DETAILED ACTION
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 2/23/2026 has been entered.
Claims 1 and 3-10 are pending. Claim 2 has been canceled. Claims 1 and 10 have been amended.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1 and 3-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 1 reciting “the plurality of light-emitting elements are separated to each other” renders the claim indefinite. It is unclear what is meant by “separated to each other”. The light-emitting elements are separated from what and to how they are related to each other?
Claim 10 reciting “a plurality of electrodes and an insulating layer respectively electrically connected to the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer” renders the claim indefinite. It is unclear how the insulating layer is electrically connected to the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bai et al. CN 113421954 A1 (Bai).
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In re claim 10, as best understood, Bai discloses (e.g. FIGs. 13-15) a light-emitting element panel, comprising:
a temporary storage substrate 410;
an adhesive layer 420, disposed on the temporary substrate 410; and
a plurality of light-emitting elements 230 (plural light emitting elements 230 for the display device, see FIG. 2A), disposed on the adhesive layer 420; and
a plurality of adhesive patterns 220,1400, respectively disposed on the light-emitting elements 230, wherein the adhesive patterns 220,1400 are separated from each other (see FIG. 2A);
wherein one of the adhesive patterns 220,1400 is disposed on one of the light-emitting elements 230, the one of the light-emitting elements 230 comprises a first semiconductor layer 244, a second semiconductor layer 248, an active layer 246 disposed between the first semiconductor layer 244 and the second semiconductor layer 248, and “a plurality of electrodes 250 and an insulating layer 260 respectively electrically connected to the first semiconductor layer 244 and the second semiconductor layer 248”, the insulating layer 260 is disposed on the second semiconductor layer 248 and has a plurality of contact windows (corresponding to the location of contacts 250) respectively overlapping with the first semiconductor layer 244 and the second semiconductor layer 248, the electrodes 250 are respectively electrically connected to the first semiconductor layer 244 and the second semiconductor layer 248 through the contact windows of the insulating layer 260, the one of the adhesive patterns 1400 (see FIG. 14A) has a recess (recess above 1402 in FIG. 14C), the recess doesn’t penetrate the one of the adhesive patterns 1400 (recess is above 1402), and the recess overlaps with a part of the insulating layer 260 between the electrodes 250 of the light-emitting elements 230.
Claims 1, 3-6, and 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gebuhr et al. US 2019/0214536 (Gebuhr).
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In re claim 1, as best understood, Gebuhr discloses (e.g. FIG. 1-7) a light-emitting element panel, comprising:
a temporary storage substrate 100 (FIGs. 6-7, ¶ 84);
an auxiliary pattern layer 200, disposed on the temporary storage substrate 100 and having a plurality of openings 210 (FIG. 2);
a plurality of adhesive patterns 110 (respective portions exposed by 210, see FIG. 2), respectively disposed in the openings 210 of the auxiliary pattern layer 200 (respective portions of 110 are disposed in opening 210 in a plain view); and
a plurality of light-emitting elements 300, respectively disposed on the adhesive patterns 110;
wherein a reaction rate of the auxiliary pattern layer 200 to a laser is lower than a reaction rate of the adhesive patterns 110 to the laser (adhesive 110 being dissociated by EM radiation to remove temporary substrate 100 while auxiliary structure 200 remains, thus auxiliary structure 200 has a lower reaction rate than adhesive 110 to the irradiated EM radiation; FIG. 7, ¶ 84; claimed “laser” at best pertains to an intended use of the claimed light-emitting element panel as the “laser” is not a structurally component of the light-emitting element panel claimed), the plurality of light-emitting elements 300 are “separated to each other” (as best understood, 300 are separate from each other);
wherein one of the light-emitting elements 300 comprises:
a first portion (portion of 300 within opening 210 in cross-sectional view as shown in FIG. 3), disposed in one of the openings 210 of the auxiliary pattern layer 200; and
a second portion (portion of 300 outside opening 210 in cross-sectional view as shown in FIG. 3), wherein the first portion and second portion are connected, the first portion (portion of 300 within opening 210) is located between the second portion (portion of 300 outside opening 210) and one of the adhesive patterns (portion of 110 exposed by 210), the second portion of the one of the light-emitting elements 300 (portion of semiconductor diode 300 outside opening 210, ¶ 64) is contacted (can be direct/indirect electrical or thermal contact) with a first semiconductor layer of the first portion of the one of the light-emitting elements 300 (portion of semiconductor diode 300 inside opening 210), and the second portion (portion of 300 outside opening 210) is disposed outside the one of the openings 210 of the auxiliary pattern layer 200.
In re claim 3, Gebuhr discloses wherein a side wall of the auxiliary pattern layer 200 defines one of the openings 200 (e.g. FIG. 2), and a side wall of one of the light-emitting elements 300 is directly in contact with the side wall of the auxiliary pattern layer 200 (e.g. FIG. 3).
In re claim 4, Gebuhr discloses (e.g. FIG. 4) wherein the auxiliary pattern layer 200 comprises:
a plurality of vertical portions (vertically extending portions of the grid shape in FIG. 4); and
a plurality of horizontal portions (horizontally extending portions of the grid shape in FIG. 4), wherein the vertical portions and the horizontal portions are interlaced to define the openings 210 of the auxiliary pattern layer 200, and the vertical portions and the horizontal portions of the auxiliary pattern layer 200 separate the light-emitting elements 300.
In re claim 5, Gebuhr discloses (e.g. FIG. 3) wherein the auxiliary pattern layer further comprises:
a plurality of auxiliary portions (no particular auxiliary portions claimed to distinguish over elements 310), respectively disposed in the openings 210 of the auxiliary pattern layer 200.
In re claim 6, Gebuhr discloses (e.g. FIG. 3) wherein a height of one of the auxiliary portions 310 in a direction perpendicular to the temporary storage substrate 100 is lower than a height of one of the vertical portions and the horizontal portions in the direction (vertical height of 200 is greater height of 310).
In re claim 8, Gebuhr discloses (e.g. FIG. 4) wherein in a top view of the light-emitting element panel, one of the adhesive patterns (portion of 110 exposed in openings 210) is aligned with one of the openings 210 of the auxiliary pattern layer 200 such that the one of the adhesive patterns (respective portions of 110 exposed in respective openings 210) is disposed in the one of the openings 210 of the auxiliary pattern layer 200.
In re claim 9, Gebuhr discloses (e.g. FIG. 4) wherein in a top view of the light-emitting element panel, one of the light-emitting elements 300 is aligned with one of the openings 210 of the auxiliary pattern layer 200 such that the one of the light-emitting elements 300 is disposed in the one of the openings 210 of the auxiliary pattern layer 200.
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 1 and 3-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bower et al. US 2019/0326149 A1 (Bower) in view of Li et al. US 2022/0352000 A1 (Li).
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In re claim 1, as best understood, Bower discloses (e.g. FIG. 1E) a light-emitting element panel, comprising:
a temporary storage substrate 50;
an auxiliary pattern layer 40, disposed on the temporary storage substrate 50 and having a plurality of openings (corresponding to recess occupied by devices 22, the end of the openings corresponding to end of wall formed by layer 40 shown as dashed line in drawing annotated above);
a plurality of adhesive patterns (corresponding to highlighted patterned portions of layer 30 as shown in annotated drawing above), respectively disposed in the openings of the auxiliary pattern layer 40; and
a plurality of light-emitting elements 22 (¶ 142), respectively disposed on the adhesive patterns 30;
the plurality of the light-emitting elements 22 are “separated to each other” (as best understood, 22 are separate from each other);
wherein one of the light-emitting elements 22 comprises:
a first portion (upper mesa portion of 22 covered by 40), disposed in one of the openings of the auxiliary pattern layer 40; and
a second portion (lower portion of 22), wherein the first portion (upper mesa portion of 22) and the second portion (lower portion of 22) are connected, the first portion (upper mesa portion of 22) is located between the second portion (lower portion of 22) and one of the adhesive patterns 30, the second portion of the one of the light-emitting elements 22 is contacted (can be direct/indirect electrical or thermal contact) with a first semiconductor layer of the first portion of the one of the light-emitting elements 22 (in this case, the two portions of the light-emitting elements 22 are physically contacted portions of the semiconductor layers made from patterning semiconductor layers 20, ¶ 84), and the second portion (lower portion of 22) is disposed outside the one of the openings of the auxiliary pattern layer (a part of the lower portion of 22 extend beyond lower surface of 40 that define the openings in which devices 22 resides).
Bower discloses the adhesive patterns 30 is etched to facilitate separation of the device 22 from the auxiliary pattern layer 40 (¶ 92-93).
Bower does not explicitly disclose the removal of the adhesive patterns 30 is performed with a laser and wherein a reaction rate of the auxiliary pattern layer to a laser is lower than a reaction rate of the adhesive patterns to the laser.
However, Li teaches (e.g. FIGs. 12-14) a light-emitting panel comprising a plurality of light-emitting elements 180 disposed on adhesive patterns 220 in the openings of auxiliary pattern layer 240, wherein the adhesive patterns 220 is formed of a laser dissociation adhesive material (¶ 118), wherein a reaction rate of the auxiliary pattern layer 240 to a laser is lower than a reaction rate of the adhesive patterns 220 to the laser due to selective dissociation of adhesive patterns 220 (¶ 173).
Adopting a laser dissociation process has the known benefit of eliminating the use of corrosive etching chemicals and thus prevent damage to the devices.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to form Bower’s adhesive patterns 30 using a laser dissociation adhesive material having a higher reaction rate to the laser than the auxiliary pattern 40, such that the adhesive patterns 30 may be selectively removed by the laser while keeping the auxiliary pattern 40 in tack. Such modification yield the predictable result of preventing damages caused by corrosive etching chemicals as is known in the art.
In re claim 3, Bower discloses (e.g. FIG. 1E) wherein a side wall of the auxiliary pattern layer 40 defines one of the openings (recesses in 40), and a side wall of one of the light-emitting elements (including both 22 and lateral portions of 30) is directly in contact with the side wall of the auxiliary pattern layer 40.
In re claim 4, Bower discloses (e.g. FIG. 1E) wherein the auxiliary pattern layer 40 comprises:
a plurality of vertical portions (FIG. 5, vertical portions defining the array of devices 22); and
a plurality of horizontal portions (FIG. 5, horizontal portions defining the array of devices 22), wherein the vertical portions and the horizontal portions are interlaced to define the openings of the auxiliary pattern layer, and the vertical portions and the horizontal portions of the auxiliary pattern layer separate the light-emitting elements 22.
In re claim 5, Bower discloses (e.g. FIG. 1G) wherein the auxiliary pattern layer 40 further comprises: a plurality of auxiliary portions 38, respectively disposed in the openings of the auxiliary pattern layer 40 (openings defines peripheral boundary of 40 surrounding each recess).
In re claim 6, Bower discloses (e.g. FIG. 1G) wherein a height of one of the auxiliary portions 38 in a direction perpendicular to the temporary storage substrate 50 is lower than a height of one of the vertical portions and the horizontal portions (remaining portions of 40) in the direction.
In re claim 7, Bower discloses (e.g. FIG. 1G) wherein one of the auxiliary portions 38 extends between a plurality of electrodes 25 of one of the light-emitting elements.
In re claim 8, Bower discloses (e.g. FIG. 1E) wherein in a top view of the light-emitting element panel, one of the adhesive patterns (see annotated FIG. 1E above) is aligned with one of the openings of the auxiliary pattern layer (recess in 40) such that the one of the adhesive patterns is disposed in the one of the openings of the auxiliary pattern layer 40.
In re claim 9, Bower discloses (e.g. FIG. 1E) wherein in a top view of the light-emitting element panel, one of the light-emitting elements 22 is aligned with one of the openings of the auxiliary pattern layer (recess in 40) such that the one of the light-emitting elements 22 is disposed in the one of the openings of the auxiliary pattern layer 40.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 2/23/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding claim 1 rejected over Li, Applicant argues the driving substrate 510 corresponding to the claimed second portion is not contacted with the light-emitting diode chip 180 (Remark, page 6).
This is not persuasive. The broad reasonable interpretation of “contacted” can be either electrical or thermal contact that is either direct or indirect. E.g. indirect electrical or thermal contact.
Li’s driving circuit 514 is considered a part of the light-emitting elements. As such, Li teaches with a first portion 180 disposed in the opening, and a second portion 514 disposed outside the opening, wherein the first portion 180 and second portion 514 are indirectly electrically contacted through pads 5142 after the LED chip 180 is transferred to fall on 510 (¶ 172). In the process step immediately after one of the LED chip 180 is transferred onto 510 (¶ 172) but before carrier 210 is completely lift off and removed, there exist a stage (as shown in annotated drawing below) where first portion 180 remain inside the opening of the auxiliary pattern layer 240 and is contacted with the pads 5142 of driving circuit, while second portion 514 is disposed outside of the opening. The second portion 514 is both indirectly electrically contacted and thermally contacted with the first portion 180.
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Regarding claim 1 rejected over Bower, Applicant argues the second portion of the completed semiconductor device 22 is not contacted with a first semiconductor layer of the first portion of the completed semiconductor device 22 (Remark, pages 7-8).
This is not persuasive. The two portions of the light-emitting elements 22 are physically contacted portions of the semiconductor layers made from patterning semiconductor layers 20, ¶ 84). Therefore, the second portion corresponding to the lower portion of semiconductor device 22 in FIG. 1E that is below 40 is directly physically contacted with a semiconductor layer of the first portion corresponding to the upper portion of semiconductor device 22 surrounded by 40. The second portion of semiconductor device 22 is also thermally and electrically contacted with the first portion of the semiconductor device.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YU CHEN whose telephone number is (571)270-7881. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday: 9AM-5PM ET.
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/YU CHEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2896
YU CHEN
Examiner
Art Unit 2896
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