DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to Amendment filed May 4, 2026.
The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of pre-AIA 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 –
(b) the invention was patented or described in a printed publication in this or a foreign country or in public use or on sale in this country, more than one year prior to the date of application for patent in the United States.
Claim 3 is rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(b) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (“Effect of indium composition ratio on solution-processed nanocrystalline InGaZnO thin film transistors,” APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS 94 (2009) 233501)
Kim et al. disclose a semiconductor device (Title) comprising: a transistor (InGaZnO thin film transistor) comprising an oxide semiconductor layer (InGaZnO) comprising a channel formation region, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer comprises an In-Ga-Zn-O-based oxide semiconductor, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer has a first region (one of two upper regions of InGaZnO illustrated below) in a superficial portion that includes a first crystal that is c-axis-oriented in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the oxide semiconductor layer, because (a) Kim et al. further disclose that “This obstructs c-axis growth of IGZO resulting in a decrease of the grain size” on lines 3-4 of the right column of page 233501-2, which suggests that c-axis growth of the (polycrystalline or nanocrystalline) InGaZnO crystals mentioned on lines 9-18 of the left column of page 233501-2 is obstructed such that the InGaZnO crystals have decreased grain size in the c-axis direction or the direction perpendicular to the surface of the oxide semiconductor layer while the InGaZnO crystals are depositing and growing along the c-axis direction, and (b) in addition, the “(000l) orientation of InGaO3(ZnO)2 by x-ray diffraction pattern” mentioned on lines 17-18 of the left column of page 233501-2 includes the (0001) orientation with l = 1, which is the claimed c-axis orientation, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer includes a second region (one of two lower regions of InGaZnO illustrated below) including a second crystal under the first region, because Applicants do not specifically claim what the first and second region each refers to, how thick each of the first and second region is, wherein the first region overlaps with the second region in plan view, and wherein the second region includes microcrystals (nanocrystals of polycrystalline or nanocrystalline InGaZnO) with a particle size of from 1 nm to 20 nm (~ 14.7 nm or ~ 7.6 nm on lines 21-24 of the left column of page 233501-2).
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Response to Arguments
Applicants’ arguments with respect to claim 3 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Li et al. (US 8,449,983)
Umeda et al. (US 8,343,800)
Applicants' amendment necessitated the new ground of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicants are reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAY C KIM whose telephone number is (571) 270-1620. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Joshua Benitez can be reached on (571) 270-1435. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/JAY C KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2815
/J. K./Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2815 May 29, 2026
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