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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention I, Species A, and Species D in the reply filed on 8/8/2026 is acknowledged. Claims 7, 9, 20, and 21 are withdrawn.
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 1-6, 8, and 10-19 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 1, the claim requires a support structure that comprises a protrusion pointing at the support structure form below the support structure. This language is indefinite as the protrusion is part of the support structure and therefore cannot be below the support structure. Further, the protrusion is required to have an end portion with a distance between the end portion and the support structure which is indefinite as the protrusion, and therefore the end portion, are part of the support structure. For the purpose of this office action, “A micro light-emitting component, comprising: a substrate, a main body having a semiconductor layer sequence, and a support structure, wherein the support structure fixes the main body on the substrate, and a cavity is between the main body and the substrate, the support structure comprises a protrusion pointing at the support structure from below the support structure, the protrusion has at least one end portion, a distance between the end portion and the support structure is 0 μm to 1 μm” is interpreted as “A micro light-emitting component, comprising: a substrate, a main body having a semiconductor layer sequence, and a support structure, wherein the support structure fixes the main body on the substrate, and a cavity is between the main body and the substrate”.
Claims 2-6, 8, and 10-19 depend from claim 1 and are, therefore, also rejected.
As the protrusion is indefinite language, claim 11 is interpreted wherein the support structure comprises a dielectric material, an adhesive material or metal. Claim 12 is interpreted as wherein the support structure comprises epoxy resin, polyimide, benzocyclobutene, or silicone. Claim 13 is interpreted as wherein the support structure extends from the fixing anchor toward the bridge arm. Claim 14 is interpreted as wherein the support structure has a ridge shape or a pointed shape. Claim 15 is interpreted as wherein the support structure has a suspended portion whose surface is completely exposed or whose upper surface is exposed and an angle between the suspended portion and a horizontal plane is -10° to 10°. Claim 17 is interpreted as wherein the semiconductor layer sequence is the main body, an angle between a side wall of the main body and a horizontal plane is 70 ° to 100°. Claim 18 is interpreted as wherein an angle between the support structure and a horizontal plane is 45 ° to 90°. Claim 19 is interpreted as wherein the support structure has a width.
Further regarding claim 10, it is unclear to one having ordinary skill in the art what a material of a negative stress direction and a material of a positive stress direction mean as they are not conventional terms used in the art nor specialized term defined by Applicant. For the purpose of this Office action, these terms are interpreted as “a material”.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5, 8, 10-15, and 17-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Huang et al. (US 2010/0148210 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Huang discloses a micro light-emitting component (Fig. 3E), comprising:
a substrate (300), a main body having a semiconductor layer sequence (312b, 310, and 312a), and a support structure (304’s and 306’s), wherein the support structure fixes the main body on the substrate, and a cavity (cavity in which the main body is placed in Fig. 3E) is between the main body and the substrate.
Regarding claim 2, Huang further discloses wherein the support structure has a first dielectric layer (304a”) which comprises silicon oxide (¶ 0020).
Regarding claim 3, Huang further discloses wherein the support structure at least comprises a first dielectric layer (304c”) and a second dielectric layer (unlabeled dielectric layer between to the right of 306c’ which is formed of the same material as 304c’ as seen in Fig. 3B), a material of the first dielectric layer is different from a material of the second dielectric layer (Huang discloses forming them each from a combination of materials, ¶ 0020, and if both layers from (at least) two materials A & B, a material of the first dielectric layer (A) will be different from a material of the second dielectric layer (B)), the first dielectric layer is located between the second dielectric layer and the semiconductor layer sequence, and the second dielectric layer is configured to connect the support structure and the main body, the first dielectric layer is located on a surface of the second dielectric layer; wherein a thickness of the second dielectric layer is greater than a thickness of the first dielectric layer (see Fig. 3E, the thickness being the distance from the lowest point in the layer to the highest point in the layer).
Regarding claim 5, Huang further discloses wherein the first dielectric layer is located on the main body, and the second dielectric layer at least partially covers an inner surface of the first dielectric layer (see Fig. 3E).
Regarding claim 8, Huang further discloses wherein the support structure comprises a fixing anchor (306c’) and a bridge arm (306c”), the bridge arm extends from the fixing anchor toward the main body, and a material of the fixing anchor comprises a metal (¶ 0021), and the second dielectric layer is connected to the substrate through the fixing anchor (the left side surface of the second dielectric layer connects to the substrate via the fixing anchor).
Regarding claim 10, Huang further discloses wherein the first and second dielectric layers comprise materials (¶ 0020).
Regarding claim 11, Huang further discloses wherein the support structure comprises a dielectric material, an adhesive material or metal (¶ 0020).
Regarding claim 12, Huang discloses wherein the support structure comprises epoxy resin, polyimide, benzocyclobutene, or silicone (¶ 0020).
Regarding claim 13, Huang discloses wherein the support structure extends from the fixing anchor toward the bridge arm (see Fig. 3E).
Regarding claim 14, Huang discloses wherein the support structure has a ridge shape or a pointed shape (see Fig. 3E).
Regarding claim 15, Huang discloses wherein the support structure has a suspended portion (top surface) whose surface is completely exposed or whose upper surface is exposed and an angle between the suspended portion and a horizontal plane is -10° to 10° (see Fig. 3E).
Regarding claim 17, Huang discloses wherein the semiconductor layer sequence is the main body, an angle between a side wall of the main body and a horizontal plane is 70 ° to 100° (90 degrees, see Fig. 3E).
Regarding claim 18, Huang discloses wherein an angle between the support structure and a horizontal plane is 45 ° to 90° (angled portions of the support structure seen in Fig. 3E).
Regarding claim 19, Huang discloses wherein the support structure has a width.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claim(s) 4 and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang as applied to claim 3 above.
Regarding claim 4, Huang discloses the second dielectric layer is located on the main body, and the first dielectric layer at least partially covers an outer surface of the second dielectric layer. Huang does not explicitly disclose the relative thickness of the first and second dielectric layer to determine if they fall within the claimed range. However, as the relative thicknesses haven’t been established as critical or yielding unexpected results, changing the sizes/proportions of the two layers to fall within the claimed range is considered obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art (see MPEP 2144.04(IV)(A)).
Regarding claim 6, Huang discloses wherein the material of the first dielectric layer is silicon oxide (¶ 0020), the first dielectric layer is connected to the semiconductor layer sequence of the main body (Fig. 3E), the material of the second dielectric layer is silicon nitride (¶ 0020). Huang does not explicitly disclose the thicknesses/widths of the first and second dielectric layer to determine if they fall within the claimed range. However, as the thicknesses/widths haven’t been established as critical or yielding unexpected results, changing the sizes/proportions of the two layers to fall within the claimed ranges is considered obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art (see MPEP 2144.04(IV)(A)).
Claim(s) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang as applied to claim 1 above.
Regarding claim 6, Huang discloses wherein the support structure comprises a bridge arm (horizontal portion). Huang does not explicitly disclose the thickness of the bridge arm to determine if it falls within the claimed range. However, as the thickness hasn’t been established as critical or yielding unexpected results, changing the sizes/proportions of the bridge portion to fall within the claimed range is considered obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art (see MPEP 2144.04(IV)(A)).
Conclusion
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
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