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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 18 March 2026 has been entered.
Claim and Specification Status
The Examiner acknowledges the amendments to claims 12 and 16-20 in the Applicant’s response dated 18 March 2026. The claim amendments have been addressed below.
The Examiner acknowledges the amendments to withdrawn claim 1 in the Applicant’s response dated 18 March 2026.
The Examiner acknowledges the cancelation of claims 5 and 15 in the Applicant’s response dated 18 March 2026.
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 12 and 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Haeyoung Yoo et al. (US 2019/0341277 A1; hereinafter “Yoo”) in view of Hae Yoon Park (KR 20190050534 A; hereinafter “Park”).
Regarding Claim 12, Yoo teaches a method of manufacturing a display device, the method comprising:
forming an electrode by disposing a photoresist on a substrate (1, Fig. 7, para [0019] describes forming a photoresist on the pattern layer to expose a portion of the pattern layer);
disposing the substrate on a susceptor (120, Fig. 1, para [0019] describes placing the substrate on a support in a chamber);
supplying a gas to a plasma generator to convert the gas into a plasma (140, Fig. 1, para [0071] describes forming plasma using gas supplied from the gas supply);
a nozzle head having injection holes formed to inject radicals to the substrate (142, Fig. 1, para [0058] and para [0059] describes nozzles 142 which are used for injecting gases which may include chlorine, into the chamber 110 in which the substrate 1/21 is disposed wherein the nozzles 142 are oriented in such a manner to inject radicals to the substrate 1/21 as shown in Fig. 1);
controlling occurrence of corrosion on a surface of the electrode by spraying the plasma to the substrate (Fig. 7, para [0083] describes using the plasma to etch portions of the substrate through the patterned photoresist); and
removing the photoresist by spraying the plasma to the substrate (para [0085] describes removing the photoresist by ashing which is a plasma process).
Yoo fails to explicitly disclose guiding the gas or the plasma through a flow path that is connected to the plasma generator and formed sequentially through an adapter, a cooler, an insulator, a diffuser and a nozzle head having injection holes formed to inject radicals to the substrate, wherein the insulator, insulates the diffuser and the cooler from each other;
However, Park teaches a similar method of manufacturing a display device, further comprising:
guiding the gas or the plasma through a flow path that is connected to the plasma generator (430 and 500, Fig. 1, para [0014] describes a remote plasma source portion 430 for supplying a plasma wherein the plasma is also further generated by an RF power source 500 in combination with the remote plasma source 430) and formed sequentially through an adapter (440, Fig. 2, para [0042] and para [0043] describe a second connection pipe unit 440 which adapts the process gas source 410, cleaning gas source portion 420 and remote plasma source portion 430 into one branched pipe coupled to a gas supply pipe 600), a cooler (740, Fig. 2, para [0084] describes a cooling portion 740), an insulator (600, Fig. 2, para [0054] describes wherein a gas supply portion 600 located between the cooling portion 740 and the diffuser 200 may be made of a hollow ceramic member therefore acting as an insulator such as described in para [0046]), and a diffuser (200, Fig. 1, para [0032] describes wherein a gas injector 200 may include at least one diffusion element) and a nozzle head having injection holes formed to inject radicals to the substrate (200, Fig. 1, para [0032] describes a gas injector 200 wherein upon combining Yoo with Park, the injector 200 would include the nozzle heads 142 of Yoo on an opposite side of the flow path from the insulator 600 with the diffuser therebetween wherein the nozzle heads of Yoo having injection holes formed to inject radicals to the substrate and further wherein Park teaches the diffuser 200 has injection holes for injecting diffused process gas towards the processing space S), wherein the insulator, insulates the diffuser and the cooler from each other (600, Fig. 2, para [0054] describes wherein the gas supply portion 600 located between the cooling portion 740 and the diffuser 200 may be made of a hollow ceramic member therefore acting as an insulator and thereby insulating the diffuser 200 and the cooler 740 from one another as further described in para [0084]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Yoo and Park to further disclose a method of manufacturing a display device further comprising a flow path formed from an adapter, a cooler, an insulator, and a diffuser, in order to provide the advantage of controlling the temperature of a gas or plasma supplied to prevent unwanted damage to the apparatus (Park, para [0081] and para [0084]).
Regarding Claim 16, the combination of Yoo and Park teach the method of claim 12, wherein the plasma generator is connected to at least one of the adapter and the cooler (Park, 600 and 740, Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, para [0084] describes a cooling portion 740 installed between the coil portion 710 and the gas supply tube 600 which generates plasma).
Regarding Claim 17, the combination of Yoo and Park teach the method of claim 12, further comprising:
spraying the plasma onto the substrate through a nozzle head connected to the diffuser (Park, 200, Fig. 1, para [0032] describes a gas injecting unit 200, further described as a gas spraying unit, which includes at least one diffusion element and an injection element used to spray plasma into the processing space S wherein the substrate 10 is located).
Regarding Claim 18, the combination of Yoo and Park teach the method of claim 12, wherein two of the adapter, the cooler, the insulator, and the diffuser contact each other (Park, 600 and 740, Fig. 2, wherein the cooling portion 740 can be seen in contact with the insulating portion 600).
Regarding Claim 19, the combination of Yoo and Park teach the method of claim 12, further comprising:
cooling a sealing part between the adapter and the plasma generator with the cooler (740, Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, para [0086] describes wherein the cooler 740 may include a cooling pipe installed along the circumference of the insulator 600 wherein the insulator 600 is in contact with a ceramic sealing part 800 located between a portion of the plasma generator responsible for supplying RF power 500 and the adapter 440 resulting in the cooler 740 cooling a sealing part 800 between the adapter 440 and a portion of the plasma generator 500).
Regarding Claim 20, the combination of Yoo and Park teach the method of claim 12, wherein the controlling of the occurrence of corrosion on a surface of the electrode by spraying the plasma to the substrate, and the removing of the photoresist by spraying the plasma to the substrate are performed in a same chamber (Yoo, 110, Fig. 1, para [0083] and para [0085] describe using the plasma to etch portions of the substrate through the patterned photoresist and ashing the photoresist in the same chamber 110).
Claims 13 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Haeyoung Yoo et al. (US 2019/0341277 A1; hereinafter “Yoo”) in view of Hae Yoon Park (KR 20190050534 A; hereinafter “Park”) and in further view of Shinya Sasagawa et al. (US 2010/0099226 A1; hereinafter “Sasagawa”).
Regarding Claim 13, the combination of Yoo and Park disclose all the limitations of claim 12.
Yoo and Park fail to disclose the method of claim 12, wherein the gas includes water vapor.
However, Sasagawa teaches a similar method of manufacturing a display device, wherein the gas includes water vapor (para [0135] describes water plasma treatment performed on the resist mask by using a gas containing water as its main component typified by water vapor).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Yoo and Park with Sasagawa to further disclose a method of manufacturing a display device wherein the gas supplied which is converted to plasma includes water vapor to provide the advantage of improving the film quality which leads to improvement of electrical characteristics of the thin film transistor (Sasagawa, para [0135]).
Regarding Claim 14, the combination of Yoo, Park and Sasagawa teach the method of claim 13, further comprising:
converting water into the water vapor and supplying the water vapor to the plasma generator (Sasagawa, para [0104] describes supplying pure water to a vaporizer so that water gas, in the form of water vapor, is introduced into the plasma generation chamber).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 18 March 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues on page 8, lines 3-8 that the combination of Yoo and Park fail to disclose a nozzle sequentially arranged after a diffuser and further fail to disclose nozzles formed to inject radicals to the substrate. The Examiner respectfully disagrees. As discussed in the rejection above, Yoo discloses a nozzle head having injection holes formed to inject radicals to the substrate (142, Fig. 1, para [0058] and para [0059] describes nozzles 142 which are used for injecting gases which may include chlorine, into the chamber 110 in which the substrate 1/21 is disposed wherein the nozzles 142 are oriented in such a manner to inject radicals to the substrate 1/21 as shown in Fig. 1). Park further discloses a diffuser (200, Fig. 1, para [0032] describes a gas injector 200 wherein upon combining Yoo with Park, the injector 200 would include the nozzle heads 142 of Yoo on an opposite side of the flow path from the insulator 600 with the diffuser therebetween wherein the nozzle heads of Yoo having injection holes formed to inject radicals to the substrate and further wherein Park teaches the diffuser 200 has injection holes for injecting diffused process gas towards the processing space S). Therefore, the combination of Yoo and Park teaches the amended language of claim 1 directed towards the nozzle heads of the claim and therefore, the amendment is not deemed to patentably distinguish the Applicant’s claimed method from the apparatus and method taught by the combination of Yoo and Park.
Applicant’s arguments, see Applicant’s remarks page 6, lines 25-32, page 7, lines 1-18 and page 8, lines 1-17, filed 18 March 2026, with respect to the rejections of claims 12 and 16-20 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground of rejection is made in view of a different interpretation of the previously applied references. Applicant argues on page 8, lines 9-15 that the combination of Yoo and Park fail to disclose a flow path that is connected to the plasma generator and formed sequentially through an adapter, a cooler, an insulator, a diffuser and a nozzle head and the Applicant further argues on page 6, lines 27-32 that the combination of Yoo and Park fail to disclose wherein the insulator insulates the cooler and the diffuser from each other. The new ground of rejection, as presented above, teaches wherein Park describes guiding the gas or the plasma through a flow path that is connected to the plasma generator (430 and 500, Fig. 1, para [0014] describes a remote plasma source portion 430 for supplying a plasma wherein the plasma is also further generated by an RF power source 500 in combination with the remote plasma source 430) and formed sequentially through an adapter (440, Fig. 2, para [0042] and para [0043] describe a second connection pipe unit 440 which adapts the process gas source 410, cleaning gas source portion 420 and remote plasma source portion 430 into one branched pipe coupled to a gas supply pipe 600), a cooler (740, Fig. 2, para [0084] describes a cooling portion 740), an insulator (600, Fig. 2, para [0054] describes wherein a gas supply portion 600 located between the cooling portion 740 and the diffuser 200 may be made of a hollow ceramic member therefore acting as an insulator such as described in para [0046]), and a diffuser (200, Fig. 1, para [0032] describes wherein a gas injector 200 may include at least one diffusion element) and a nozzle head having injection holes formed to inject radicals to the substrate (200, Fig. 1, para [0032] describes a gas injector 200 wherein upon combining Yoo with Park, the injector 200 would include the nozzle heads 142 of Yoo on an opposite side of the flow path from the insulator 600 with the diffuser therebetween wherein the nozzle heads of Yoo having injection holes formed to inject radicals to the substrate and further wherein Park teaches the diffuser 200 has injection holes for injecting diffused process gas towards the processing space S), wherein the insulator, insulates the diffuser and the cooler from each other (600, Fig. 2, para [0054] describes wherein the gas supply portion 600 located between the cooling portion 740 and the diffuser 200 may be made of a hollow ceramic member therefore acting as an insulator and thereby insulating the diffuser 200 and the cooler 740 from one another as further described in para [0084]). Therefore, the combination of Yoo and Park teaches the amended language of claim 1 and therefore, the amendment is not deemed to patentably distinguish the Applicant’s claimed method from the apparatus and method taught by the combination of Yoo and Park.
Conclusion
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/ALEXANDER MICHAEL MILLER/Examiner, Art Unit 2898 /JULIO J MALDONADO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2898
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