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 claims 1-16 in the reply filed on 11/17/2025 is acknowledged.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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) 1-8, 11-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ikegami (20180025912)
Regarding claim 1, Ikegami teaches an manufacturing method, comprising steps of:
forming a semiconductor on a substrate (par. 65-68 teaches forming a semiconductor on a substrate, this semiconductor being single-crystal silicon, polycrystalline silicon, etc. having elements such as SOG atop them);
applying a doping solution to the semiconductor layer (par.69 teaches applying a p-type impurity-diffusing composition to the underlying semiconductor); and
doping by heat treating the semiconductor layer to which the doping solution is applied (par. 70-73 teaches the diffusion of p-type impurities into the underlying semiconductor using ny known thermal diffusion method, and, for example, methods such as electrical heating, infrared heating, laser heating, and microwave heating),
wherein the doping solution includes a solvent and a dopant, and
the dopant contains at least one of triethyl borate, tris(trimethylsilyl)borate, and0 trimethylboroxine (par. 16-58 teaches that the p-type impurity-diffusing composition is composed of an organic solvent and a boron dopant, such as triethyl borate).
Regarding claim 2, Ikegami teaches an manufacturing method of the display device of claim 1, wherein the solvent is one or more selected from poly-isobutyl methacrylate (IBMA), a- terpineol, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, polydimethylsiloxane,5 poly(cyclopentasilane), polysilazane SOG, cyclohexane, and cyclooctane (par. 34 and 35).
Regarding claim 3, Ikegami teaches an manufacturing method of the display device of claim 1, wherein a content of dopant in the doping solution is 0.05 wt% to 50 wt% (par. 24).
Regarding claim 4, Ikegami teaches an manufacturing method of the display device of claim 1, wherein the doping by heat treating the semiconductor layer to which the doping solution is applied is accomplished by a primary heat treatment and a secondary heat treatment (par. 70 and 71 teaches at least two heat treatments).
Regarding claim 5, Ikegami teaches an manufacturing method of the display device of claim 4, wherein the primary heat treatment is performed at a temperature of 80 00 to 150 00 for 2 to 5 minutes, and the secondary heat treatment is performed at a temperature of 400 *C to 420 *C for 30 minutes to 1 hour (par. 70 and 71 teaches two heat treatments in these ranges).
Regarding claim 6, Ikegami teaches an manufacturing method of the display device of claim 1, wherein the forming the semiconductor layer in the substrate is accomplished by forming amorphous silicon on the substrate, and forming polycrystalline silicon by crystallizing the amorphous silicon (par. 67 and 122).
Regarding claim 7, Ikegami teaches an manufacturing method of the display device of claim 1, wherein, in the doping by heat treating the semiconductor layer to which the doping solution is applied, the doping is carried out on a top side of the semiconductor layer and not carried out on a bottom side of the semiconductor layer (please see fig. 1 which shows this limitation).
Regarding claim 8, Ikegami teaches an manufacturing method of the display device of claim 1, wherein, after the doping by heat treating of the semiconductor layer to which the doping solution is applied, a lower surface of the semiconductor layer in contact with the substrate includes an undoped region, anda doping concentration increases from the undoped region to an upper surface of the semiconductor layer (please see fig. 2).
Regarding claim 11, Ikegami teaches an manufacturing method of the display device of claim 1, wherein the applying the doping solution to the semiconductor layer is performed using an inkjet coater, a spin coater, or a die coater (par. 69).
Regarding claim 12, Ikegami teaches an manufacturing method, comprising steps of:
forming a semiconductor on a substrate (par. 65-68 teaches forming a semiconductor on a substrate, this semiconductor being single-crystal silicon, polycrystalline silicon, etc. having elements such as SOG atop them);
applying a doping solution to the semiconductor layer (par.69 teaches applying an impurity-diffusing composition to the underlying semiconductor); and
doping by heat treating the semiconductor layer to which the doping solution is applied (par. 70-73 teaches the diffusion of impurities into the underlying semiconductor using ny known thermal diffusion method, and, for example, methods such as electrical heating, infrared heating, laser heating, and microwave heating),
wherein the doping solution includes a solvent and a dopant, and the dopant contains at least one of H3PO4, H3PO3, and tris-trimethylsilyl phosphate (par. 16-58 teaches that the impurity-diffusing composition is composed of an organic solvent and a dopant, such as phosphoric and phosphate acid).
Regarding claim 13, Ikegami teaches an manufacturing method of the display device of claim 12, wherein the solvent is one or more selected from poly(isobutyl methacrylate) (IBMA), a- terpineol, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, polydimethylsiloxane, poly(cyclopentasilane), polysilazane (SOG), cyclohexane, and cyclooctane (par. 34 and 35).
Regarding claim 14, Ikegami teaches an manufacturing method of the display device of claim 12, wherein 3 a content of dopant in the doping solution is 0.05 wt% to 50 wt% (par. 24).
Regarding claim 15, Ikegami teaches an manufacturing method of the display device of claim 12, wherein the doping by heat treating the semiconductor layer to which the doping solution is applied is accomplished by a primary heat treatment and a secondary heat treatment (par. 70 and 71 teaches at least two heat treatments).
Regarding claim 16, Ikegami teaches an manufacturing method of the display device of claim 15, wherein the primary heat treatment is performed at a temperature of 800C to 150 0C for 2 to 5 minutes, andthe secondary heat treatment is performed at a temperature of 400 00 to 420 °C for 30 minutes to 1 hour (par. 70 and 71 teaches two heat treatments in these ranges).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 9 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 10 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
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/CALEB E HENRY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818