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 .
This office action is in response to the application filed on 6/28/24. Claims 1-20 are pending.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) were submitted on 6/28/24, 4/25/25, 7/28/25, 10/01/25, and 4/02/26. 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 specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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.
Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kam et al. (US PGPub 2016/0149151, hereinafter referred to as “Kam”).
Kam discloses the semiconductor device and method as claimed. See figures 1-27 and corresponding text, where Isomura teaches, in claim 1, a display panel, comprising: (figure 7; [0113-0129])
an array base plate (10);
an isolation structure (50) disposed on the array base plate (10),
a plurality of isolation openings (portions on opposite sides of banks) surrounded by the isolation structure (114);
a plurality of light-emitting devices (100, 1, 700) disposed on the array base plate (10) and within the isolation openings;
a functional layer (1) disposed on a side of the light-emitting devices (100, 1, 700) away from the array base plate (10); and
an encapsulation layer (60) covering at least the functional layer (1), wherein the light-emitting devices are configured to form microcavities, the functional layer and the encapsulation layer, and the microcavities corresponding to the respective light-emitting devices of different colors have different lengths (figure 7; [0099-0101]).
Kam teaches, in claim 2, wherein each of the microcavities corresponding to the respective light-emitting devices has a length which is positively correlated with a wavelength of light produced by a corresponding one of the light-emitting devices.
Kam teaches, in claim 3, wherein the length of each of the microcavities corresponding to the respective light-emitting devices is equal to the wavelength of light produced by the corresponding one of the light-emitting devices.
Kam teaches, in claim 4, wherein each of the light-emitting devices comprises a first electrode, a light-emitting device layer and a second electrode that are stacked in the order in a direction away from the array base plate;
the light-emitting devices comprises a first light-emitting device, a second light-emitting device and a third light-emitting device;
in a direction perpendicular to the array base plate, a thickness of the second electrode of the third light-emitting device, a thickness of the second electrode of the first light-emitting device and a thickness of the second electrode of the second light-emitting device are decreased in order (figure 7; [0113-0129]).
Kam teaches, in claim 5, wherein the first light-emitting device is a red light-emitting device, the second light-emitting device is a green light-emitting device and the third light-emitting device is a blue light-emitting device, and in the direction perpendicular to the array base plate, a thickness of the second electrode of the blue light-emitting device, a thickness of the second electrode of the red light-emitting device and a thickness of the second electrode of the green light-emitting device are decreased in order (figure 7; [0113-0129]).
Kam teaches, in claim 6, wherein in the direction perpendicular to the array base plate, the functional layer has different thicknesses at different parts corresponding to the respective light-emitting devices of different colors; and
in the direction perpendicular to the array base plate, a thickness of the part of the functional layer on the third light-emitting device, a thickness of the part of the functional layer on the second light-emitting device, and a thickness of the part of the functional layer on the first light-emitting device are increased in order (figure 7; [0113-0129]).
Kam teaches, in claim 7, wherein in the direction perpendicular to the array base plate, a thickness of part of the functional layer on the blue light-emitting device, a thickness of the part of the functional layer on the green light-emitting device and a thickness of the part of the functional layer on the red light emitting-device are increased in the order (figure 7; [0113-0129]).
Kam teaches, in claim 8, wherein each of the light-emitting devices comprises at least two light-emitting layers that are stacked along the direction perpendicular to the array base plate;
in the direction away from the array base plate, the light-emitting device layer comprises a hole injection layer, a first hole transport layer, a first electron blocking layer, a first light-emitting layer, a first hole blocking layer, a first electron transport layer, an N-type charge generation layer, a P-type charge generation layer, a second hole transport layer, a second electron blocking layer, a second light-emitting layer, a second hole blocking layer, a second electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer that are stacked in the order; (figures 5-7; [0073-0105])
in the direction perpendicular to the array base plate, a sum of thicknesses of the first electron blocking layer and the second electron blocking layer in the first light-emitting device is a first thickness, a sum of thicknesses of the first electron blocking layer and the second electron blocking layer in the second light-emitting device is a second thickness, and a sum of thicknesses of the first electron blocking layer and the second electron blocking layer in the third light-emitting device is a third thickness, wherein the first thickness, the second thickness and the third thickness are not equal to each other (figures 5-7; [0073-0105]).
Kam teaches, in claim 9, wherein the first thickness, the second thickness and the third thickness are decreased in order (figures 5-7; [0073-0105]).
Kam teaches, in claim 10, wherein in the direction perpendicular to the array base plate, a thickness of the second electron blocking layer in the red light-emitting device, a thickness of the second electron blocking layer in the green light-emitting device, and a thickness of the second electron blocking layer in the blue light-emitting device are decreased in the order (figures 5-7; [0073-0105]).
Kam teaches, in claim 11, wherein in the direction away from the array base plate, each of the light-emitting devices comprises a first electrode, a light-emitting device layer, and a second electrode that are stacked in the order; and in the direction perpendicular to the array base plate, a distance between the first light-emitting layer and the first electrode within the light-emitting device is not less than a distance D, which is calculated as the following formula: D=0.33*(λ/n)-54 wherein λ is a resonant wavelength of a microcavity corresponding to the light-emitting device, and n is a refractive index of a medium between the first light-emitting layer and the first electrode (figures 5-7; [0073-0105]).
Kam teaches, in claim 12, wherein the display panel further comprises a pixel definition layer disposed on a side of the array base plate, and the isolation structure is disposed on a side of the pixel definition layer away from the array base plate;
the pixel definition layer comprises a plurality of pixel openings, wherein an orthographic projection of the pixel opening on the array base plate covers an orthographic projection of the light-emitting device on the array base plate, and an orthographic projection of the isolation opening on the array base plate covers the orthographic projection of the pixel opening on the array base plate; and the second electrode extends from the pixel opening to an edge of the isolation opening and is electrically connected with the isolation structure (figures 5-7; [0073-0105], [0113-0119]).
Kam teaches, in claim 13, wherein the isolation structure comprises an isolation part and a barrier part that are stacked, the barrier part is disposed on a side of the isolation part away from the array base plate, and an orthographic projection of the isolation part on the array base plate is located within an orthographic projection of the barrier part on the array base plate; and
the second electrode extends from the pixel opening to the edge of the isolation opening and overlaps with the isolation part (figures 5-7; [0073-0105], [0113-0119]).
Kam teaches, in claim 14, wherein the isolation structure further comprises an isolation base, the isolation part is disposed on a side of the isolation base away from the array base plate, and an orthographic projection of the isolation part on the array base plate is located within an orthographic projection of the isolation base on the array base plate; and
the second electrode extends from the pixel opening to the edge of the isolation opening and overlaps with the isolation base (figures 5-7; [0073-0105], [0113-0119]).
Kam teaches, in claim 15, wherein the encapsulation layer comprises a first encapsulation layer; and
the first encapsulation layer comprises a plurality of encapsulation units, and each of the encapsulation units is configured to encapsulate one of the light-emitting devices in a corresponding one of the isolation openings, and every two adjacent ones of the encapsulation units are separated by the isolation structure (figures 5-7; [0073-0105], [0113-0119]).
Kam teaches, in claim 16, a display panel, comprising:
an array base plate (10);
a plurality of light-emitting devices disposed on a side of the array base plate (10), and the light-emitting device comprises at least two light-emitting layers that are stacked along a direction perpendicular to the array base plate;
a functional layer disposed on a side of the light-emitting devices away from the array base plate; and
an encapsulation layer (600) covering at least the functional layer, wherein the light-emitting devices are configured to form microcavities, the functional layer and the encapsulation layer, and the microcavities corresponding to the respective light-emitting devices of different colors have different lengths (figures 5-7; [0073-0105], [0113-0119]).
Kam teaches, in claim 17, wherein each of the microcavities corresponding to the respective light-emitting devices has a length positively correlated with a wavelength of light produced by a corresponding one of the light-emitting devices;
the length of each of the microcavities corresponding to the respective light-emitting devices is equal to the wavelength of light produced by the corresponding one of the light-emitting devices;
each of the light-emitting devices comprises a first electrode, a light-emitting device layer, and a second electrode that are stacked in the order in a direction away from the array base plate; and
the light-emitting devices comprises a first light-emitting device, a second light-emitting device and a third light-emitting device (figures 5-7; [0073-0105], [0113-0119]).
Kam teaches, in claim 18, wherein in the direction away from the array base plate, the light-emitting device layer comprises a hole injection layer, a first hole transport layer, a first electron blocking layer, a first light-emitting layer, a first hole blocking layer, a first electron transport layer, an N-type charge generation layer, a P-type charge generation layer, a second hole transport layer, a second electron blocking layer, a second light-emitting layer, a second hole blocking layer, a second electron transport layer and an electron injection layer that are stacked in the order;
in the direction perpendicular to the array base plate, a sum of thicknesses of the first electron blocking layer and the second electron blocking layer in the first light-emitting device is a first thickness, a sum of thicknesses of the first electron blocking layer and the second electron blocking layer in the second light-emitting device is a second thickness, and a sum of thicknesses of the first electron blocking layer and the second electron blocking layer in the third light-emitting device is a third thickness, wherein the first thickness, the second thickness and the third thickness are not equal to each other; and
the first thickness, the second thickness and the third thickness are decreased in the order;
in the direction perpendicular to the array base plate, a thickness of the second electrode of the third light-emitting device, a thickness of the second electrode of the first light-emitting device and a thickness of the second electrode of the second light-emitting device are decreased in the order; and
in the direction perpendicular to the array base plate, a thickness of the part of the functional layer on the third light-emitting device, a thickness of the part of the functional layer on the second light-emitting device and a thickness of the part of the functional layer on the first light-emitting device are increased in order (figures 5-7; [0073-0105], [0113-0119]).
Kam teaches, in claim 19, wherein in the direction perpendicular to the array base plate, a distance between the first light-emitting layer and the first electrode within the light-emitting device is not less than a distance D, which is calculated as the following formula: D=0.33*(λ/n)-54 wherein λ is a resonant wavelength of a microcavity corresponding to the light-emitting device, and n is a refractive index of a medium between the first light-emitting layer and the first electrode (figures 5-7; [0073-0105], [0113-0119]).
Kam teaches, in claim 20, a display device, comprising the display panel (figures 5-7; [0073-0105], [0113-0119]).
Conclusion
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/STANETTA D ISAAC/Examiner, Art Unit 2898 August 22, 2026
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