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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks, filed 13 February 2026, with respect to the 35 U.S.C. § 112 (b) rejections of claims 1 and 17 and the 35 U.S.C. § 103 rejection of claim 17 using Reid in view of Mays have been fully considered and are persuasive. These rejections have been withdrawn.
Applicant's arguments filed on 13 February 2026, with respect to the prior art rejections using Fujita of claims 1, 15, and 17 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues that Fujita does not teach the added limitations of the transformed material in the gap thereby filling the gap. The examiner respectfully disagrees. Please see Fujita ¶ [0035], the Lim reference (US 2008/0200009 A1), and the 35 U.S.C. § 103 rejections below for details.
In summary, this application is not placed in a condition for an allowance.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1, 15-16, and 18-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fujita (US 2023/0243031 A1) in view of Lim (US 2008/0200009 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Fujita teaches a method for curing a gap filling liquid, the method comprising:
providing a substrate (W, see Fig. 2A-2C) comprising a gap (Wb), the gap being at least partially filled with a gap filling liquid (L), the gap filling liquid comprising at least one of a metal and a metalloid (¶ [0029]: Liquid L contains Ti, which is a metal), the gap filling liquid comprising oligomers (¶ [0034]) formed from gaseous monomers (using plain meaning, the various gases listed in ¶ [0034] are monomers; Merriam-Webster: monomer is a chemical compound that can undergo polymerization) during a polymerization reaction (¶ [0034]);
providing (¶ [0055]-[0057]) a transformation reactant (processing gas G; see Fig. 2B and ¶ [0035]; ¶ [0038]- [0040]: oxygen, nitrogen, or hydride containing gas) to the reaction chamber (2, see Fig. 3); and
exposing the gap filling liquid to the transformation reactant (¶ [0035]: step S2), thereby thermally converting (¶ [0036]: generates convection ) at least a part of the gap filling liquid into a transformed material (¶ [0035]-[0037]: causes L to move from Wb to Wd thereby forming a film W3; ¶ [0038]: transforms to an oxide or nitride film) in the gap thereby partly filling the gap (¶ [0035]: “The thin film W3 may also be formed on the side surface of the recess or the bottom surface of the recess,” emphasis added).
Fujita further teaches the film that is partly filling the gap is a dielectric (¶ [0038]: transforms to an oxide or nitride film). However, Fujita does not explicitly teach filling the gap (broadly interpreted as to make full until there’s no more empty space in the gap).
Lim, in the same field of invention, teaches a method of filling the gap (164, see Fig. 8) with a dielectric (silicon oxide; see ¶ [0046] and Fig. 9).
A person of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective date of the claimed invention, will find it obvious to combine the teachings of Lim into the method of Fujita by modifying the method of partly filling the gap to a method of filling the gap. The ordinary artisan would have been motivated to modify Fujita in the manner set forth above for at least the purpose of forming device isolation layer patterns (166) in order to expose semiconductor regions (104) and for further making these regions thinner and thereby making reducing the cost of the method of defining active regions and device isolation regions (¶ [0046]).
Regarding claim 15, Fujita teaches a method for filling a gap, the method comprising;
providing a substrate (W, see Fig. 2A-2C) comprising a gap (Wb);
at least partially filling the gap (¶ [0022]; step S1) with a gap filling liquid (L) formed by polymerization of oligomers (¶ [0034]), the gap filling liquid comprising at least one of a metal and a metalloid (¶ [0029]: Liquid L contains Ti, which is a metal);
providing (¶ [0035]: step S2) a transformation reactant (processing gas G; see Fig. 2B and ¶ [0035]; ¶ [0038]-[0040]: oxygen, nitrogen, or hydride containing gas); and
exposing the gap filling liquid to the transformation reactant (¶ [0035: step S2), thereby thermally converting (¶ [0036]: generates convection ) at least a part of the gap filling liquid into a transformed material (¶ [0035]-[0037]: causes L to move from Wb to Wd thereby forming a film W3; ¶ [0038]: transforms to an oxide or nitride film) in the gap thereby partly filling the gap (¶ [0035]: “The thin film W3 may also be formed on the side surface of the recess or the bottom surface of the recess,” emphasis added).
Fujita further teaches the film that is partly filling the gap is a dielectric (¶ [0038]: transforms to an oxide or nitride film). However, Fujita does not explicitly teach filling the gap (broadly interpreted as to make full until there’s no more empty space in the gap).
Lim, in the same field of invention, teaches a method of filling the gap (164, see Fig. 8) with a dielectric (silicon oxide; see ¶ [0046] and Fig. 9).
A person of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective date of the claimed invention, will find it obvious to combine the teachings of Lim into the method of Fujita by modifying the method of partly filling the gap to a method of filling the gap. The ordinary artisan would have been motivated to modify Fujita in the manner set forth above for at least the purpose of forming device isolation layer patterns (166) in order to expose semiconductor regions (104) and for further making these regions thinner and thereby making reducing the cost of the method of defining active regions and device isolation regions (¶ [0046]).
Regarding claim 16, the method according to claim 15 comprising executing a plurality of super cycles (¶ [0045]: S1 and S2 repeated many times), a super cycle comprising the step of at least partially filling the gap with a gap filling liquid (S1), and the step of subjecting the substrate to a transformation reactant (S2).
Regarding claim 18, the method according to claim 15, wherein the gap filling liquid comprises a transition metal (¶ [0029]: Ti is a transition metal; see NPL reference mailed on 18 June 2025; or alternatively, ¶ [0030]: W, V, or Mo).
Regarding claim 19, the method according to claim 15, wherein the gap filling liquid comprises a halogen (¶ [0029]: liquid L may include TiCl, TiCl2, TiCl3, or TiCl4; Cl is a halogen; see NPL reference mailed on 18 June 2025).
Regarding claim 20, the method according to claim 15, wherein the transformation reactant comprises a Group IVA element (¶ [0041]: hydride gas bonded to C or a hydrocarbon gas such as C2H4; C is a group IVA element as evidenced by NPL: Moore, John. ChemPrime, Chapter 12.5: Group IVA, mailed on 13 November 2025) .
Regarding claim 21, the method according to claim 15, wherein the transformation reactant comprises a silane (¶ [0041]: SiH4 is a silane gas, as evidenced by NPL: Britannica, mailed on 13 November 2025).
Regarding claim 22, the method according to claim 15, wherein the transformation reactant comprises a pnictogen or a chalcogen (¶ [0039]: NO gas or N2O gas; N is a pnictogen as evidenced by NPL: Barron, Andrew. Chemistry of the Main Group Elements, Chapter 8.1, mailed on 13 November 2025; alternatively, ¶ [0039]: any of the listed oxygen-containing gas; O is a chalcogen as evidenced by NPL mailed on 18 June 2025).
Regarding claim 23, the method according to claim 15, wherein the metal or metalloid comprised in the gap filling fluid comprises an element selected from W, Ge, Sb, Te, Nb, Ta, V, Ti, Zr, Hf, Rh, Fe, Cr, Mo, Au, Pt, Ag, Ni, Cu, Co, Zn, AI, In, Sn, and Bi (¶ [0029]: Liquid L contains Ti; alternatively, ¶ [0030]: W, V, Al, Mo, Sn, Ge )
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Reid (US 2014/0124361 A1) in view of Fujita (US 2023/0243031 A1) and Lim (US 2008/0200009 A1).
Regarding claim 17, Reid teaches a method of filling a gap, the method comprising
providing a substrate (102, see Fig. 3), the substrate comprising the gap (¶ [0022]: line feature or via feature);
providing a system comprising a gap filling fluid reaction chamber (324, see Fig. 4A and ¶ [0056]; also ¶ [0054]: plating chamber) and a transformation reaction chamber (322; see ¶ [0057], ¶ [0054]: annealing chamber); and
executing a plurality of super cycles (steps 106 & 108 & 110 & 112; see Fig. 3 and ¶ [0043]- [0045]), a super cycle comprising
moving the substrate into the gap filling fluid reaction chamber (step 106; ¶ [0027], ¶ [0054: electroless plating process performed in the plating chamber);
moving the substrate into the transformation reaction chamber (step 110; see ¶ [0054]: moving to annealing chamber); and
subjecting the substrate to a transformation treatment (¶ [0036]: annealing) in the transformation reaction chamber (step 110, see ¶ [0036]), thereby converting at least a part of the gap filling liquid into a transformed material (¶ [0036]: "copper redistributes from regions of the wafer substrate to the feature"), wherein the transformed material comprises one or more of a metal or an alloy (¶ [0047]: copper is known in the art as a metal).
However, Reid does not explicitly the method of filling a gap that comprises:
forming, via polymerization, a gap filling liquid in the gap filling fluid reaction chamber, thereby at least partially filling the gap with the gap filling fluid, wherein the gap filling liquid fluid comprises at least one of a metal and a metalloid; and
proving a transformation reactant to the transformation reaction chamber, and
thereby thermally converting at least a part of the gap filling liquid into a transformed material in the gap, thereby filling the gap.
Fujita, in the same field of invention, teaches a method of filling a gap (Wb, see Fig. 2A) that comprises:
forming, via polymerization (¶ [0034]), a gap filling liquid (L) in the gap filling fluid reaction chamber (Reid in view of Fujita teaches doing this step in the fluid reaction chamber), thereby at least partially filling the gap (Wb, see Figs. 2A-2C) with the gap filling fluid (L; see ¶ [0022]), wherein the gap filling liquid fluid comprises at least one of a metal and a metalloid (¶ [0029]: Liquid L contains Ti, which is a metal); and
proving a transformation reactant (processing gas G; see Fig. 2B and ¶ [0035]) to the transformation reaction chamber (2, see Fig. 3), and
thereby thermally converting (¶ [0036]: generates convection ) at least a part of the gap filling liquid into a transformed material (W3) in the gap, thereby partly filling the gap (¶ [0035]: “The thin film W3 may also be formed on the side surface of the recess or the bottom surface of the recess,” emphasis added).
A person of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective date of the claimed invention, will find it obvious to combine the teachings of Fujita into the method of Reid to form, via polymerization, the gap filling liquid in the gap filling fluid reaction chamber, thereby at least partially filling the gap with the gap filling fluid, wherein the gap filling liquid fluid comprises at least one of a metal and a metalloid; and to provide a transformation reactant to the transformation reaction chamber, thereby thermally converting at least a part of the gap filling liquid into a transformed material in the gap, thereby filling the gap. The ordinary artisan would have been motivated to modify Reid in the manner set forth above for at least the purpose of selectively forming a film on either a top surface of a convex portion of a substrate or within the gap itself (Fujita ¶ [0007]), wherein the convex portion is adjacent to and/or surrounded by the gap that is filled by the gap-filling liquid (Fujita ¶ [0007]; also, ¶ [0035]-[0037]: causes L to move from Wb to Wd thereby forming a film W3) in order to fill the gap and/or the convex portion with an insulating film ( ¶ [0038]: transforms to an oxide or nitride film).
Fujita further teaches the film that is partly filling the gap is a dielectric (¶ [0038]: transforms to an oxide or nitride film). However, Fujita does not explicitly teach filling the gap (broadly interpreted as to make full until there’s no more empty space in the gap).
Lim, in the same field of invention, teaches a method of filling the gap (164, see Fig. 8) with a dielectric (silicon oxide; see ¶ [0046] and Fig. 9).
A person of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective date of the claimed invention, will find it obvious to combine the teachings of Lim into the method of Fujita by modifying the method of partly filling the gap to a method of filling the gap. The ordinary artisan would have been motivated to modify Fujita in the manner set forth above for at least the purpose of forming device isolation layer patterns (166) in order to expose semiconductor regions (104) and for further making these regions thinner and thereby making reducing the cost of the method of defining active regions and device isolation regions (¶ [0046]).
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 DOUGLAS YAP whose telephone number is (703)756-1946. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM ET.
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/DOUGLAS YAP/Assistant Examiner, Art Unit 2899
/ZANDRA V SMITH/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2899