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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 6-8 and 12-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hausmann (Pug. No.: US 2024/0030062) in view of LEE (Pub. No.: US 2023/0207312).
Re claim 1, Hausmann, FIG. 5 teaches a method of forming a graphene barrier layer, the method comprising:
loading a substrate, which has a titanium-containing layer (process 510, note that a metal and barrier layer are deposit on a semiconductor substrate and barrier layer is a titanium nitride, [0011]) formed thereon, in a chamber of a substrate processing system, the chamber having a processing space formed therein;
forming a carbon coating layer comprising aromatic nuclei on the metal-containing layer by supplying a first reactant gas comprising unsaturated hydrocarbon (process 520, ¶ [0070], note that “one or more hydrocarbon precursors into a reaction chamber” and “the one or more hydrocarbon precursors includes an alkene or alkyne group. This means that the hydrocarbon precursors include one or more unsaturated carbon bonds, such as one or more carbon-to-carbon double bonds and/or carbon-to-carbon triple bonds. Examples of hydrocarbon precursors having alkene or alkyne groups include but are not limited to toluene, benzene, ethylene, propylene, butene, pentadiene (e.g., 1,4 pentadiene), hexene, acetylene, propyne, butyne, or pentyne”, [0118], note that the benzene group belongs to the aromatic nuclei; in fact, benzene is the parent compound of this family of aromatic molecules. The terms are often used interchangeably because the six-carbon ring structure of benzene is the most common and archetypal aromatic nucleus), wherein the unsaturated hydrocarbon includes at least one of acetylene (C2H2), ethylene (C2H4), cyclopropane (C3H3), propene (C3H6), and benzene (C6H6) (“Examples of hydrocarbon precursors having alkene or alkyne groups”, [0118], note that the general formula for alkenes is CₙH₂ₙ and the general formula for alkenes is CₙH2n+2); and
forming a graphene layer on the metal-containing layer by supplying a reactant gas comprising saturated hydrocarbon (process 599, [0073], note that “The inhibitor layer may include molecules having a hydrocarbon group, such as a methyl group, ethyl group, propyl group, butyl group, pentyl group etc” and “The hydrocarbon groups may be saturated or unsaturated (e.g., alkene (e.g., vinyl), alkyne, and aromatic groups)”, [0318]), wherein the graphene layer is formed by sequentially supply in a the first reactant gas (process 520) and the second reactant gas (process 599) into the chamber of the substrate processing system, and wherein the saturated hydrocarbon includes at least one of methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6) (ethyl group, [0318], note that “The ethyl group is derived from ethane”), propane (C3H8), butane (C4H10), pentane (C5H12), and hexane (C6H14).
Hausmann fails to teach a second reactant gas comprising saturated hydrocarbon that reacts with the carbon nucleation sites to form linkages between the aromatic nuclei.
LEE teaches a second reactant gas comprising saturated hydrocarbon that reacts with the carbon nucleation sites to form linkages between the aromatic nuclei (115, FIG. 5, ¶ [0027], [0056]-[0060] & [0064], note that the first carbon reaction gas are shown in FIG. 3-4).
It would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention to include the above said teaching for the purpose of improving adhesion between graphene and a substrate as taught by LEE, [0002].
Re claim 2, in the combination, Hausmann teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising cleaning the is substrate after loading the substrate in the chamber (“the chamber is then evacuated to remove most or all of first precursor remaining in gas phase so that mostly or only the adsorbed species remain”, [0081]).
Re claim 6, in the combination, LEE teaches the method of claim 1, wherein forming the carbon coating layer and forming the graphene layer include supplying each of the first reaction gas (Plasma 1, FIG. 14, [0089]) and the second reactant gas (Plasma 2, FIG. 15, [0094]) at least once.
Re claim 7, in the combination, Hausmann, FIG. 5 teaches the method of claim 1, wherein repeating forming the carbon coating layer, and forming the uniform sheet-shaped graphene layer at least once (“Additional ALD cycles may be used to build film thickness”, [0081].
Re claim 8, in the combination, Hausmann, FIG. 5 teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the graphene layer has a thickness of 10 Å to 30 Å [0104].
Re claim 12, in the combination, LEE teaches the method of claim 1, wherein forming the second reactant gas (FIGS. 14-15) is supplied after supplying the first reactant gas (FIGS. 12-15).
Re claim 13, in the combination, LEE teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising performing supplying additional first reactant gas (FIGS 3-4, ¶¶ [0056]-[0063]) to increase a work function of the graphene layer.
Re claim 14, in the combination, LEE teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising supplying additional second reactant gas (FIGS. 14-15) to react unreacted carbon atoms in the carbon nucleation sites.
Re claim 15, in the combination, LEE teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising:
ionizing the first reactant gas into an ionized first reactant gas (FIGS. 12-13);
ionizing the second reactant gas into an ionized second reactant gas (FIGS. 14-15); and
supplying the ionized second reactant gas after supplying the ionized first reactant gas.
Re claim 16, Hausmann, FIG. 5 teaches a method comprising:
forming a titanium-containing layer (process 510, note that a metal and barrier layer are deposit on a semiconductor substrate and barrier layer is a titanium nitride, [0011]) on a substrate;
loading the substrate in a processing space of a substrate processing system;
supplying, into the processing space, a first reactant gas comprising unsaturated hydrocarbon, thereby forming a carbon coating layer comprising aromatic nuclei on the metal-containing layer (process 520, ¶ [0070], note that “one or more hydrocarbon precursors into a reaction chamber” and “the one or more hydrocarbon precursors includes an alkene or alkyne group. This means that the hydrocarbon precursors include one or more unsaturated carbon bonds, such as one or more carbon-to-carbon double bonds and/or carbon-to-carbon triple bonds. Examples of hydrocarbon precursors having alkene or alkyne groups include but are not limited to toluene, benzene, ethylene, propylene, butene, pentadiene (e.g., 1,4 pentadiene), hexene, acetylene, propyne, butyne, or pentyne”, [0118], note that the benzene group belongs to the aromatic nuclei; in fact, benzene is the parent compound of this family of aromatic molecules. The terms are often used interchangeably because the six-carbon ring structure of benzene is the most common and archetypal aromatic nucleus), wherein the unsaturated hydrocarbon includes at least one of acetylene (C2H2), ethylene (C2H4), cyclopropane (C3H3), propene (C3H6), and benzene (C6H6) (“Examples of hydrocarbon precursors having alkene or alkyne groups”, [0118], note that the general formula for alkenes is CₙH₂ₙ and the general formula for alkenes is CₙH2n+2); and
after supplying the first reactant gas, supplying, into the processing space, a reactant gas comprising saturated hydrocarbon that reacts with the formed carbon nucleation sites (process 599, [0073], note that “The inhibitor layer may include molecules having a hydrocarbon group, such as a methyl group, ethyl group, propyl group, butyl group, pentyl group etc” and “The hydrocarbon groups may be saturated or unsaturated (e.g., alkene (e.g., vinyl), alkyne, and aromatic groups)”, [0318]), thereby forming a graphene layer on the titanium-containing layer, wherein the graphene layer is formed by sequentially supply in a the first reactant gas (process 520) and the second reactant gas (process 599) into the chamber of the substrate processing system, and wherein the saturated hydrocarbon includes at least one of methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6) (ethyl group, [0318], note that “The ethyl group is derived from ethane”), propane (C3H8), butane (C4H10), pentane (C5H12), and hexane (C6H14).
Hausmann fails to teach after supplying the first reactant gas, supplying, into the processing space, a second reactant gas comprising saturated hydrocarbon that reacts with the formed carbon nucleation sites to form linkages between the aromatic nuclei.
LEE teaches after supplying the first reactant gas, supplying, into the processing space, a second reactant gas comprising saturated hydrocarbon that reacts with the formed carbon nucleation sites to form linkages between the aromatic nuclei (115, FIG. 5, ¶ [0027], [0056]-[0060] & [0064], note that the first carbon reaction gas are shown in FIG. 3-4).
It would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention to include the above said teaching for the purpose of improving adhesion between graphene and a substrate as taught by LEE, [0002].
Re claim 17, in the combination, LEE teaches the method of claim 16, further comprising ionizing the first reactant gas and the second reactant gas prior to supplying into the process space (FIGS. 12-15).
Re claim 18, in the combination, LEE teaches the method of claim 16, further comprising supplying additional first reactant gas (FIGS. 12-15) to increase a work function of the graphene layer.
Re claim 19, Hausmann, FIG. 5 teaches the method of claim 16, further comprising:
forming patterned layer (320) on the substrate such that a section of the substrate (310, Fig. 3A) is exposed;
forming a carbon coating layer (332 of Fig. 3A) on the patterned layer; and
forming a graphene layer (332 of Fig. 3B) on the patterned layer.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments with respect to claims 1 and 16 on the remarks filed on 01/15/2026 have been considered but they are not persuasive because Hausmann, FIG. 5 still reads on:
loading a substrate, which has a titanium-containing layer (process 510, note that a metal and barrier layer are deposit on a semiconductor substrate and barrier layer is a titanium nitride, [0011]) formed thereon, in a chamber of a substrate processing system, the chamber having a processing space formed therein;
forming a carbon coating layer comprising aromatic nuclei on the metal-containing layer by supplying a first reactant gas comprising unsaturated hydrocarbon (process 520, ¶ [0070], note that “one or more hydrocarbon precursors into a reaction chamber” and “the one or more hydrocarbon precursors includes an alkene or alkyne group. This means that the hydrocarbon precursors include one or more unsaturated carbon bonds, such as one or more carbon-to-carbon double bonds and/or carbon-to-carbon triple bonds. Examples of hydrocarbon precursors having alkene or alkyne groups include but are not limited to toluene, benzene, ethylene, propylene, butene, pentadiene (e.g., 1,4 pentadiene), hexene, acetylene, propyne, butyne, or pentyne”, [0118], note that the benzene group belongs to the aromatic nuclei; in fact, benzene is the parent compound of this family of aromatic molecules. The terms are often used interchangeably because the six-carbon ring structure of benzene is the most common and archetypal aromatic nucleus), wherein the unsaturated hydrocarbon includes at least one of acetylene (C2H2), ethylene (C2H4), cyclopropane (C3H3), propene (C3H6), and benzene (C6H6) (“Examples of hydrocarbon precursors having alkene or alkyne groups”, [0118], note that the general formula for alkenes is CₙH₂ₙ and the general formula for alkenes is CₙH2n+2); and
forming a graphene layer on the metal-containing layer by supplying a reactant gas comprising saturated hydrocarbon (process 599, [0073], note that “The inhibitor layer may include molecules having a hydrocarbon group, such as a methyl group, ethyl group, propyl group, butyl group, pentyl group etc” and “The hydrocarbon groups may be saturated or unsaturated (e.g., alkene (e.g., vinyl), alkyne, and aromatic groups)”, [0318]), wherein the graphene layer is formed by sequentially supply in a the first reactant gas (process 520) and the second reactant gas (process 599) into the chamber of the substrate processing system, and wherein the saturated hydrocarbon includes at least one of methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6) (ethyl group, [0318], note that “The ethyl group is derived from ethane”), propane (C3H8), butane (C4H10), pentane (C5H12), and hexane (C6H14).
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 TONY TRAN whose telephone number is (571)270-1749. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8AM-5PM, EST.
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/TONY TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893