Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co. v. Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp.

MEMORANDUM & ORDER

Plaintiff Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Company Ltd. (“SEL”) brought this patent infringement action against defendant Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp. (“CMO”) et al., alleging infringement of four United States patents related to in situ DNA hybridization. Three patents in suit currently remain. Now before the court are CMO’s motions for summary judgment of noninfringement and invalidity as to the asserted claims of all three patents. Having considered the parties’ arguments and submissions, and for the reasons set forth below, the court enters the following memorandum and order.

BACKGROUND

An overview of LCD technology and summaries of the asserted patents are provided in this court’s Claim Construction Order. Docket Entry 111 at 1-6 (hereinafter “Claim Construction Order”). The claims at issue in these motions are summarized below.

I. U.S. Patent No. 6,756,258

SEL alleges that CMO’s method of manufacturing thin film transistors (“TFTs”) for inclusion in certain LCD products infringes claims 3-6, 10-13 and 18-21 of the U.S. Patent No. 6,657,258 (“the '258 Patent”). Claim 3 of the patent claims:

Claims 4-6 recite the same steps as Claim 3 with the…