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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 08/26/2026 has been entered.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention I, claims 1-14, in the reply filed on 12/22/2025 is acknowledged. Claims 1-14 are examined below (of which claim 2 is now canceled), while claims 14-18 are withdrawn.
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.
Claims 1 and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hertkorn et al. (US-20150044798-A1 referred as Hertkorn) in view of in view of Ahn et al. (US-20220199674-A1 referred as Ahn).
Regarding claim 1. Hertkorn discloses a method of manufacturing an electronic device using a cyclic doping process, comprising:
i) an operation of forming a unit transfer thin film including a two-dimensional material on a transfer substrate ([0035], figure 1, forming a unit transfer thin film #2 on a transfer substrate #1);
ii) an operation of doping the unit transfer thin film in a low-damage doping process to control electrical characteristic of the two-dimensional material ([0037], figure 2, doping #3 the unit transfer thin film #2 in a low-damage doping process. Please note the penetration surpasses the top half of #2 to reach its targeted area of #4. Applying doping #3 to the unit transfer film #2 also allows controlling the electrical characteristics of the two-dimensional material, as doping vs non doping would be a different electrical characteristic);
iii) an operation of transferring the unit transfer thin film doped according to the operation ii) on a transfer target substrate ([0038], figure 3, transferring the unit transfer thin film #2 doped to a transfer target substrate #5).
Hertkorn lacks iv) an operation of repeatedly performing the operations i) to iii) several times to reach a target thickness, and wherein the two-dimensional material in the operation i) includes any one or more selected from the group consisting of transfer metal chalcogenide, graphene, boron nitride, black phosphorus, and combinations thereof.
Ahn discloses wherein the two-dimensional material in the operation i) includes any one or more selected from the group consisting of transfer metal chalcogenide, graphene, boron nitride, black phosphorus, and combinations thereof ([0042], two dimensional material used in the operation include transfer metal chalcogenide).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application for Hertkorn as modified to include transfer metal chalcogenide which further contains tungsten diselenide as taught by Ahn in order to increase the manufacturing versatility, enhance the elements integrity, and to reduce the manufacturing costs.
Hertkorn as modified by Ahn still lacks iv) an operation of repeatedly performing the operations i) to iii) several times to reach a target thickness.
MPEP 2144.04 V E – describes making continuous - In reDilnot, 319 F.2d 188, 138 USPQ 248 (CCPA 1963) (Claim directed to a method of producing a cementitious structure wherein a stable air foam is introduced into a slurry of cementitious material differed from the prior art only in requiring the addition of the foam to be continuous. The court held the claimed continuous operation would have been obvious in light of the batch process of the prior art.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to have further modified for Hertkorn as modified by Costa to include repeatedly performing the operations of i) and iii) to reach a target thickness, simply running the steps over and over until a thickness is reached (essentially decided by a user) in order to increase the devices versatility in applications based on the required height, reduce materials used in manufacturing, and to provide additional integral support to increase the devices lifetime.
Regarding claims 3. Hertkorn as modified lacks wherein the transfer metal chalcogenide includes any one or more selected from the group consisting of molybdenum disulfide, tungsten diselenide, and combinations thereof.
Ahn discloses wherein the transfer metal chalcogenide includes any one or more selected from the group consisting of molybdenum disulfide, tungsten diselenide, and combinations thereof ([0042], two dimensional material used in the operation include transfer metal chalcogenide which further contains tungsten diselenide).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application for Hertkorn as modified to include transfer metal chalcogenide which further contains tungsten diselenide as taught by Ahn in order to increase the manufacturing versatility, enhance the elements integrity, and to reduce the manufacturing costs.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hertkorn et al. (US-20150044798-A1 referred as Hertkorn) and Ahn et al. (US-20220199674-A1 referred as Ahn) in view of Zhang et al. (US-20190237697-A1 referred as Zhang).
Regarding claim 4. Hertkorn as modified lacks herein the low-damage doping process in the operation ii) includes any one or more selected from the group consisting of a reactive radical adsorption process using plasma, a spin coating process, a solution immersing process, a remote plasma doping process, and combinations thereof.
Zhang discloses herein the low-damage doping process in the operation ii) includes any one or more selected from the group consisting of a reactive radical adsorption process using plasma, a spin coating process, a solution immersing process, a remote plasma doping process, and combinations thereof ([0051], figures 5-7, a low-damage doping process is seen with a spin coating process applied to layer #31 as described).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application for Hertkorn as modified to include a low-damage doping process is seen with a spin coating process as taught by Zhang in order to increase the manufacturing versatility, enhance the elements integrity, and to reduce the manufacturing costs.
Claims 5 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hertkorn et al. (US-20150044798-A1 referred as Hertkorn) and Ahn et al. (US-20220199674-A1 referred as Ahn) in view of Francis et al. (US-20150279945-A1 referred as Francis).
Regarding claim 5. Hertkorn as modified lacks wherein the operation of transferring of the operation iii) includes:
a) an operation of forming a support layer on the unit transfer thin film doped according to the operation ii);
b) an operation of removing the transfer substrate positioned under the doped unit transfer thin film;
c) an operation of transferring the doped unit transfer thin film on the transfer target substrate; and
d) an operation of removing the support layer positioned on the doped unit transfer thin film and performing surface treatment on a surface of the doped unit transfer thin film in a single process.
Francis discloses wherein the operation of transferring of the operation iii) includes:
a) an operation of forming a support layer on the unit transfer thin film doped according to the operation ii) ([0130], figure 5a for step 1-2, forming a support layer #506 on the unit transfer thin film doped #503/505);
b) an operation of removing the transfer substrate positioned under the doped unit transfer thin film ([0132], figure 5a for step 2-3, removing the transfer substrate #501 positioned under the doped unit transfer thin film);
c) an operation of transferring the doped unit transfer thin film on the transfer target substrate ([0133], figure 5a for step 3-4, transferring the doped unit transfer thin film #503/505 on the transfer target substrate #509); and
d) an operation of removing the support layer positioned on the doped unit transfer thin film and performing surface treatment on a surface of the doped unit transfer thin film in a single process ([0134], figure 5a for step 4-5, remove the support layer #506 positioned on the doped unit transfer thin film #503/505 and performing a surface treatment (as described in [0135]) on a surface #510 of the doped unit transfer thin film #503/505).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application for Hertkorn as modified to include the operation of transferring from the transfer substrate to the transfer target substrate as taught by Francis in order to reduce manufacturing time, reduce device failure, and to enhance quality control.
Regarding claim 9. Hertkorn as modified lacks wherein the operation of transferring of the operation iii) includes:
a) an operation of forming a support layer on the unit transfer thin film doped according to the operation ii);
b) an operation of removing the transfer substrate positioned under the doped unit transfer thin film;
c) transferring the doped unit transfer thin film on the transfer target substrate;
d) an operation of removing the support layer positioned on the doped unit transfer thin film; and
e) an operation of performing surface treatment on a surface of the doped unit transfer thin film from which the support layer has been removed.
Francis discloses wherein the operation of transferring of the operation iii) includes:
a) an operation of forming a support layer on the unit transfer thin film doped according to the operation ii) ([0130], figure 5a for step 1-2, forming a support layer #506 on the unit transfer thin film doped #503/505);
b) an operation of removing the transfer substrate positioned under the doped unit transfer thin film ([0132], figure 5a for step 2-3, removing the transfer substrate #501 positioned under the doped unit transfer thin film) ;
c) transferring the doped unit transfer thin film on the transfer target substrate ([0133], figure 5a for step 3-4, transferring the doped unit transfer thin film #503/505 on the transfer target substrate #509);
d) an operation of removing the support layer positioned on the doped unit transfer thin film ([0134], figure 5a for step 4-5, remove the support layer #506 positioned on the doped unit transfer thin film #503/505); and
e) an operation of performing surface treatment on a surface of the doped unit transfer thin film from which the support layer has been removed ([0135], figure 5a for step 4-5, during the process of the support layer #506 being removed first, the treatment reaches to the surface #510 performing a surface treatment, as described, on the doped unit transfer thin film #503/505 which ends with having a flat surface).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application for Hertkorn as modified to include the operation of transferring from the transfer substrate to the transfer target substrate as taught by Francis in order to reduce manufacturing time, reduce device failure, and to enhance quality control.
Claims 6-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hertkorn et al. (US-20150044798-A1 referred as Hertkorn), Ahn et al. (US-20220199674-A1 referred as Ahn) and Francis et al. (US-20150279945-A1 referred as Francis) as applied to claim 5 in further view of Sato (US-20100200883-A1).
Regarding claims 6, 7, and 8. Hertkorn as modified lacks
[claim 6] wherein the support layer in the operation a) includes any one or more selected from the group consisting of polymethyl methacrylate, polydimethylsiloxane, and combinations thereof.
[claim 7] wherein the operation d) is performed by including any one or more selected from the group consisting of ion beam treatment using an inert gas, thermal treatment, and combinations thereof.
[claim 8] wherein the ion beam treatment using the inert gas uses an argon gas and is performed under a voltage condition of 5 to 50 eV.
Sato discloses
[claim 6] wherein the support layer in the operation a) includes any one or more selected from the group consisting of polymethyl methacrylate, polydimethylsiloxane, and combinations thereof ([0115], the protective layer is made of polymethyl methacrylate as described).
[claim 7] wherein the operation d) is performed by including any one or more selected from the group consisting of ion beam treatment using an inert gas, thermal treatment, and combinations thereof ([0007], the operation of surface treatment is using inert gas).
[claim 8] wherein the ion beam treatment using the inert gas uses an argon gas and is performed under a voltage condition of 5 to 50 eV ([0019, 0007], the ion beam treatment using inert gas uses argon gas and is performed in a voltage condition of 20-50 eV).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application for Hertkorn as modified to include polymethyl methacrylate material, and a surface treatment of inert gas at a voltage of 20-50eV as taught by Sato in order to reduce the total weight of the device, preserve material integrity and enhance the surface quality.
Claims 10 and 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hertkorn et al. (US-20150044798-A1 referred as Hertkorn), Ahn et al. (US-20220199674-A1 referred as Ahn) and Francis et al. (US-20150279945-A1 referred as Francis) as applied to claim 9 in further view of Sato (US-20100200883-A1).
Regarding claim 10, 12, and 13. Hertkorn as modified lacks
[claim 10] wherein the support layer in the operation a) includes any one or more selected from the group consisting of polymethyl methacrylate, polydimethylsiloxane, and combinations thereof.
[claim 12] wherein the operation of performing the surface treatment of the operation e) includes ion beam treatment using an inert gas.
[claim 13] wherein the ion beam treatment using the inert gas uses an argon gas and is performed under a voltage condition of 5 to 50 eV.
Sato discloses
[claim 10] wherein the support layer in the operation a) includes any one or more selected from the group consisting of polymethyl methacrylate, polydimethylsiloxane, and combinations thereof ([0115], the protective layer is made of polymethyl methacrylate as described).
[claim 12] wherein the operation of performing the surface treatment of the operation e includes ion beam treatment using an inert gas ([0007], the operation of surface treatment is using inert gas).
[claim 13] wherein the ion beam treatment using the inert gas uses an argon gas and is performed under a voltage condition of 5 to 50 eV ([0019, 0007], the ion beam treatment using inert gas uses argon gas and is performed in a voltage condition of 20-50 eV).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application for Hertkorn as modified to include polymethyl methacrylate material, and a surface treatment of inert gas at a voltage of 20-50eV as taught by Sato in order to reduce the total weight of the device, preserve material integrity and enhance the surface quality.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hertkorn et al. (US-20150044798-A1 referred as Hertkorn), Ahn et al. (US-20220199674-A1 referred as Ahn) and Francis et al. (US-20150279945-A1 referred as Francis) as applied to claim 9 in further view of Hiza et al. (US-20220230920-A1 referred as Hiza).
Regarding claim 11. Hertkorn lacks wherein the operation of removing the support layer of the operation d is performed by acid treatment.
Hiza discloses wherein the operation of removing the support layer of the operation d) is performed by acid treatment ([0053], figure 8, the support layer #BS/AH is removed by an operation consting of acid treatement).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application for Hertkorn as modified to include removing the support layer with acid treatment as taught by Hiza in order to preserve material integrity, enhance the surface quality, and to increase the speed of manufacturing.
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hertkorn et al. (US-20150044798-A1 referred as Hertkorn) and Ahn et al. (US-20220199674-A1 referred as Ahn) in further view of Drowley et al. (US-20210305404-A1 referred as Drowley).
Regarding claim 14. Hertkorn as modified discloses including a two-dimensional material, and having a plurality of unit transfer thin films stacked on another ([0052], figure 13, the unit transfer thin film #2 further includes plurality of sublayers illustrated as #16 and #17 stacked on another of itself).
Hertkorn as modified lacks wherein the two-dimensional material includes any one or more selected from the group consisting of transfer metal chalcogenide, graphene, boron nitride, black phosphorus, and combinations thereof, and
wherein the electronic device has uniform electrical characteristics throughout the electronic device.
Ahn discloses wherein the two-dimensional material in the operation i) includes any one or more selected from the group consisting of transfer metal chalcogenide, graphene, boron nitride, black phosphorus, and combinations thereof ([0042], two dimensional material used in the operation include transfer metal chalcogenide).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application for Hertkorn as modified to include transfer metal chalcogenide as taught by Ahn in order to increase the manufacturing versatility, enhance the elements integrity, and to reduce the manufacturing costs.
Hertkorn as modified by Ahn still lacks wherein the electronic device has uniform electrical characteristics throughout the electronic device.
Drowley discloses wherein the electronic device has uniform electrical characteristics throughout the electronic device ([0135], figure 22a, the electronic device #2200 has uniform electrical characteristics throughout the electronic device. More specifically seen in unit transfer film #2206 with uniform doping present in the element).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application for Hertkorn as modified by Ahn to wherein the electronic device has uniform electrical characteristics throughout the electronic device as taught by Drowley in order to enhance doping consistency in the device, increase the efficiency of the device, and to reduce cycle time with higher electrical characteristics.
Response to Amendment
Applicant's arguments filed 08/26/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
It is noted that Applicant's arguments are related to the amended subject matter, simply stating the new amendments are not seen in the prior art. As is seen in the new rejection above, these amended features are disclosed by the prior art to Hertkorn et al. as modified by Ahn et al for claim 1 and an additional new prior art for claim 14. All the arguments relating to limitations previously presented and rejected in the last arguments will be addressed below.
Regarding claim 1, applicant argues about Hertkorn et al. teaching the incorrect dopants which wouldn’t be able to control electrical characteristics. Based on broadest reasonable interpretation, the ion implementation in Hertkorn et al. is a type of doping by using ion inert gases. It is known in the art that injecting hydrogen ions would change the electrical resistance/conductivity of the material, thus changing/controlling an electrical property. It is suggested for the applicant to specify what type of dopants would be used in the claim structure such as p-type/n-type dopants or to specify which elements does the dopants come from such as group III/group IV/group V elements.
Regarding claim 14 .... "Applicant's amendments and arguments were persuasive. Upon further search and consideration a new rejection using a different interpretation of Hertkorn et al. as modified by Ahn et al in combination with newly cited reference to Drowley et al. has been presented with regard to claim 14."
Conclusion
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/JACOB RAUL MARIN/Examiner, Art Unit 2818
/JEFF W NATALINI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2818
