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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 3/18/2025 was filed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The abstract and title are consistent with the requirements set forth in the MPEP 608.01(b) and 606, respectively.
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.
(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.
Claims 1-2, 4-5, 8 and 13-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Noda et al. US PGPub. 2024/0162405. Regarding claim 1, Noda teaches a laser transfer method (fig. 5-10), comprising steps of: transferring (fig. 8) a pad (61, 62, fig. 8) [0078] of conductive paste from a conductive-paste layer (curable resin/anisotropic conductive film with conductive particles, 60, fig. 5-8) [0069]-[0070] on a first donor substrate (50, fig. 8) [0060] to a receiver substrate (30, fig. 9) [0089] by laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT, [0078]); and transferring (fig. 9-10) a microelectronic device (20, fig. 9) [0093] from a second donor substrate (70, fig. 9) [0096] to the pad of conductive paste (62) on the receiver substrate (30) by laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT, fig. 10, [0098) (Noda et al., fig. 8-10). Regarding claim 2, Noda teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the step of transferring the microelectronic device (20) includes: arranging the second donor substrate (70) such that (a) the microelectronic device (20) faces the pad of conductive paste (62) on the receiver substrate (30) and (b) a first gap (D, fig. 9) [0097] exists between the microelectronic device (20) and the pad of conductive paste (62) prior to the laser-induced forward transfer (fig. 10); and directing a first laser beam (80, fig. 9) [0098] through the second donor substrate (70) onto the microelectronic device (20), to release the microelectronic device (20) from the second donor substrate (70) and propel (lift, [0098]) the microelectronic device (20) across the gap (D) onto the pad of conductive paste (62) on the receiver substrate (30), thereby effecting the laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT, [0098]) (Noda et al., fig. 9-10).
Regarding claim 4, Noda teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the microelectronic device (20) is a micro-light-emitting-diode [0002], [0034] (Noda et al., [0002], [0034]). Regarding claim 5, Noda teaches the method of claim 4, wherein the receiver substrate (30) is a display backplane (base substrate of display device 10, fig. 1) [0032] (Noda et al., fig. 1, [0032]).
Regarding claim 8, Noda teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the pad of conductive paste (61, 62) is not subjected to reflow between the steps of transferring (fig. 8) the pad (61, 62) and transferring (fig. 9-10) the microelectronic device (20) (Noda et al., [0063], [0069], [0099]). Since solder bump is not provided [0069], then reflow is not needed [0099]. No curing occurs during laser application and only occurs during thermocompression [0063].
Regarding claim 13, Noda teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the same laser source [0107] is used to perform the laser-induced forward transfers of both transferring steps [0078], [0098] (Noda et al., [0107]).
Regarding claim 14, Noda teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising a step of heating (thermocompression at 150-260˚C, [0099]) the pad of conductive paste (62), after the step of transferring the microelectronic device (20), so as to cure the pad of conductive paste (62) (Noda et al., fig. 10, [0099]).
Regarding claim 15, Noda teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the receiver substrate (30) includes an electrical contact (32, fig. 10) [0104], and the step of transferring the pad (62) deposits the pad of conductive paste (62) in physical contact with the electrical contact (32) (Noda et al., fig. 10). Regarding claim 16, Noda teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the microelectronic device (20) has a smaller footprint [0076] than the pad of conductive paste (62) on the receiver substrate (30) and is located entirely inside a perimeter of the pad of conductive paste (62) (Noda et al., fig. 9 [0076]). Noda teaches that the ratio of the surface area of the pad of conductive paste (62) to the surface area of the light emitting element (20) is 0.5 to 2.0 [0076]. Therefore, a ratio of 2.0 or 2.0:0 of area of 62: area of 20 means that the surface area of the pad of conductive paste (62) is larger than the surface area of the light emitting element (20) i.e., the microelectronic device (20) have a smaller footprint than the pad if the conductive paste (62) when the ratio is 2.0 or any ratio above 1.
Regarding claim 17, Noda teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the pad of conductive paste (62), after the laser-induced forward transfer (fig. 8) to the receiver substrate (30), has a thickness (fig. 9, T62 is 2-10µm, [0097]) in the range between 2 and 20 micrometers (Noda et al., [0097]).
Regarding claim 18, Noda teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the conductive-paste layer (62) on the first donor substrate (50) has a thickness (2-10µm, [0076]) in the range between 5 and 25 micrometers (Noda et al., [0076]).
Regarding claim 19, Noda teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the laser-induced forward transfer (fig. 9-10) in the step of transferring the microelectronic device (20) propels the microelectronic device (20) across a gap (D, fig. 9) of at least 50 micrometers (D is 10-100µm, [0097) (Noda et al, fig. 9, [0097]).
Regarding claim 20, Noda teaches a mass transfer method, comprising: (fig. 8) [0090] repeatedly performing the step of transferring a pad (61, 62, fig. 8), of claim 1, to transfer a plurality of pads of conductive paste (61, 62) from the conductive-paste layer (60) on the first donor substrate (50) to an array of respective locations on the receiver substrate (20); and (fig. 9-10) [0094] repeatedly performing the step of transferring a microelectronic device (20, fig. 9) [0093], of claim 1, to transfer each of a plurality of microelectronic devices (20) from the second donor substrate (70) to a respective one of the pads of conductive paste (62) on the receiver substrate (30) (Noda et al., fig. 8-10).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 3 and 9-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Noda et al. US PGPub. 2024/0162405. Regarding claim 3, Noda teaches the method of claim 2, wherein the step (fig. 8) of transferring the pad (62) includes: arranging (aligning, [0090]) the first donor substrate such that (a) the conductive-paste layer (60) faces a receiving (top) surface of the receiver substrate (30) and using LIFT process [0078] to transfer a portion of the conductive-paste layer (60) from the first donor substrate (50) to the receiving surface (30) (Noda et al., fig. 8). But Noda fails to explicitly disclose wherein (b) a second gap exists between the conductive-paste layer (60) and the receiving surface (30); and directing a second laser beam through the first donor substrate (50) onto the conductive-paste layer (60), to release a portion of the conductive-paste layer (60) from the first donor substrate (50) and force the portion of the conductive-paste layer (60) across the gap onto the receiving surface to form the pad of conductive paste (61, 62, fig. 8-9) thereon. However, since Noda discloses that the same [0107] LIFT process [0078] is used for transferring the conductive-paste layer (60) to the receiver substrate (30) as the LIFT process [0098] used for transferring the microelectronic device (20) to the receiver substrate (30), then at the time before the effective filing of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use the same LIFT process because using the same LIFT process is well known in the art and such process/material/structure is/are art recognized and suitable for the intended purpose of shortening the tact time in the manufacturing process (Noda et al., [0107]) (see MPEP 2144.07). Therefore it would be obvious that (b) a second gap (similar to D in fig. 9) exists between the conductive-paste layer (60) and the receiving surface (30); and directing a second laser beam (similar to 80, fig. 9) through the first donor substrate (50) onto the conductive-paste layer (60), to release a portion of the conductive-paste layer (60) from the first donor substrate (50) and force the portion of the conductive-paste layer (60) across the gap onto the receiving surface to form the pad of conductive paste (61, 62, fig. 8-9) thereon.
Regarding claim 9, Noda does not explicitly teach the method of claim 1, further comprising keeping a temperature of the pad of conductive paste (62) below a reflow temperature thereof between the transferring steps (fig. 8-9). However, since Noda discloses that no curing [0063] occurs during laser application and only occurs during thermocompression [0099], then at the time before the effective filing of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that the temperature of the pad of conductive paste is kept below a reflow temperature between transferring steps because such process is well known in the art and such process is art recognized and suitable for the intended purpose of preventing the occurrence of defects, suppress detachment of the light emitting elements and provide transfer with high precision and shortened tact time (shortening the tact time in the manufacturing process (Noda et al., [0098]) (see MPEP 2144.07). Regarding claim 10, Noda teaches the method of claim 9, wherein the same laser apparatus [0107] is used to perform the laser-induced forward transfers of both transferring steps [0078], [0098] (Noda et al., [0107]). Regarding claim 11, Noda teaches the method of claim 10, the laser-induced forward transfers [0078], [0098] of each transferring step (fig. 8-9) being performed in a chamber (same apparatus, hence same chamber to reduce tact time) of the laser apparatus [0107], the method further comprising keeping the receiver substrate (30) in the chamber between the two transferring steps (fig. 8-10) (Noda et al., [0107]).
Regarding claim 12, Noda does not explicitly teach the method of claim 1, further comprising keeping the pad of conductive paste (62) at a temperature below 100 degrees Celsius between the transferring steps (fig. 8-9). However, since Noda discloses that no curing [0063] occurs during laser application and only occurs during thermocompression [0099] which occurs at 150˚-260˚C [0099], then at the time before the effective filing of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that the temperature of the pad of conductive paste is kept below 100˚C between transferring steps because such process is well known in the art and such process is art recognized and suitable for the intended purpose of preventing the occurrence of defects, suppress detachment of the light emitting elements and provide transfer with high precision and shortened tact time (shortening the tact time in the manufacturing process (Noda et al., [0098]) (see MPEP 2144.07). Claims 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Noda et al. US PGPub. 2024/0162405 as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Komatsu et al. US PGPub. 2020/0187803. Regarding claim 6, Noda teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the conductive paste (curable resin film, anisotropic conductive film, 62) [0069] includes metal particles [0069] but fails to teach that the conductive paste (62) includes metal particles [0069] and a solvent. However, Komatsu teaches a methods wherein the conductive paste [0140] includes metal particles [0140] and a solvent [0140] (Komatsu et al., [0140]). At the time before the effective filing of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to make a simple substitution of the conductive paste of Noida for the conductive paste of Komatsu because conductive pastes with metal particles and a solvent are well known in the art and such material/structure is art recognized and suitable for the intended purpose of providing a stretchable conductor paste with excellent electrical conductivity (Komatsu et al., [0147]) (see MPEP 2144.07). Regarding claim 7, Noda in view of Komatsu teaches the method of claim 6, wherein the metal particles include silver [0141] (Komatsu et al., [0141]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Mizuno et al. US PGPub. 2010/0258543 and Sterken et al. US PGPub. 2023/0290664 both teach a laser-induced forward transfer process with a gap between the LED and the receiving substate.
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/NDUKA E OJEH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2892