the buffer layer;
a plurality of second columns provided above the buffer layer, the second columns being aligned to surround the first columns when viewed from an orthogonal direction of the surface”.
Taniguchi discloses the overall physical construction which is similar to the
Applicant’s structure. Taniguchi does not disclose the columnar geometry,
which the secondary reference is utilized to disclose. The columnar geometry is known in the art as an obvious variant to the blanket layer and trench structure. Therefore, the blanket layer and trench structure is to be substituted to create a columnar geometry in the physical construction as shown in the Taniguchi reference.
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However, in a similar field of endeavor, Figs. 22-35 of Gasse teach a buffer layer (“conductive buffer layer 14”, col. 9, lines 2-3) provided above the surface of the substrate (as seen in Fig. 22, 14 is provided above the top face of “substrate 10”, col. 8, line 40, which is equivalent to the top face of 1 of Taniguchi);
a plurality of first columns (“Each nanowire 16 includes at least one stack of a first semiconductor area of a first type, for example n type, a second semiconductor area including heterostructures of quantal multiwells, this area forming the active light-emission area, and a third semiconductor area of the type opposite to the first area, for example, p type”, col. 5, lines 3-8, thus after substitution of 16 of Gasse for the structures denoted by “C1” in Fig. 2 of Taniguchi, the portion of 16 within CR1 is a plurality of first columns) provided above the buffer layer (as seen in Fig. 22, 16 are above 14);
a plurality of second columns (after substitution of 16 of Gasse for the structures denoted by C2 in Fig. 2 of Taniguchi, the portion of 16 within CR2 is a plurality of second columns) provided above the buffer layer (as seen in Fig. 22, 16 are above 14), the second columns being aligned to surround the first columns when viewed from an orthogonal direction of the surface (as seen in Fig. 1 of Taniguchi, CR2 surrounds CR1 when viewed from an orthogonal direction of the surface, thus the portion of 16 of Gasse in CR2 of Taniguchi surrounds the portion of 16 of Gasse in CR1 of Taniguchi when viewed from an orthogonal direction of the surface).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to implement “a buffer layer provided above the surface of the substrate;
a plurality of first columns provided above the buffer layer;
a plurality of second columns provided above the buffer layer, the second columns being aligned to surround the first columns when viewed from an orthogonal direction of the surface” as taught by Gasse in the system of Taniguchi for the purpose of “not requiring a match in mesh between the material constituting an LED and the nanowire growth substrate. A wide choice of substrate is thus possible, not only sapphire and SiC, and in particular, substrates affording good thermal dissipation of the heat produced by the LED, such as for example metals” (Gasse, col. 1, lines 63-67 and col. 2, line 1).
Figs. 1 and 2 of Taniguchi further disclose a first semiconductor layer (“a cap layer 7 comprising p-type GaAs”, col. 8, lines 28-29, specifically the portion of 7 within the region denoted CR1 in Fig. 1, hereinafter 7C1) provided on the first columns (as seen in Fig. 2, 7 are provided on C1 which will be substituted for 16 of Gasse), the first semiconductor layer contacting the first columns (as seen in Fig. 2, 7 are contacting C1);
an insulating layer (“an insulation layer 24”, col. 7, line 37) provided above the first columns, the second columns and the first semiconductor layer (as seen in Fig. 2, 24 is provided above C1, C2, and 7C1) ; and
a wiring line (“conductor layers L1 to L4”, col. 6, line 14) provided above the insulating layer (as seen in Fig. 2, L1 and L4 are provided above 24), the wiring line being electrically connected to the first semiconductor layer (“conductor L1 to L4 electrically led out of the first to fourth electrodes A1 to A4”, col. 6, lines 11-12, A1 to A4 are in contact with 7C1, therefore L1 to L4 are electrically coupled to 7C1),
wherein each of the first columns and each of the second columns include:
a second semiconductor layer being n-type semiconductor (“a first clad layer 2 of an identical conduction type, for example, n-type Al0.45Ga0.55As”, col. 7, lines 21-22), the second semiconductor layer being provided above the buffer layer (after combining Taniguchi and Gasse, 2 of Taniguchi would be above 14 of Gasse),
a third semiconductor layer being p-type semiconductor (“a second conduction type second clad layer 4, for example, of p-type Al0.45Ga0.55As”, col. 7, lines 24-26), the third semiconductor layer being provided above the second semiconductor layer (as seen in Fig. 2, 4 is above 2),
a fourth semiconductor layer being u-type semiconductor (“an intrinsic active layer 3”, col. 7, lines 22-23, 3 is intrinsic therefore it is a “u-type semiconductor”), the fourth semiconductor layer being disposed between the second semiconductor layer and the third semiconductor layer (as seen in Fig. 2, 3 is disposed between 2 and 4, further C1 and C2 both include 2, 3, and 4),
the first columns are configured to emit a light by a current injection to the first columns (“a current is charged restrictively to the active layer 3 below a stripe portion put between the current block layers 5 between the electrodes A1 to A4 and K, … and laser light is emitted”, col. 9, lines 47-55), whereby the first columns constitute the light emitting element (as C1 is the portion of the device with A1 - A4, C1 is therefore the light emitting element),
the second columns are not coupled to the first semiconductor layer (as 7C1 is defined as the portion of 7 within CR1, C2/CR2 are by definition not coupled to 7C1),
the wiring line is disposed to overlap at least one of the second columns when viewed from the orthogonal direction (as seen Figs. 1 and 2, L4 is disposed to overlap C2 when viewed from the orthogonal direction), the wiring line is not electrically connected to the second columns (as seen in Fig. 2, C2 is separated from L1 and L4 and is therefore not electrically connected), whereby the second columns do not emit the light (as C2 does not have an electrode, C2 cannot receive a current and therefore does not emit light).
Regarding claim 2, Figs. 1 and 2 of Taniguchi in combination with Figs. 22-35 of Gasse teach the light-emitting device according to claim 9, Figs. 1 and of Taniguchi further disclose comprising a fifth semiconductor layer (“a cap layer 7 comprising p-type GaAs”, col. 8, lines 28-29, specifically the portion of 7 within the region denoted CR2 in Fig. 1, hereinafter 7C2) provided on an opposite side of the plurality of second column portions from the substrate (7C2 is provided on an opposite side of C2 from 1), and coupled to the plurality of second column portions (as seen in Fig. 2, 7C2 is coupled to C2), wherein the fifth semiconductor layer is electrically isolated from the first semiconductor layer (as seen in Fig. 2, 7C2 is isolated from 7C1 by 24 and “a flattening material 25 made of an insulative resin material”, col. 7, lines 38-39).
Regarding claim 3, Figs. 1 and 2 of Taniguchi in combination with Figs. 22-35 of Gasse teach the light-emitting device according to claim 2, Figs. 1 and 2 of Taniguchi further disclose wherein a thickness of the fifth semiconductor layer is the same as a thickness of the first semiconductor layer, and a material of the fifth semiconductor layer is the same as a material of the first semiconductor layer (“a cap layer 7 comprising p-type GaAs is epitaxially grown covering the current block layers 5, for example, by MOCVD”, col. 8, lines 28-30, then “an isolation groove 23 is formed between each of the electrodes A.sub.1 to A.sub.4 and to the outside of the electrodes A.sub.1 and A.sub.4”, col. 8, lines 45-47, since 7 is formed as a blanket layer then separated into 7C1 and 7C2 via 23, the thickness and material of 7C1 is the same as the thickness and material of 7C2).
Regarding claim 4, Figs. 1 and 2 of Taniguchi in combination with Figs. 22-35 of Gasse teach the light-emitting device according to claim 9, Figs. 1 and 2 of Taniguchi further disclose comprising an electrode (“first to fourth electrodes A1 to A4”, col. 6, line 9) provided on an opposite side of the first semiconductor layer from the substrate (A1 to A4 are provided on an opposite side of 7C1 from 1), wherein the wiring line is coupled to the electrode through a contact hole (“first to fourth openings 24W1 to 24W4”, col. 9, lines 3-4) provided at the insulating layer (as seen in Fig. 2, L1 and L4 are coupled to A1 and A4 through 24W1 and 24W4 respectively, 24W1 to 24W4 are openings in 24).
Regarding claim 10, Figs. 1 and 2 of Taniguchi in combination with Figs. 22-35 of Gasse teach the light-emitting device according to claim 9, Figs. 1 and 2 of Taniguchi further disclose a height of the first columns is equal to a height of the second columns (as seen in Fig. 2, the height of C1 is equal to a height of C2, thus after combining Taniguchi with Gasse, all of 16 of Gasse will be of the same height).
Regarding claim 11, Figs. 1 and 2 of Taniguchi in combination with Figs. 22-35 of Gasse teach the light-emitting device according to claim 9, Figs. 1 and 2 of Taniguchi further disclose comprising a plurality of the light emitting elements (“semiconductor light emitting sections M1 to M4”, col. 6, line 10), the plurality of the light emitting elements including a first light emitting element (M1) and a second light emitting element (M4), each of the light emitting elements having the plurality of the first columns (as seen in Fig. 1, M1 and M4 are in CR1, thus after combining Taniguchi and Gasse, the portion of 16 in CR1 is a plurality of the first columns), the second columns are positioned between the first light emitting elements and the second light emitting elements (as seen in Fig. 1, a portion of CR2 is between M1 and M4 thus after combining Taniguchi and Gasse, the portion of 16 in CR2 that is a plurality of the second columns is also between M1 and M4).
Regarding claim 12, Figs. 1 and 2 of Taniguchi in combination with Figs. 22-35 of Gasse teach the light-emitting device according to claim 9, Figs. 1 and 2 of Taniguchi further disclose comprising an electrode (“first to fourth electrodes A1 to A4”, col. 6, line 9) provided on the first semiconductor layer (as seen in Fig. 2, A1 to A4 are provided on 7C1), the electrode contacting the first semiconductor layer and the wiring line (as seen in Fig. 2, A1 to A4 are contacting 7C1, L1, and L4).
Regarding claim 13, Figs. 1 and 2 of Taniguchi in combination with Figs. 22-35 of Gasse teach the light-emitting device according to claim 12, Figs. 1 and 2 of Taniguchi further disclose wherein the electrode is electrically connected to the first columns so as to supply the current to the first columns (“a current is charged restrictively to the active layer 3 below a stripe portion put between the current block layers 5 between the electrodes A1 to A4 and K, … and laser light is emitted”, col. 9, lines 47-55, thus A1 to A4 are electrically connected to C1).
Regarding claim 14, Figs. 1 and 2 of Taniguchi in combination with Figs. 22-35 of Gasse teach the light-emitting device according to claim 13, Figs. 1 and 2 of Taniguchi further disclose wherein the wiring line contacts to the electrode through a contact hole formed in the insulating layer (“first to fourth openings 24W1 to 24W4”, col. 9, lines 3-4, as seen in Fig. 2, L1 and L4 are coupled to A1 and A4 through 24W1 and 24W4 respectively).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Taniguchi et al. (US 6,630,366 B2) in view of Gasse et al. (US 8,841,151 B2) in view of Konttinen et al. (US 7,394,841 B1).
Regarding claim 7, Figs. 1 and 2 of Taniguchi in combination Figs. 22-35 of Gasse teach the light-emitting device according to claim 9.
Taniguchi in combination with Gasse fails to disclose “a projector comprising the light-emitting device.”
However, in a similar field of endeavor, Figs. 13 and 31 of Konttinen teach a projector (“an image projecting device 500”, col. 19, line 66) comprising the light-emitting device according to claim 1 (the “light emitting device 400”, col. 20, line 22, of Konttinen is equivalent to “semiconductor light emitting device” of Taniguchi, 500 is comprising of 400).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to implement “a projector comprising the light-emitting device” as taught by Konttinen in the system of Taniguchi in combination with Gasse because “the high optical intensity and the low divergence provided by a laser light source would be attractive properties when implementing an image projector” (col. 1, lines 17-19).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Taniguchi et al. (US 6,630,366 B2) in view of Gasse et al. (US 8,841,151 B2) in view of Inukai et al. (US 11,064,172 B2).
Regarding claim 8, Figs. 1 and 2 of Taniguchi in combination with Figs. 22-35 of Gasse teach the light-emitting device according to claim 9.
Taniguchi in combination with Gasse fails to disclose “a display comprising the light-emitting device.”
However, in a similar field of endeavor, Figs. 1-8 of Inukai teach a display (“the image display system 1 according to the present embodiment is a system configured to irradiate a display object with a laser beam to display an image on the display object”, col. 3, lines 34-37) comprising the light-emitting device according to claim 1 (the “light sources 2”, col. 3, line 58, of Inukai is equivalent to the “semiconductor light emitting device” of Taniguchi, 1 is comprising of 2).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to implement “a display comprising the light-emitting device” as taught by Inukai in the system of Taniguchi in combination with Gasse for the purpose of displaying an image with a laser beam.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BENJAMIN M KUPP whose telephone number is (571)272-5608. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 7:00 am - 4:00 pm PT.
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/BENJAMIN MICHAEL KUPP/Examiner, Art Unit 2893
/YARA B GREEN/Supervisor Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2893