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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 30 January 2026 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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) 1-5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 16, and 56-57 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lavoie et al, US Patent Application Publication 2007/0105375 (as cited in previous Office Action)
Regarding claim 1, Lavoie teaches a method of forming an interconnect structure, or a portion thereof, on a substrate, the method comprising:
a. receiving the substrate in a wet processing chamber (taught in [0023] with wet chemical processes of immersing the substate in solutions), the substrate comprising dielectric material with recessed features formed in the dielectric material, wherein the interconnect structure is to be formed in the recessed features, wherein a first material is exposed within the recessed features (as taught in [0020], which discloses the semiconductor substrate being a semiconductor wafer that includes a dielectric layer on its surface with at least one trench in which copper interconnect is to be formed);
b. contacting the substrate with a functionalization bath comprising a first solvent and a functionalization reactant (MIP solution, with 302, 304 and 306 [0020-0024,0038]) to form a modified first material 300 on a surface of the first material (figure 3),
wherein the modified first material comprises the first material modified by the functionalization reactant, and
wherein the functionalization reactant comprises (1) a binding functional group (coupling agent 302 and/or amine 304) that binds the functionalization reactant the first material, and (2) an active functional group (304 and/or 306) that promotes deposition of a second material (such as copper) on the modified first material, wherein the binding functional group and the active functional group may be the same or different; and
wherein the binding functional group and the active functional group are provided on the same molecule, and wherein at least one of the following conditions are satisfied
(i) the active functional group comprises a reducing group comprising a material selected from the group consisting of. a borohydride, a borane, an aldehyde, an acid, a hypophosphite, hydrazine, a glycol, a reductive metal ion (a metal ion that is activated by a reducing agent) [0024], a substituted form of any of these materials, and combinations thereof
(ii) the active functional group comprises a catalyzing functional group comprising a material selected from the group consisting of: nanoparticles of a metal 306, nanoparticles of a metal oxide, and combinations thereof,
(iii) the active functional group comprises a decomplexing functional group comprising a material selected from the group consisting of: a hydroxyl, an alcohol (portion of 300 that contains the -OH group), an ester, an ether, a carboxylic acid, and combinations thereof,
(iv) the active functional group comprises an adhesive functional group comprising a material selected from the group consisting of: a hydroxide, an alcohol (portion of 300 that contains the -OH group), a carboxylic acid, a metal oxide, and combinations thereof, and/or
(v) the binding functional group comprises a physisorbing functional group comprising a material selected from the group consisting of: a phosphonate, a carboxylate, an amine, an alkyne, an alkene, catechol, a catechol derivative, and combinations thereof;
c. depositing the second material (copper) on the modified first material,
wherein the second material is deposited through electroless plating [0025], electroplating [0033], chemical vapor deposition, or atomic layer deposition [0032] (as shown in figures 5E-5F).
Regarding claim 2, Lavoie teaches the active functional group comprises the reducing group (metal 306 when reduced, [0024])
Regarding claims 3-4, Lavoie teaches the active functional group comprises the catalyzing functional group 306 (figure 3), wherein the catalyzing functional group comprises the nanoparticles of the metal.
Regarding claim 5, Lavoie teaches the active functional group comprises the decomplexing functional group
Regarding claim 7, Lavoie teaches the active functional group comprises the adhesive functional group.
Regarding claims 9, Lavoie teaches the binding functional group comprises the physisorbing functional group
Regarding claims 11- 12, Lavoie teaches the binding functional group comprises a chemisorbing functional group, wherein the chemisorbing functional group comprises a material selected from the group consisting of: a hydroxide, a silane, an ester, a silazane, a silyl-acetamide, a silyl-imidazole, and combinations thereof (figure 3).
Regarding claim 16, Lavoie teaches the second material 510 is deposited through chemical vapor deposition or atomic layer deposition, and wherein the second material is deposited in a vapor deposition chamber using a metal mass source, wherein the second material comprises a metal in the metal mass source [0031-0035].
Regarding claim 56, Lavoie teaches a system for forming an interconnect structure, or a portion thereof, on a substrate, the system comprising:
a. a first wet processing chamber (taught in [0023] with wet chemical processes of immersing the substate in solutions);
b. an optional second wet processing chamber (Note: the second processing chamber is the same as the first processing chamber, as taught in [0023]);
c. an optional vacuum chamber (chemical vapor deposition apparatus, or atomic layer deposition apparatus [0032]); and
d. a controller configured to cause:
i. receiving the substrate in the wet processing chamber (taught in [0023] with wet chemical processes of immersing the substate in solutions), the substrate comprising dielectric material with recessed features formed in the dielectric material, wherein the interconnect structure is to be formed in the recessed features, wherein a first material is exposed within the recessed features (as taught in [0020], which discloses the semiconductor substrate being a semiconductor wafer that includes a dielectric layer on its surface with at least one trench in which copper interconnect is to be formed);
ii. contacting the substrate with a functionalization bath comprising a first solvent and a functionalization reactant (MIP solution, with 302, 304 and 306 [0020-0024,0038]) to form a modified first material 300 on a surface of the first material (figure 3),
wherein the modified first material comprises the first material modified by the functionalization reactant, and
wherein the functionalization reactant comprises
(A) a binding functional group (coupling agent 302 and/or amine 304) that binds the functionalization reactant to the first material, and
(B) an active functional group (304 and/or 306) promotes deposition of a second material (copper) on the modified first material, wherein the binding functional group and the active functional group may be the same or different; and
iii. depositing the second material on the modified first material while the substrate is either in the first wet processing chamber, the optional second wet processing chamber, or the optional vacuum chamber,
wherein the second material is deposited through electroless plating [0025], electroplating [0033], chemical vapor deposition, or atomic layer deposition [0032] (figures 5E-5F).
Regarding claim 57, Lavoie and Tanaka teaches the second material is a barrier layer or a barrier layer precursor (copper)
Claim(s) 13-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lavoie as applied to claims 1-12, 16, and 56-57 above, and further in view of Saijo et al, US Patent Application Publication 2005/0009340 (as cited in previous Office Action)
Regarding claims 13 and 14, Lavoie fails to teach the functionalization bath further comprises a pH adjustment species comprising a base or an acid, wherein the base or acid of the pH adjustment species comprises a material selected form the group consisting of: triethylamine, tetramethylammonium hydroxide, ammonium hydroxide, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, and combinations thereof.
However, Saijo teaches a generally-known means of forming a metal layer using a solution. In order to dissolve the metal element and form an electrolyte solution for metal deposition, an anion which forms a pair with a metal ion (cation) is necessary. As a compound providing the anion, inorganic acids such as sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid or nitric acid and organic acids such as acetic acid, formic acid or oxalic acid may be used [0052], with sulfuric acid being the most desirable. Therefore, Saijo teaches the limitations of “the functionalization bath further comprises a pH adjustment species comprising a base or an acid, wherein the base or acid of the pH adjustment species comprises a material selected form the group consisting of: triethylamine, tetramethylammonium hydroxide, ammonium hydroxide, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, and combinations thereof”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Saijo with that of Lavoie because an anion which forms a pair with a metal ion (cation) is necessary in order to dissolve the metal element and form an electrolyte (catalyst)) solution necessary for depositing a metal material.
Regarding claim 15, while Lavoie teaches the second material is deposited through electroless plating or electroplating (abstract and [0033]), Lavoie fails to teach the second material is deposited in a deposition bath comprising a solvent and a metal mass source, wherein the second material comprises a metal in the metal mass source.
However, Saijo teaches that electroless plating, which uses a deposition bath comprising a solvent and a metal mass source, wherein the second material comprises a metal in the metal mass source [0070]
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Saijo with that of Lavoie because electroless deposition is generally-known and conventionally-used in the art to deposit metal material on a substrate.
Claim(s) 17-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lavoie as applied to claims 1-12, 16, and 56-57 above, and further in view of Kolics, US Patent Application Publication 2013/0224511 (as cited in previous Office Action).
Regarding claim 17-18, while Lavoie teaches the second material is deposited through electroless plating, electroplating, chemical vapor deposition, or atomic vapor deposition, wherein the second material is deposited using a metal mass source, wherein the second material comprises a metal in the metal mass source [0031-0035], Lavoie fails to teach the metal mass source comprises a metal salt, wherein the metal salt comprises a material selected from the group consisting of: a metal halide, a metal sulfite, a metal sulfate, a metal hydroxide, a metal nitrate, a metal phosphite, a metal phosphate, and combinations thereof.
Kolics teaches an alternative coupling material, which is called an anchor compound. This is a molecule or ion having one or more functional groups that form a chemical bond with an oxide surface and one or more functional groups that form a chemical bond with a metal or metal alloy having properties suitable for use as gapfill metal in an electronic device. Kolics teaches the metal mass source comprises a metal salt [0028-0034], wherein the metal salt comprises a material selected from the group consisting of: a metal halide, a metal sulfite, a metal sulfate, a metal hydroxide, a metal nitrate, a metal phosphite [0027], a metal phosphate [0034], and combinations thereof.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Kolics with that of Lavoie because anchor material are also suitable materials that are generally-known in the art to attach metal materials to form high quality interconnects.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6, 8, and 10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments concerning the combination of the references of Lavoie with that of Tanaka have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to Applicant’s argument that one of ordinary skill in the art would not combined the references as suggested because the barrier layer of Tanaka and the barrier layer of Lavoie are provided for different purposes and can’t be swapped out successfully, Examiner has amended the rejection. The reference of Lavoie meets the limitation on its own merit. As stated above, figures 2-3 and [0020] Lavoie teaches the semiconductor substrate being a semiconductor wafer that includes a dielectric layer on its surface with at least one trench in which copper interconnect is to be formed. This would be comparable to the figure 5 drawings but not including layer 506. Therefore, the reference of Lavoie meets this limitation.
In response to Applicant’s argument that the reference of Lavoie fails to teach the limitation of the “the binding functional group and the active functional group are provided on the same molecule”, Examiner maintains that the reference of Lavoie meets this limitations.
(1)The combination of the silyl group 302 and the nitrogen group 304 may be considered the binding functional group, with the metal catalyst 306 being the active functional group. This interpretation meets the limitation of the binding functional group and the active functional group being different and are provided on the same molecule.
(2) The combination of the nitrogen group 304 and the metal catalyst 306 may be considered the active functional group, with the silyl group 302 being the binding functional group. This interpretation meets the limitation of the binding functional group and the active functional group being different and are provided on the same molecule
(3) The entire molecule 300 may be considered as both the binding functional group and active functional group. This interpretation meets the limitation of the binding functional group and the active functional group being the same and are provided on the same molecule, which is the dielectric layer with the trench.
Therefore, for these reasons, Examiner maintains that the cited prior art of Lavoie meets the limitation of these claims.
Conclusion
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/DALE E PAGE/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2899