DETAILED ACTION
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 January 21, 2026 has been entered.
Status of the Claims
Group I was elected.
Amendment filed January 21, 2026 is acknowledged. Claim 1 has been amended. Non-elected Invention, claims 15-20 have been withdrawn from consideration. Claims 1-20 are pending.
Action on merits of the Elected Invention, claims 1-14 follows.
Claims 15 and 17 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Non-elected claims 15 and 17 are marked as “(withdrawn)”. However, claims 15 and 17 had been previously amended. See Amendment filed March 18, 2025
Therefore, the correct status of claims 15 and 17 is “(withdrawn, previously amended)”
Appropriate correction is required.
Specification
The newly submitted title of the invention is not descriptive. The title is
FIN FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTOR STRUCTURE HAVING ISOLATION STRUCTURE HAVING UPPER PORTION AND LOWER PORTION WITH DIFFERENT SHAPES IN CROSS-SECTIONAL VIEW AND INTERRUPTING CONTINUITY OF SEMICONDUCTOR FINS INTO SEGMENTED PORTIONS
Note that, the method part is not elected and would not be in the final form.
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 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LIN et al. (US. Pub. No. 2019/0172753) of record, in view of LIM et al. (US. Pub. No. 2021/0036121).
With respect to claim 1, LIN teaches a fin field effect transistor (FinFET) substantially as claimed including:
a semiconductor substrate (12);
a semiconductor fin (14), protruding from the semiconductor substrate;
a gate structure (50) disposed across a first segment of the semiconductor fin (14), wherein the gate structure (50) comprises a gate electrode (46); and
an isolation structure (72) interrupting a continuity of a second segment of the semiconductor fin (14), wherein the isolation structure (72) has a first portion (76) and a second portion (78) stacked on the first portion (76), sidewalls of the first portion are inclined, sidewalls of the second portion are straight, and a top surface of the first portion (76) is coplanar with a top surface of the gate electrode (46) of the gate structure (50). (See FIG. 10).
Thus, LIN is shown to teach all the features of the claim with the exception of explicitly disclosing sidewalls of the first portion are continuously inclined.
However, LIM teaches a fin field effect transistor including:
an isolation structure interrupting a continuity of a second segment of the semiconductor fin (105), wherein the isolation structure has a first portion (200) and a second portion (195) stacked on the first portion (200), sidewalls of the first portion are continuously inclined, sidewalls of the second portion are straight, and a top surface of the first portion (200) is coplanar with a top surface of the gate structure (160). (See FIG. 6).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention was made to form the sidewalls of the first portion of the isolation structure of LIN being continuously inclined as taught by LIM for the same intended purpose of interrupting the continuity of the semiconductor fin.
Regarding the shape of the first portion of the isolation structure, vertical or incline or straight, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the shape of a component. A change in shape is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955).
With respect to claim 2, a width of the second portion (78) of the isolation structure (72) of LIN is greater than a maximum width of the first portion (76) of the isolation structure.
With respect to claim 3, the FinFET of LIN further comprises a first spacer (30) and a second spacer (36), the first spacer (30) is sandwiched between the first portion (76) of the isolation structure (72) and the second spacer (36).
With respect to claim 4, in view of LIM, the first spacer (164) exhibits a triangular shape from a cross-sectional view, and the second spacer (36) of LIN exhibits a rectangular shape from the cross-sectional view.
With respect to claim 5, the second portion (78) of the isolation structure (72) of LIN covers a top surface of the second spacer (36).
With respect to claim 6, the isolation structure (72) of LIN extends below a top surface of the semiconductor substrate (12).
With respect to claim 7, the isolation structure (72) of LIN is parallel to the gate structure (50) from a top view. (FIG. 1).
With respect to claim 8, LIN teaches a fin field effect transistor (FinFET) having a first region and a second region adjacent to the first region, as claimed including:
a semiconductor substrate (12);
semiconductor fins (14) protruding from the semiconductor substrate, wherein the semiconductor fins (14) in the first region are continuous and the semiconductor fins in the second region are fragmented;
gate structures (48, 50) located in the first region, wherein the gate structures are disposed across the semiconductor fins (14), and each of the gate structure comprises a gate electrode (46); and
isolation structures (72) located in the second region, wherein the isolation structures (72) are sandwiched between fragments of the semiconductor fins (14) in the second region, each of the isolation structures has a first portion (76) and a second portion (78) stacked on the first portion, each of the first portions (76) exhibits a trapezoidal shape, lower, from a cross-sectional view, each of the second portions (78) exhibits a rectangular shape from the cross-sectional view, and top surfaces of the first portions (76) are coplanar with top surfaces of the gate electrode (46) of the gate structures (48, 50). (See FIG. 10).
Thus, LIN is shown to teach all the features of the claim with the exception of explicitly disclosing the first portions exhibits a trapezoidal shape.
However, LIM teaches a fin field effect transistor including:
isolation structures located in second region, wherein the isolation structures are sandwiched between fragments of semiconductor fins (105) in the second region, each of the isolation structures has a first portion (200) and a second portion (195) stacked on the first portion, each of the first portions (200) exhibits a trapezoidal shape from a cross-sectional view, and top surfaces of the first portions (200) are coplanar with top surfaces of the gate electrode the gate structures (160). See FIG. 6).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention was made to form the first portion of the isolation structure of LIN exhibiting the trapezoidal shape as taught by LIM for the same intended purpose of interrupting the continuity of the semiconductor fin.
Regarding the shape of the isolation structure, trapezoidal, rectangular, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the shape of a component. A change in shape is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955).
With respect to claim 9, the FinFET of LIN further comprises a hard mask layer (58) disposed on the gate structures, and a bottom surface of the second portion (78) is coplanar with a bottom surface of the hard mask layer (58).
With respect to claim 10, sidewalls of the second portion (78) of each of the isolation structures (72) of LIN are aligned with sidewalls of the corresponding gate structure from a top view. (FIG. 1).
With respect to claim 11, the FinFET of LIN further comprises first spacers (30) and second spacers (36), each of the first spacers (30) is sandwiched between the first portion (76) of the corresponding isolation structure (72) and the corresponding second spacer (36).
With respect to claim 12, in view of LIM, each of the first spacers (164) exhibits a triangular shape from the cross-sectional view, and each of the second spacer (36) of LIN exhibits a rectangular shape from the cross-sectional view.
With respect to claim 13, the FinFET of LIN further comprises an insulating structure (38) sandwiched between the isolation structures (72) and the gate structures (50).
With respect to claim 14, the insulating structure (38) of LIN extends along a first direction (X), the gate structures (50) and the isolation structures (72) extend along a second direction (Y), and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed January 21, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding the claim objection
Applicant argues ““withdrawn, previously amended” is not list in the acceptable alternative. Therefore, Applicant deems the identifier “withdrawn” is correct.
However, Applicant should review the amendment filed September 02, 2025. The amended claim 15 clearly identified as “(withdrawn - currently amended)”. Therefore, “withdrawn, previously amended” is the acceptable identifier or a common practice.
The objection is maintained.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to amended claims 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
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/ANH D MAI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893