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 Group I (claims 1-13) in the reply filed on 05/27/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 14-18 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 05/27/2026.
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) 1-3, and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hsueh (US 2005/0189535) in view of Lee (US 2023/0074967).
Regarding claim 1, Hsueh discloses a semiconductor device with a light-shielding layer, comprising: a dielectric layer (Fig.3C, numerals, 206; (208); a conductive plug (221) penetrating the dielectric layer (206); a first anode (212) disposed on a top surface of the dielectric layer (206); and the first anode (212) contacting an end of the conductive plug (221); a light-shielding layer (207) embedded in the dielectric layer (206);(208), wherein the light-shielding layer (207) is disposed at one side of the conductive plug (221), a top surface of the light-shielding layer (207)is aligned with the end of the conductive plug ( (221), and a switching element (256), (255); (250) electrically connected to the conductive plug (221).
Hsueh does not disclose the light-shielding layer comprises titanium nitride, silver, aluminum, silicon nitride, silicon carbon nitride or silicon oxynitride.
Hsueh however discloses that the light-shielding layer comprises a metal ([0025]). And Lee discloses the light-shielding layer comprises aluminum ([0157]).
It would have been therefore obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify Hsueh with Lee to have the light-shielding layer comprises aluminum because this is one of the typical materials for forming light shielding layers (Lee, [0157]).
Regarding claim 2, Hsueh discloses wherein an entirety of the light-shielding layer (207) is disposed under the first anode (212) (Fig.3C).
Regarding claim 3, Hsueh discloses an emitting layer (217) covering the first anode (212); a cathode (240) disposed on the emitting layer (217), wherein the first anode (212), the emitting layer and the cathode form an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) ([0038]).
Regarding claim 11, Lee discloses wherein the light-shielding layer is floating ([0157]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-7, 8-10, 12, and 13 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 search of the prior art does not disclose or reasonably suggest wherein the light-shielding layer does not contact the first anode and does not overlap the first anode as required by claim 4.
The search of the prior art does not disclose or reasonably suggest the light-shielding layer contacts and overlaps the first anode as required by claim 5.
The search of the prior art does not disclose or reasonably suggest wherein the light-shielding layer comprises: a trench; a titanium nitride layer contacting a bottom of the trench and a sidewall of the trench; and a tungsten layer filling in the trench as required by claim 6.
The search of the prior art does not disclose or reasonably suggest a conductive pad contacting another end of the conductive plug, wherein the conductive pad is electrically connected connecting to a source/drain of the switching element as required by claim 8.
The search of the prior art does not disclose or reasonably suggest wherein the light-shielding layer comprises: a trench; a silicon nitride layer contacting a bottom of the trench and a sidewall of the trench; a tungsten layer filling in the trench; and a titanium nitride layer disposed between the silicon nitride layer and the tungsten layer as required by claim 9.
The search of the prior art does not disclose or reasonably suggest second anode disposed on the top surface of the dielectric layer, wherein the second anode is adjacent to the first anode, and the light-shielding layer contacts the first anode and the second anode as required by claim 12.
The search of the prior art does not disclose or reasonably suggest a second anode disposed on the top surface of the dielectric layer, wherein the second anode is adjacent to the first anode, and the light-shielding layer only contacts the first anode and does not contact the second anode as required by claim 13.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JULIA SLUTSKER whose telephone number is (571)270-3849. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9 am-6 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew Landau can be reached at 571-272-1731. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JULIA SLUTSKER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2891
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