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 .
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 1-3, 5-7, 11, 13, 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Sugimoto et al., US Pub. No. 2022/0269119A1 (hereinafter Sugimoto).
Regarding claim 1, Sugimoto discloses (Figs. 2, 3, and 5 para. [0059, 0068, 0120]):
An electro-optical device comprising: a pixel electrode (15) ([0059]); a first wiring line (8) ([0068]) including a first layer (titanium), a second layer (titanium nitride), and a third layer (aluminum), ([0120]); a transistor (30) ([0059]) at least partially overlapping the first wiring line in plan view; and a data line (6) [0068] provided at a layer between the first wiring line and the transistor, at least partially overlapping the first wiring line in plan view, and electrically coupled to the pixel electrode via the transistor, wherein the first layer (titanium) has light reflectance and is disposed closer to the transistor than the second layer (titanium nitride) and the third layer (aluminum), the second layer is provided between the first layer and the third layer and has light reflectance lower than the first layer, and the third layer has light reflectance higher than the second layer (aluminum and titanium are known to have more light reflectance than titanium nitride).
Regarding claim 2: Sugimoto further discloses (para. [0118, 0120, 0122, 0170, 0172], Figs. 5, 34, and 35):
a relay layer (9) including a first main body (9a) portion provided at the same layer as the first wiring line, extending along a first direction, and electrically coupled to the transistor via a first contact hole (CNT5 and relay 7), and a first protruding portion (9b) protruding from the first main body portion in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and electrically coupled to the pixel electrode via a second contact hole (CNT6), wherein the relay layer includes the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer.
Regarding claim 3: Sugimoto further discloses (Para. [0119, 0120], Figs. 5 and 35):
Wherein at least the first layer (titanium) and the second layer (titanium nitride) of the relay layer are provided along an inner surface of the first contact hole (CNT5).
Regarding claim 5: Sugimoto further discloses (Para. [0118, 0119] Fig. 34):
a second wiring line (8) adjacent to the first wiring line (8), wherein the relay layer (9) is provided between the first wiring line and the second wiring line (8) when seen in plan view.
Regarding claim 6: Sugimoto further discloses (Para. [0168, 0169], Fig. 34)):
wherein the first wiring line includes a second main body portion (8a) extending along the second direction, and a second protruding portion protruding (8b) from the second main body portion in the first direction and electrically coupled to a capacitance element provided corresponding to the pixel electrode via a third contact hole (CNT4).
Regarding claim 7: Sugimoto further discloses (Para. [0168], Fig. 33):
wherein at least the first layer and the second layer of the first wiring line are provided along an inner surface of the third contact hole (CNT4).
Regarding claim 11: Sugimoto further discloses (Para. [0169], Fig. 34)):
wherein the second layer and the third layer are provided along the first direction and at portions of the second protruding portion (8b) of the first wiring line and the second main body portion (8a) of the first wiring line.
Regarding claim 13, Sugimoto further discloses (Para. [0118])
wherein a constant potential is applied to the first wiring line (8) (As a result, the capacitance line 8 is electrically coupled to the counter electrode 21 and is provided with common potential).
Regarding claim 14, Sugimoto further discloses (claim 7):
An electronic apparatus comprising the electro-optical device according to claim 1.
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.
Claims 4 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sugimoto in view of Terada et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019/0265540A1, hereinafter “Terada”).
Regarding claim 4, Sugimoto discloses all the claim limitations except:
wherein the third layer of the relay layer flattens a recess caused by the second contact hole.
Terada, however, discloses:
wherein the relay layer (7b) flattens a recess caused by the second contact hole (44a), (para. [0065, 0066], Fig. 6).
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 as claimed in Sugimoto such that the stacked layer flattens a recess caused by the second contact hole, as in Terada. One would have been motivated to design the layers and holes as claimed to suppress imperfections at layers surfaces and as a conventional well-known technique for establishing conductance at the contact hole.
Regarding claim 8, Sugimoto discloses all the claim limitations except:
wherein the third layer of the first wiring line flattens a recess caused by the third contact hole.
Terada, however, discloses:
a relay layer (7b) that flattens a recess caused by the contact hole (44a), (para. [0065, 0066], Fig. 6).
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 as claimed in Sugimoto such that the stacked layer flattens a recess caused by the second contact hole, as in Terada. One would have been motivated to design the layers and holes as claimed to suppress imperfections at layers surfaces and as a conventional well-known technique for establishing conductance at the contact hole.
Claims 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sugimoto in view of Kang et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0132365A1, hereinafter “Kang”).
Regarding claim 12, Sugimoto discloses all the limitations except:
wherein the first layer contains aluminum, the second layer contains titanium nitride, and the third layer contains titanium.
Kang, however, discloses (para. [0079]): wherein the first layer contains aluminum, the second layer contains titanium nitride, and the third layer contains titanium. 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 as claimed in Sugimoto such that the first contains aluminum, the second layer contains titanium nitride, and the third layer contains titanium, as in Kang. One would have been motivated to design the layers as claimed as a conventional well-known technique to control light reflectance and improve corrosion resistance at layers surfaces.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9 and 10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim (claim 1), but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Sugimoto fails to disclose or suggest the specific limitations pertaining to the design of the second layer and third layer of the first wiring line in combination with the limitations of claim 1.
Conclusion
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/F.A./Examiner, Art Unit 2871
/MICHAEL H CALEY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2871
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