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 claims 15-20 in the reply filed on 6/4/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claim(s) 15, 17 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by LIU (US 20190355836).
Regarding claim 15, LIU discloses A method of manufacturing a display panel, the method comprising:
forming a first active layer (fig 2, 20, para 47) and a second active layer (fig 2, 30, para 47) on a base substrate (fig 2, 10, para 47);
forming a first active pattern layer (the patterned portion 21 of 20, see fig 4, para 54) and a second active pattern layer (the etched portion OF 30 over 21 in fig 4, see para 54) by a first etching step of etching the first active layer and the second active layer together (the etching process in fig 4, see para 54) by using a first photoresist layer (fig 3-4, the photoresist 90 including 93, para 54);
ashing the first photoresist layer (the ashing process in fig 4-5, see para 55) to form a first photoresist pattern layer (the ashed photoresist 90 including 93 in fig 5, see para 55);
forming a drain and a source (the etched portions 31 of 30, see fig 6, para 56) by a second etching step of etching the second active pattern layer exposed from the first photoresist pattern layer (the etching process in fig 5-6, see para 56);
forming a gate insulating layer (fig 10, 60, para 59) on the drain, the source, and the first active pattern layer; and
forming a gate electrode (fig 12, 81, para 66) and a connection electrode (fig 12, 71, para 66) on the gate insulating layer,
wherein a portion of the first active pattern layer exposed from the drain and the source is defined as a channel region (the portion of 21 between and exposed from the two parts 31 will form the channel, see fig 12, para66).
Regarding claim 17, LIU discloses the method of claim 15, wherein the gate insulating layer covers a portion of each of the drain and the source, which does not overlap the gate electrode (60 covers parts of 30 which do not overlap vertically with 81, see fig 12).
Regarding claim 20, LIU discloses the method of claim 15, wherein
the first photoresist layer comprises a first portion (the thicker portion 93, see fig 3, para 51) and a second portion (the thin portion 91, see fig 3, para 51) forming a single body with the first portion (91 and 93 form a single piece, see fig 3),
the second portion having a thickness smaller than that of the first portion (91 is thinner than 93, see fig 3), and
in the ashing of the first photoresist layer, the second portion is removed to expose a portion of the second active pattern layer corresponding to the channel region (91 is removed, see fig 5).
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.
Claim(s) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LIU (US 20190355836) in view of PARK (US 20210327910).
Regarding claim 16, LIU discloses the method of claim 15.
LIU fails to explicitly disclose a method, wherein the gate electrode overlaps an end portion of the drain and an end portion of the source defining the channel region.
PARK teaches a method, wherein the gate electrode overlaps an end portion of the drain and an end portion of the source defining the channel region (the gate electrode 11 overlaps along a vertical axis with 142 and 141, see fig 3, para 66).
LIU and PARK are analogous art because they both are directed towards methods of making TFT semiconductor devices and one of ordinary skill in the art would have had a reasonable expectation of success to modify the method of LIU with the gate overlap of PARK because they are from the same field of endeavor.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the method of LIU with the gate overlap of PARK in order to improve the electrical characteristics (see PARK para 74).
Claim(s) 18-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LIU (US 20190355836) in view of KIM (US 20100308324).
Regarding claim 18, LIU discloses the method of claim 15.
LIU fails to explicitly disclose a method, wherein the first etching step is a wet etching process.
KIM teaches a method, wherein the first etching step is a wet etching process (the etching of 119, 123 and 129 in fig 3E can be a wet etch, see fig 3E, para 32).
LIU and KIM are analogous art because they both are directed towards methods of making TFT devices and one of ordinary skill in the art would have had a reasonable expectation of success to modify the device of LIU with the specifically wet etching process of KIM because they are from the same field of endeavor.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the device of LIU with the specifically wet etching process of KIM in order to improve the characteristics of the TFT (see KIM para 40).
Regarding claim 19, LIU discloses the method of claim 15.
LIU fails to explicitly disclose a method, wherein the second etching step is a wet etching process.
KIM teaches a method, wherein the second etching step is a wet etching process (the etching of 119, 123 and 129 in fig 3G can be a wet etch, see fig 3G, para 34-35).
LIU and KIM are analogous art because they both are directed towards methods of making TFT devices and one of ordinary skill in the art would have had a reasonable expectation of success to modify the device of LIU with the specifically wet etching process of KIM because they are from the same field of endeavor.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the device of LIU with the specifically wet etching process of KIM in order to improve the characteristics of the TFT (see KIM para 40).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JONAS TYLER BEARDSLEY whose telephone number is (571)272-3227. The examiner can normally be reached 930-600 M-F.
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/JONAS T BEARDSLEY/Examiner, Art Unit 2811
/LYNNE A GURLEY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2811
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