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 .
Claims 8-9 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 05/24/23.
Applicant's election of species | in the reply filed on 05/24/23 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
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 1, 5-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Deok Sin Kil et al (U. S. Patent Application: 2003/0113480, here after Kil), further in view of X. Lei et al (U. S. Patent Application: 2010/0143607, here after Lei), A. R. Kaul et al (Russian Patent: 2722914, here after Kaul), Y. Hashimoto et al (WO 2017/0979, here after Hashimoto), and S. Lindfors et al (Chinese Patent: 102016118, here after Lindfors).
Claim 1 is rejected. Kil teaches a method for producing a strontium titanate film, comprising forming a strontium titanate film on a surface of an object (substrate) by conducting an ALD cycle in a reaction vessel, wherein
the ALD cycle comprises forming a strontium oxide film, and forming a strontium oxide film, the forming of strontium oxide film comprising;
filling the reaction vessel(reactor) with a vaporized strontium complex [0008, 0040],
exhausting the strontium complex from the reaction vessel [0041],
filling the reaction vessel with an OH radical [0042], and
exhausting the OH radical from the reaction vessel [0044]; and
forming the titanium oxide film comprises:
filling the reaction vessel with titanium precursor (beta diketonate) [0045],
exhausting the beta diketonate from the reaction vessel [0046],
filling the reaction vessel with an OH radical [0047, 0042], and
exhausting the OH radical from the reaction vessel [0048]; and the strontium oxide film are alternately formed in a normal order or a reverse order [0049]. Kil does
not teach the titanium precursor is TDMAT. Lei teaches TDMAT is suitable precursor for making strontium titanate films via ADL [0059]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to have a method of depositing strontium titanate as Kil teaches where the titanium precursor is TDMAT, because it is a suitable precursor for depositing titanate films. Although this particular embodiment of Kil is related to depositing strontium, however Kil also teaches depositing barium titanate films (BTO) [0010, 0067]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to have a method Kil and Lei to deposit barium titanate, because the method can be used to deposit barium titanate with expectation of success. Kil teaches using beta-diketonate precursor [0020], but does not teach sublimating and vaporized by heating under reduced pressure. Kaul teaches preparation of volatile(vaporized) precursors comprising beta diketonate for vapor deposition of a film, wherein the compound is stable during storage and then heated to sublimate under vacuum [page 2 paragraph 3]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to have a method Kil and Lei teach where the beta-diketonate precursor is stored in solid state and then heat in vacuum to provide vapor precursor, because it is easy to store the precursor in solid state and afterward provide vapor with heat and vacuum. Kaul teaches a vessel that contains the precursor complex to be charged as solid (because it is sublimated) and piping that connects the vessel with the reaction vessel are each heated and depressurized (otherwise the vaporized material consolidates in pipes before reaching to reaction chamber, 15), and the vaporized barium complex is introduced into the reaction vessel [see fig. 1, page 3 last paragraph,
page 4 first, second and sixth paragraphs]. Kaul does not teach the details of opening valve arranged on piping. Hashimoto teaches a method of forming a film by depositing raw material and reactant, and teaches raw material is supplied in a supply vessel connected to reaction vessel [fig. 5], and piping(503) that connects the supply vessel(501) with the reaction vessel(201) are each depressurized(by vacuum pump 246) via by evacuating the reaction vessel by opening a valve(507, valve has to be open for the evacuation to happen) arranged on the piping and by driving an exhaust pump connected to the reaction vessel, while the supply vessel and the piping are maintaining the reduced pressure by closing the valve [page 12 last full paragraph]. Hashimoto also teaches heating the supply vessel [page 12 last full paragraph lines 11- 13], and raw material source vaporized by heating is introduced into the reaction vessel when the valve is opened [page 4 second paragraph, page 12 last paragraph lines 6- 11]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to have a method Kil, Lei and Kaul teach and arrangement of valve and piping is as Hashimoto teaches, because Hashimoto teaches suitable method for depositing a film when raw material source is evaporates by heating. They do not teach the vessel and piping are heated to at least 200C. Lindfors teaches an ALD chamber with solid source vessel connected to reaction vessel and piping that connected them together, where the vessel (and piping) are heated to 200C and the source is sublimated by and introduce to the reaction vessel [0096, 0103], wherein in the step of filling the reaction vessel with the vaporized source, a vessel that contains the source to be charged as solid and piping that connects the vessel with the reaction vessel, the vessel and the piping are heated to at least 200°C[0103] by closing a valve
arranged on the piping and which in fact maintaining the pressure, and the source sublimated and vaporized by heating is introduced into the reaction vessel when the valve is opened [0096, 0094]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to have a method Kil, Lei, Kaul, and Hashomoto teach where the valve and heating the pipes is taught by Lindfors, because Lindfors teaches suitable vessel chambers connected to reaction vessel for depositing a film by vapor deposition when source material is solid.
Claim 5 is rejected for the same reason claim 1 is rejected, Kil teaches the object(substrate) is heated [0024].
Claim 6 is rejected as Kil teaches the barium(strontium) complex is B- diketone [0020].
Claim 7 is rejected as Kil teaches the strontium(barium) complex is represented by the chemical formula of claim 7[fig. 1A].
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 08/22/25 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The applicant argues the references do not teach barium complex to be charged as solid. The examiner disagrees, Kil teaches using barium beta diketone, Barium β-diketone complexes are a class of metal-organic compounds that are typically solids at room temperature (for example see JP H04131652). Furthermore, Kaul teaches using solid metal complexes such as beta diketone. The applicant agues Kill does not teach titanium precursor is TDMAT, however Lei teaches this limitation. The applicant argues there is no teaching that supply vessel contains the barium complex and piping that connects supply vessel with the reaction vessel are each depressurized(vacuumed). The examiner disagrees as Hashimoto teaches solid raw material[page 4 lines 4-10] is supplied in a supply vessel connected to reaction vessel [fig. 5], and piping(503) that connects the supply vessel(501) with the reaction vessel(201) are each depressurized(by vacuum pump 246) via by evacuating the reaction vessel by opening a valve(507, valve has to be open for the evacuation to happen) arranged on the piping and by driving an exhaust pump connected to the reaction vessel, while the supply vessel and the piping are maintaining the reduced pressure by closing the valve [page 12 last full paragraph]. Hashimoto also teaches heating the supply vessel [page 12 last full paragraph lines 11- 13], and raw material source vaporized by heating is introduced into the reaction vessel when the valve is opened [page 4 second paragraph, page 12 last paragraph lines 6- 11]. As mentioned above in Hashimoto page 4 lines 4-10 the liquid raw material of Hashimoto means solid raw material, and sublimating solid raw material (the rejection is based on WO 2017/0979, and not 2018/0179628), however 2018/0179628 also teaches a gas obtained by sublimating a solid precursor which remains in solid at room temperature [0025].
In response to applicant's arguments against the references individually, one cannot show nonobviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981); In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 231 USPQ 375 (Fed. Cir. 1986). The applicant argument regarding Lindfors is not persuasive as Lindfors is cited for teaching heating the precursor and depressurizing with valve opening/closing is taught by Hashimoto teaches the raw material supply pipe is evacuated by vacuum pump through the processing chamber [page 12 last full paragraph], and Kaul also teach evacuating sublimation chamber by vacuum pump.
The applicant argues Kaul is related to CVD rather than ALD, however ALD is specific shape of CVD and precursors can be used interchainly, as Kaul teaches using solid raw material of beta-diketone. In response to applicant's arguments against the references individually, one cannot show nonobviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981); In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 231 USPQ 375 (Fed. Cir. 1986). The applicant argument regarding Kaul is not persuasive as the details of vessels pipes and heating the precursor and depressurizing with valve opening/closing is taught by Hashimoto teaches the raw material supply pipe is evacuated by vacuum pump through the processing chamber [page 12 last full paragraph]. The applicant argues Kaul requires liquid precursor, the examiner disagrees, Kaul teaches sublimation of solid raw material which means converting the solid raw material without turning to liquid as well.
The applicant argues Kaul can not be combine with Lindfors nor Kil. The examiner disagrees the references are all related to deposition from vapor phase. Kaul raw material can be solid and provided through sublimation or can dissolves in solvent or being a liquid (different embodiments). Heating the pipes is taught by Lindfors. Although Kil teaches precursor for strontium titanite, but titanium precursor can be sued for barium titanate with expectation of success as well.
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 TABASSOM TADAYYON ESLAMI whose telephone number is (571)270-1885. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30-6.
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/TABASSOM TADAYYON ESLAMI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1718