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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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)(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(s) 1-6 and 19-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Lee et al (US 2023/0146562 A1).
The applied reference has a common assignee with the instant application. Based upon the earlier effectively filed date of the reference, it constitutes prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2). This rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) might be overcome by: (1) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(a) that the subject matter disclosed in the reference was obtained directly or indirectly from the inventor or a joint inventor of this application and is thus not prior art in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(A); (2) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(b) of a prior public disclosure under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(B) if the same invention is not being claimed; or (3) a statement pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) establishing that, not later than the effective filing date of the claimed invention, the subject matter disclosed in the reference and the claimed invention were either owned by the same person or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person or subject to a joint research agreement.
Regarding claim 1, Lee et al discloses a thin film transistor (Figures 1A-1C)comprising: an active layer (Figure 1B, reference 130); and a gate electrode (Figure 1B, reference 151) at least partially overlapped with the active layer (Figure 1B, reference 130), wherein the active layer (Figure 1B, reference 130) includes: a first active layer (Figure 1B, reference 131) and a second active layer (Figure 1B, reference 132) on the first active layer (Figure 1B, reference 131); a channel (Figure 1B, reference 130n); a first connection portion (Figure 1B, reference 130a) contacting a first side of the channel (Figure 1B, reference 130n); and a second connection portion (Figure 1B, reference 130b) contacting a second side of the channel (Figure 1B, reference 130n), wherein the channel (Figure 1C, reference 130n) includes: a first overlap area (Figure 1C, reference 130n1) in which the first active layer (Figure 1C, reference 131) and the second active layer (Figure 1B, reference 132) overlap each other based on a plan view (Figure 1A); and a first non-overlap area (Figure 1C, reference 130n2) in which the first active layer (Figure 1C, reference 131) and the second active layer (Figure 1C, reference 132) do not overlap each other based on the plan view (Figure 1A), wherein in the channel (Figure 1B, reference 130n) of the active layer (Figure 1B, reference 130), each of the first active layer (Figure 1B, reference 131) and the second active layer (Figure 1B, reference 132) extends from the first connection portion (Figure 1B, reference 130a) to the second connection portion (Figure 1B, reference 130b), and wherein the second active layer has a mobility greater than a mobility of the first active layer (paragraphs 0014 and 0072).
Regarding claim 2, Lee et al discloses wherein the first overlap area (Figure 1C, reference 130n1) of the channel (Figure 1B, reference 130) extends from the first connection portion (Figure 1B, reference 130a) to the second connection portion (Figure 1B, reference 130b).
Regarding claim 3, Lee et al discloses wherein the first non-overlap area (Figure 1C, reference 130n2) of the channel (Figure 1B, reference 130) extends from the first connection portion (Figure 1B, reference 130a) to the second connection portion (Figure 1B, reference 130b.
Regarding claim 4, Lee et al discloses wherein the second active layer (Figure 1B, reference 132) covers an upper surface of the first active layer (Figure 1B, reference 131) in the channel (Figure 1B, reference 130n).
Regarding claim 5, Lee et al discloses wherein the second active layer (Figure 1A, reference 132) is disposed in an area of the channel (Figure 1A, reference 130n) based on the plan view (Figure 1A).
Regarding claim 6, Lee et al discloses wherein the first active layer (Figure 1C, reference 131) is not disposed in the first non-overlap area of the channel (Figure 1C, reference 130n2).
Regarding claim 19, Lee et al discloses wherein the first active layer includes at least one of an IGZO (InGaZnO)-based oxide semiconductor material, a GZO (GaZnO)-based oxide semiconductor material, an IGO (InGaO)-based oxide semiconductor material, or a GZTO(GaZnSnO)-based oxide semiconductor material, and when the oxide semiconductor material of the first active layer includes gallium (Ga) and indium (In), a concentration of gallium (Ga) is higher than a concentration of indium (In) based on the number of moles [Ga concentration > In concentration] (Figure 1B, reference 131; paragraph 0075)
Regarding claim 20, Lee et al discloses wherein the second active layer includes at least one of an IGZO (InGaZnO)-based oxide semiconductor material, an IZO(InZnO)-based oxide semiconductor material, an ITZO (InSnZnO)-based oxide semiconductor material, an IGZTO (InGaZnSnO)-based oxide semiconductor material, a FIZO (FeInZnO)-based semiconductor material, a ZnO-based oxide semiconductor material, a SIZO (SiInZnO)-based oxide semiconductor material, or a ZnON (Zn-Oxynitride)-based oxide semiconductor material, and when the oxide semiconductor material of the second active layer includes gallium (Ga) and indium (In), a concentration of indium (In) is higher than a concentration of gallium (Ga) based on the number of moles [Ga concentration < In concentration] (Figure 1B, reference 132; paragraph 0078).
Regarding claim 21, Lee et al discloses a display apparatus comprising the thin film transistor of claim 1 (paragraphs 0129-0131).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-18 are 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art does not disclose nor fairly suggest a thin film transistor comprising: wherein the active layer further includes a third active layer on the second active layer, wherein the third active layer extends from the first connection portion to the second connection portion in the channel, and wherein the third active layer has a mobility smaller than a mobility of the second active layer (claim 7), wherein the channel further includes a second non- overlap area in which the first active layer and the second active layer do not overlap each other based on the plan view, and wherein the second non-overlap area is spaced apart from the first non-overlap area and extends from the first connection portion to the second connection portion (claim 10) and wherein the channel further includes a second overlap area in which the first active layer and the second active layer overlap each other based on the plan view, and wherein the second overlap area is spaced apart from the first overlap area, and extends from the first connection portion to the second connection portion (claim 15) incorporated into the independent claim and in the context of its recited apparatus, along with its depending claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MONICA D HARRISON whose telephone number is (571)272-1959. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7-4:30pm.
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/MONICA D HARRISON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2815
mdh
March 27, 2026
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