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 .
Status of Claims
Applicants’ election of the Group III invention, drawn to claims 23 & 26, appended claims 27-37, and amended claims 13-16 & 19-21 is acknowledged. Claims 1-12, 17-18, 22, and 24-25 have been cancelled. Claims 13-16, 19-21, 23, and 26-37 are examined herein.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 08/24/2024 and 06/30/2026 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 33 & 35-37 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 33 recites the limitation "the foreign substrate" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim as no mention of a foreign substrate was made prior. For purposes of furthering prosecution, it is understood that the foreign substrate is analogous to the support as depicted in figures 2-9 and described in paragraph [0035].
Claim 35 recites the limitation "the foreign substrate" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim as no mention of a foreign substrate was made prior. For purposes of furthering prosecution, it is understood that the foreign substrate is analogous to the support as depicted in figures 2-9 and described in paragraph [0035].
Claims 36-37 are similarly rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, based on their dependency to above rejected claim 35.
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.
Claim(s) 23, 15, 19, 26, 27-28, and 30-34 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1).
Regarding claim 23, Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) teaches a method for manufacturing a separated device structure portion (micro LED 11, + LED-side electrodes 12), the method comprises separating a support (source substrate 14, Figure 8) from a bonded wafer in which the device structure portion is bonded to a support via a cured layer of a curable bonding material (release layer 13, Figure 13), wherein the device structure portion and the support are separated by irradiating laser light (laser light 16, Figure 8, paragraph 0072) from the support side of the bonded wafer, as claimed.
Regarding claim 15, Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) teaches the method according to claim 23, as claimed. Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) further teaches wherein the thickness of the cured material layer is 0.1 to 1.0 μm (paragraph 0055).
Regarding claim 19, Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) teaches the method according to claim 23, as claimed. Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) further teaches wherein the support includes at least one selected from a group consisting of a sapphire substrate, a SiC substrate, a synthetic quartz substrate, a quartz substrate, a glass substrate, a LiTaO3 substrate, and a LiNbO3 substrate (paragraph 0054).
Regarding claim 26, Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) teaches a method for manufacturing a separated device structure portion (micro LED 11, + LED-side electrodes 12), the method comprises separating a support (source substrate 14, Figure 8) from a bonded body in which a device structure portion is bonded to the support via a cured material layer of a curable bonding material (release layer 13, Figure 13), wherein the device structure portion and the support are separated by irradiating a laser beam (laser light 16, Figure 8, paragraph 0072) from the support side of the bonded body, as claimed.
Regarding claim 27, Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) teaches the method according to claim 23, as claimed. Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) further teaches the device structure portion having two or more electrodes (LED-side electrodes 12, Figure 8, paragraphs 0044-0048) with different polarities on one side of an epitaxial functional layer.
Regarding claim 28, Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) teaches the method according to claim 27, as claimed. Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) further teaches wherein the epitaxial functional layer has a light emitting device structure (micro LED 11, Figure 8, paragraph 0044).
Regarding claim 30, Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) teaches the method according to claim 27, as claimed. Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) further teaches wherein the curable bonding material has curability properties any one of thermosetting properties, UV curability properties, and room temperature curability properties (paragraph 0058).
Regarding claim 31, Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) teaches the method according to claim 30, as claimed. Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) further teaches wherein the curable bonding material contains any one of benzocyclobutene, polyimide, fluororesin, epoxy resin, and silicone resin (paragraph 0058).
Regarding claim 32, Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) teaches the method according to claim 27, as claimed. [x] further teaches wherein the epitaxial functional layer has a starting substrate (substrate 101, Figure 1, paragraph 0044 + 0052) for epitaxial growth removed from the epitaxial functional layer.
Regarding claim 33, Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) teaches the method according to claim 27, as claimed. Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) further teaches wherein the foreign substrate is made of any one of sapphire, SiC, synthetic quartz, quartz, glass, LiTaO3, and LiNbO3 (paragraph 0054).
Regarding claim 34, Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) teaches the method according to claim 27, as claimed. Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) further teaches wherein the laser beam is an excimer laser (paragraph 0072).
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) 13 & 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1).
Regarding claim 13, Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) teaches the method according to claim 23, as claimed.
Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) is silent to explicitly teach wherein the device structure portion is a red LED chip. However, Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) does state the device structure portion being an LED that emits light of a certain wavelength (paragraph 0044), such that there being a limited number of LED colors to choose from.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for some one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) by substituting the micro LED with a red LED chip as such a substitution of one known element of another would yield the predictable result of the device structure portion being a red LED (MPEP 2143), per design requirements.
Regarding claim 16, Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) teaches the method according to claim 23, as claimed. Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) further teaches wherein the thickness of the cured material layer is 0.4 to 0.6 μm (paragraph 0055).
Claim(s) 14, 20, and 29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) in view of Chan (US Patent Application Publication 2017/0062683A1).
Regarding claim 14, Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) teaches the method according to claim 23, as claimed.
Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) is silent to teach wherein the device structure portion includes an AIGalnP-based material.
In an analogous art, Chan (US Patent Application Publication 2017/0062683A1) teaches wherein the device structure portion (micro-LED 100A, Figure 1B) includes an AIGalnP-based material (p-n diode layer 120a, Figure 1B, paragraph 0071).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for some one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) by substituting the semiconductor layer with the AlGaInP-based material of Chan (US Patent Application Publication 2017/0062683A1) in the device structure portion, per design requirements.
Regarding claim 20, Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) teaches the method according to claim 23, as claimed. Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) further teaches the thickness of the cured material layer is 0.1 to 1.0 μm (paragraph 0055), the device structure portion has an epitaxial functional layer from which a starting substrate (substrate 101, Figure 1, paragraph 0044 + 0052) for epitaxial growth has been removed, the curable bonding material includes at least one selected from the group consisting of benzocyclobutene, polyimide, fluororesin, epoxy resin, and silicone resin (paragraph 0058), and the support has at least one selected from the group consisting of a sapphire substrate, a SiC substrate, a synthetic quartz substrate, a quartz substrate, a glass substrate, a LiTaO3 substrate, and a LiNbO3 substrate (paragraph 0054).
Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) is silent to teach wherein the device structure portion is a red LED chip containing an AlGaInP-based material.
In an analogous art, Chan (US Patent Application Publication 2017/0062683A1) teaches wherein the device structure portion is a red LED chip (micro-LED 100A, Figure 1B) containing an AlGaInP-based material (p-n diode layer 120A, Figure 1B, paragraph 0071). While Chan (US Patent Application Publication 2017/0062683A1) does not explicitly state the color of light produced by the micro-LEDs, it would have been prima facie obvious given that the composition of the semiconductor layer is an AlGaInP-based material which is known to result in an energy bandgap corresponding to a wavelength of roughly 550nm - 690nm which includes red.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for some one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) by substituting the micro LED with the micro-LED of Chan (US Patent Application Publication 2017/0062683A1) thereby having a device structure portion that is an LED containing an AlGaInP-based material which produces red light.
Regarding claim 29, Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) teaches the method according to claim 27, as claimed.
Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) is silent to teach wherein the epitaxial functional layer contains an AIGaInP-based material.
In an analogous art, Chan (US Patent Application Publication 2017/0062683A1) teaches wherein the epitaxial functional layer contains an AIGaInP-based material (p-n diode layer 120, Figure 2B, paragraph 0071).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for some one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) by substituting the semiconductor layer with the p-n diode layer of Chan (US Patent Application Publication 2017/0062683A1) thereby having an epitaxial functional layer containing an AlGaInP-based material.
Claim(s) 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) in view of Chan (US Patent Application Publication 2017/0062683A1) and Hsu (US Patent Application Publication 2013/0221391A1).
Regarding claim 21, Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) teaches the method according to claim 23, as claimed. Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) further teaches the thickness of the cured material layer is 0.4 to 0.6 μm (paragraph 0055).
Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) is silent to teach wherein the device structure portion is a red LED chip containing an AIGalnP-based material, the device structure portion has an epitaxial functional layer from which a starting substrate for epitaxial growth has been removed, the curable bonding material contains benzocyclobutene, and the support has a sapphire substrate.
In an analogous art, Chan (US Patent Application Publication 2017/0062683A1) teaches wherein the device structure portion is a red LED chip containing an AIGalnP-based material (micro-LED 100A, Figure 1B, paragraphs 0069-0071), the device structure portion has an epitaxial functional layer (p-n diode layer 120, Figure 2B, paragraph 0071) from which a starting substrate (growth substrate 110, Figure 2A, paragraph 0070-0072) for epitaxial growth has been removed. While Chan (US Patent Application Publication 2017/0062683A1) does not explicitly state the color of light produced by the micro-LEDs, it would have been prima facie obvious given that the composition of the semiconductor layer is an AlGaInP-based material which is known to result in an energy bandgap corresponding to a wavelength of roughly 550nm - 690nm which includes red.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for some one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) by substituting the micro LED with the micro-LED of Chan (US Patent Application Publication 2017/0062683A1) thereby having a device structure portion that is an LED containing an AlGaInP-based material which produces red light.
In another analogous art, Hsu (US Patent Application Publication 2013/0221391A1) teaches the curable bonding material contains benzocyclobutene (connecting layer 50, Figures 3K-3L, paragraph 0029), and the support has a sapphire substrate (temporary substrate 60, Figures 3K-3L, paragraph 0029).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for some one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified the teachings of Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) by substituting the release layer and source substrate with the connecting member and temporary substrate of Hsu (US Patent Application Publication 2013/0221391A1) thereby having the cured bonding material made of benzocyclobutene and the support made of a sapphire substrate, per design requirements.
Claim(s) 35-37 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) in view of Kubota (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0227263A1).
Regarding claim 35, Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) teaches the method according to claim 27, as claimed.
Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) further teaches wherein a temporary support substrate (driving substrate 20, Figure 8) coated with an adhesive (adhesive layer 32, Figure 8, paragraph 0072 + 0075-0076) is adhered to a surface of the bonded wafer of the epitaxial functional layer (micro LED 11, Figure 8) opposite to the foreign substrate but is silent to teach this process occurring before the laser beam irradiation.
In an analogous art, Kubota (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0227263A1) does suggest using physical, chemical or photochemical means (paragraph 0059) for separating a bonded wafer (thinned device wafer 10a or Si device layer 13a + Box layer 12a, Figure 1F) from a foreign substrate (support substrate 20, Figure 1F) after the bonded wafer was adhered to a temporary support substrate (transfer substrate 40, Figure 1F) via an adhesive (adhesive layer 32, Figure 1F).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for some one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) by adhering the micro LEDs to the driving substrate before irradiating with a laser beam as taught by Kubota (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0227263A1) thereby selectively placing the micro LEDs’ electrodes onto appropriate connection points on the driving substrate.
Regarding claim 36, Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) and Kubota (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0227263A1) teach the method according to claim 35, as claimed. Kubota (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0227263A1) further teaches wherein the adhesive is silicone (paragraph 0046).
Regarding claim 37, Takagi (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0357950A1) and Kubota (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0227263A1) teach the method according to claim 35, as claimed. Kubota (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0227263A1) further teaches wherein the temporary support substrate is made of any one of sapphire, SiC, synthetic quartz, quartz, glass, LiTaO3, and LiNbO3 (paragraph 0045).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KAREEM M MOHAMED-ALY whose telephone number is (571)270-0312. The examiner can normally be reached 8am-5pm.
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, Leonard Chang can be reached at (571) 270-3691. 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.
/KAREEM M MOHAMED-ALY/Examiner, Art Unit 2898
/Leonard Chang/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2898
Prosecution Insights