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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 20 recites the limitation "said second stopper" and “the first stopper” in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim, as the amended claim 1 fails to recite the use of a first stopper and a second stopper structure.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 3, 5-17, and 19 are allowed. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 1, the prior art fails to anticipate or render obvious the claimed invention including “...a plurality of storage node contact plugs disposed on the bit line structures of the cell array region; and a plurality of dummy plugs formed between the sidewalls of the bit line structures on the stopper structure, a plurality of plug isolation layers between the bit line structures, wherein the storage node contact plug and the dummy plug are respectively disposed between the plug isolation layers, wherein the cell array edge region is free of the storage node contact plugs, and the cell array region is free of the dummy plugs, wherein a first portion of the stopper structure underlying the dummy plugs and a second portion of the stopper structure underlying the plug isolation layers have a same thickness...” in combination with the remaining limitations. Claims 3, and 5-11 are dependent upon claim 1 and are therefore allowable.
Regarding claim 12, the prior art fails to anticipate or render obvious the claimed invention including “...filling a line pattern in each of the line-shaped openings over the stopper structure; forming a plurality of contact plugs and a plurality of isolation grooves by etching the line patterns; and filling a plug isolation layer in the isolation grooves, wherein the substrate includes a cell array region and a cell array edge region, wherein the contact plugs include a plurality of storage node contact plugs formed over the cell array region and a plurality of dummy plugs over the cell array edge region, and wherein the stopper structure is formed between the substrate and the plurality of dummy plug...” in combination with the remaining limitations. Claims 14-17 and 18 are dependent upon claim 12 and are therefore allowable.
Regarding claim 13, the prior art fails to anticipate or render obvious the claimed invention including “...filling a plug isolation layer in the isolation grooves, wherein the forming of the stopper structure includes: forming a spacer layer on the bit line structures; forming a mask layer covering the edges of the line-shaped openings on the spacer layer; and etching the spacer layer by using the mask layer for forming the stopper structure remaining on the edges of the line-shaped openings....” in combination with the remaining limitations.
With regards to independent claims 1, 12 and 13, the cited prior art(s) of record teach all of the limitations presented, but fail to recite the limitation above. Further, no other prior art was found that would meet the limitations of this claims, either in anticipatory or in combination with other references. Therefore, claims 12-17 and 19 have been found to be allowable.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to QUOVAUNDA JEFFERSON whose telephone number is (571)272-5051. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7AM-4PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Dale E Page can be reached at 571-270-7877. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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QVJ
/DALE E PAGE/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2899
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