Invalidity dossier
US 4148045
Added 9/23/2026, 4:07:12 PM
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Patent summary
Title, assignee, inventors, filing/issue dates, abstract, and a plain-language overview of the claims.
Patent Overview: US 4,148,045 — "Multicolor Light Emitting Diode Array"
Bibliographic data (from supplied text): Inventors Frank F. Fang and Kwang K. Shih; original assignee and current assignee listed as International Business Machines Corp. Priority/filing date 1977-09-21; publication (grant) date 1979-04-03; application number US05/835,097. Status listed as "Expired - Lifetime" with anticipated expiration 1997-09-21. Foreign counterparts noted: GB18814/78, CA305,582, JP9673878, FR7824961, DE2838818, plus a related later US application US05/957,966 (US4211586A).
Purpose and plain-language scope: The invention permits a multicolored diode array to be formed by providing a semiconductor substrate containing a region of AB(1-x)C(x) semiconductor material having a concentration variation in B(1-x)C(x), where 0 < x < 1. The value of x is graded so diodes can be made at particular concentration points where light is emitted. A body (1) comprises a substrate (2) with a contiguous graded epitaxial region (3), epitaxially joined at a line of demarcation (4). The substrate supports crystal growth and serves as a common ohmic contact.
Per the description, portions of the graded region are selectively removed (e.g., by subtractive etching) to form plateaus (5–8) at selected concentration depths; individual diodes (9–12) are formed by diffusing a p-type dopant (e.g., zinc) through a mask (e.g., Si3N4), by alloying, or by ion implantation. In one example the substrate is GaAs and the grown region is GaAs(1-x)P(x), with the red end of the spectrum proximate to the demarcation line and green at the highest x. FIGS. 3 and 4 graph x versus thickness for GaAs and GaP substrates respectively. A slot-based alternative (FIG. 5) grows graded material in slots (14) to produce light stripes; FIGS. 6 and 7 show striped and grouped color arrangements.
What the excerpt does not establish: The text is an excerpt ("Polycrystalline materia..." is truncated). It does not supply the full claims, complete description, drawing details, examiner citations, or prior art discussed. No litigation, ownership-transfer, or validity information is provided.
Generated 10/1/2026, 9:51:07 PM
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Litigation summary
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PTAB challenges
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Assignment history
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Prior art
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Obviousness
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Extensions
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Derivative works
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