DETAILED ACTION
This Office action is in response to the Request for Continued Examination (RCE) filed on 11 November 2025. Claims 1-3, 5-8, 11-13, 15-20, and 22-25 are pending in the application. Claims 4, 9, 10, 14, and 21 have been cancelled. Claims 23-25 are newly submitted.
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 application is a continuation of application Serial No. 15/851661, filed on 21 December 2017, now US Patent 11,075,112; which is a divisional of application Serial No. 14/985157, filed on 30 December 2015, now US Patent 9,859,156.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 15 October 2025 has been entered.
Terminal Disclaimer
The terminal disclaimer filed on 15 April 2024 disclaiming the terminal portion of any patent granted on this application which would extend beyond the expiration date of US Patent 9,859,156 has been reviewed and is accepted. The terminal disclaimer has been recorded.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 5-7, and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)as being clearly anticipated by Agarwala et al., US 2003/0157794, newly cited.
With respect to claim 1, Agarwala et al. disclose an interconnection structure, shown in Fig. 3F, comprising:
a first metal structure 22, see paragraph [0052];
a first dielectric layer 12 over the first metal structure 22, see paragraphs [0052]-[0053];
a second dielectric layer 14 over the first dielectric layer12, see paragraphs [0052]-[0053];
a second metal structure 42/40 having an upper portion 42 extending through the second dielectric layer 14, and a lower portion 40 extending through the first dielectric layer 12, as shown in Fig. 3F, see paragraphs [0058]-[0060],
the upper portion 42 having a width greater than a width of the lower portion 40, as shown in Fig. 3F;
a first protective layer 32 (lower 32) spacing the first dielectric layer 12 apart from the lower portion 40 of the second metal structure 42/40, as shown in Fig. 3F,
the first protective layer 32 having a bottommost surface higher than and spaced apart from an entirety of the first metal structure 22,
wherein the first metal structure 22 has a topmost surface at a first elevation, and the bottommost surface of the first protective layer 32 is at a second elevation different from the first elevation of the topmost surface of the first metal structure 22; and
a second protective layer 32 (upper 32) spacing the second dielectric layer 14 apart from the upper portion 42 of the second metal structure 42/40, as shown in Fig. 3F,
the second protective layer 32 having a top width greater than a top width of the first protective layer 32, as shown in Fig. 3F.
With respect to claim 2, in the interconnection structure of Agarwala et al., the first dielectric layer 12 comprises an anti-reflective coating, that is, silicon nitride, see paragraph [0053].
With respect to claim 5, in the interconnection structure of Agarwala et al, , the first protective layer 32 comprises silicon nitride or silicon oxynitride, see Figs. 3C and 3D and paragraphs [0056]-[0057].
With respect to claim 6, in the interconnection structure of Agarwala et al, , the second protective layer 32 comprises silicon nitride or silicon oxynitride, see Figs. 3C and 3D and paragraphs [0056]-[0057].
With respect to claim 7, in the interconnection structure of Agarwala et al., the first protective layer and the second protective layer are formed of a same material, see Figs. 3C and 3D and paragraphs [0056]-[0057].
With respect to claim 11, in the interconnection structure of Agarwala et al., an interface between the first protective layer 32 (lower 32) and the second metal structure 42/40 has a different cross-sectional profile than an interface between the second protective layer 32 (upper 32) and the second metal structure 42/40, as shown in Fig. 3F.The interface between the first protective layer 32 (lower 32) and the second metal structure 42/40 is vertically longer than the interface between the second protective layer 32 (upper 32) and the second metal structure 42/40, as shown in Fig. 3F.
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.
Claims 3, 8, 22, and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Agarwala et al., US 2003/0157794, newly cited, as applied to claim 2 above, further in view of Yang et al, US 7,132,363, of record.
With respect to claim 3, Agarwala et al. lack anticipation of the anti-reflective coating 12 being nitrogen-free. In the same field of endeavor, in the interconnection structure of Yang et al., shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the anti-reflective coating 71/72 is nitrogen-free, see column 4, lines 6-10: “In implementing various embodiments of the present invention, dielectric barrier layers can comprise suitable dielectric barrier materials, such as a silicon nitride, silicon carbide or silicon oxynitride.” Yang et al. clearly teach the functional equivalence of silicon nitride and silicon carbide as anti-reflective coatings. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that silicon carbide could have been substituted for the silicon nitride as the anti-reflective coating 12 in the known interconnection structure of Agarwala et al.
With respect to claim 8, Agarwala et al. lack anticipation of a silicon carbide layer between the first metal structure 22 and the first dielectric layer 12, the lower portion 40 of the second metal structure 42/40 extending through the silicon carbide layer. In the same field of endeavor, the interconnection structure of Yang et al., shown in Figs 9 and 10, further comprises: a silicon carbide layer 31 is disposed between a first metal structure 60 and a first dielectric layer 70, the barrier layer 31 functions as an etch stop layer during subsequent etching steps, see Fig. 10 and column 5, lines 25-40. Therefore, in light of the teaching of Yang et al., it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include a silicon carbide layer between the first metal structure 22 and the first dielectric layer 12 as an etch stop layer in the known interconnection structure of Agarwala et al. Including a silicon carbide layer between the first metal structure 22 and the first dielectric layer 12 would result in the lower portion 40 of the second metal structure 42/40 extending through the silicon carbide layer in order to make electrical contact with the first metal structure 22.
With respect to claim 22, Agarwala et al. lack anticipation of an etch stop layer disposed between the first dielectric layer 12 and the second dielectric layer 14, wherein an entirety of a sidewall of the etch stop layer is covered by the second protective layer 32. In the same field of endeavor, in the interconnection structure of Yang et al., shown in Figs. 9 and 10, Yang et al. teach an etch stop layer 70 disposed between a first dielectric layer 31 and a second dielectric layer 71, wherein an entirety of a sidewall of the etch stop layer 70 is covered by a second protective layer 71A, see Fig. 10. In light of the teaching of Yang et al., it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that an etch stop layer could have been disposed between the first dielectric layer 12 and the second dielectric layer 14 in the known interconnection structure of Agarwala et al., wherein an entirety of a sidewall of the etch stop layer is covered by the second protective layer 32.
With respect to claim 23, Agarwala et al. lack anticipation of an etch stop layer between the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer, wherein the second protective layer 32 forms a first vertical interface with the etch stop layer and a second vertical interface with the second dielectric layer 14, wherein the first vertical interface is aligned with the second vertical interface. In the same field of endeavor, in the interconnection structure of Yang et al., shown in Figs. 9 and 10, Yang et al. teach an etch stop layer 70 disposed between a first dielectric layer 31 and a second dielectric layer 71, wherein a second protective layer 71A forms a first vertical interface with the etch stop layer 70 and a second vertical interface with the second dielectric layer 71, wherein the first vertical interface is aligned with the second vertical interface, as shown in Fig. 10. Therefore, in light of the teaching of Yang et al., it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that an etch stop layer could have been disposed between the first dielectric layer 12 and the second dielectric layer 14 in the known interconnection structure of Agarwala et al., wherein the second protective layer 32 would form a first vertical interface with the etch stop layer and a second vertical interface with the second dielectric layer 14, wherein the first vertical interface is aligned with the second vertical interface.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12, 13, 15-20, 24, and 25 are allowable over the prior art of record.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Amended independent claims 12 and 17 distinguish over the prior art applied in the final Office action dated 07 August 2025. An updated search has determined that amended claims 12 and 17 are allowable. Claims 13, 15, 16, 18-20, 24, and 25 are allowable due to their dependency.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-3, 5-8, 11, 22, and 23 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The additionally cited references disclose various interconnection structures.
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MARY A. WILCZEWSKI
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2898
/MARY A WILCZEWSKI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2898