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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 11/18/2025 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
The supplemental reply filed on 7/2/2026 was not entered because supplemental replies are not entered as a matter of right except as provided in 37 CFR 1.111(a)(2)(ii). The 7/2/2026 reply is not clearly limited to placement of the application in condition for allowance.
This Office action is responsive to the amendment filed in the 11/18/2025 submission. Claims 1-20 are pending with claims 18-20 as withdrawn.
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 3 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 3 recites the plasma power less than or about 2,000 W. Claim 3 depends from claim 1. Claim 1 has been amended to recite the plasma power less than 500 W. Claim 3 is indefinite because it claims a broader range, and higher values, for the plasma power as compared to claim 1 from which it depends. How can the plasma power be limited to less than 500 W while also being up to 2,000 W?
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 2 and 4-17 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
With regard to claim 1, the prior art does not teach, disclose or suggest the invention as claimed including forming the plasma of the oxygen-containing precursor in a remote plasma system of the semiconductor processing chamber at a plasma power of less than 500W, in combination with the remainder of the limitations claimed.
With regard to claim 10, the prior art does not teach, disclose or suggest the invention as claimed including forming plasma effluents of a oxygen-containing precursor in a plasma region of a semiconductor processing chamber where a substrate is positioned in a processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber and wherein the plasma region is physically separated from the processing region by either or both of a showerhead and an ion suppressor, in combination with the remainder of the limitations claimed. Of note is WO 2021/178399 to Fischer et al., which teaches a similar method. However, Fischer et al. do not perform step iv) of contacting the oxidized portion of molybdenum with the fluorine containing precursor as Fischer first contacts the oxidized molybdenum with a boron species and uses the fluorine precursor to remove the boron oxide.
Conclusion
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/NORMAN D RICHARDS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2892
