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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election without traverse of “Invention I and Species B (Claims 1-7)” in the reply filed on December 12, 2025, is acknowledged.
Claims 8-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
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 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over US 2019/0287599 A1; Higashi et al.; 09/2019; (“599”) in view of US 2023/0012093 A1; Kakushima et al.; 01/2023; (“093”).
Regarding Claim 1. 599 teaches in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 about a memory device, comprising: a plurality of vertically aligned ferroelectric capacitors (Fig. 3, plurality of items MC aligned vertically corresponding to word line conductive layers 202), wherein individual ones of the ferroelectric capacitors comprise (Fig. 4, shows individual components of each ferroelectric capacitor embodying a memory cell (MC)):
an outer plate (Fig. 4, layer item 202);
a ferroelectric layer (Fig. 4, layer item 205) internal to the outer plate (Fig. 4, item 205 is internal to layer item 202), wherein individual ones of the ferroelectric layers are not contiguous to each other (Fig. 4, items 205 are not contiguous to each other); and
an individual portion of a shared inner plate extending through individual ones of the ferroelectric layers and the outer plates (Fig. 4, item 203 is shared vertically through individual ferroelectric layers and the outer plates), and
an access transistor (Fig. 3, item STS) coupled to the inner plate (Fig, 3, item STS couples to item 203, please see Fig. 2 for equivalent circuit diagram).
599 does not teach about a memory device, comprising:
wherein the inner plate has a first width within a first one of the ferroelectric capacitors, a second width within a second one of the ferroelectric capacitors, and a third width between the first and second ones of the ferroelectric capacitors, the third width being greater than the first and second widths.
093 teaches in Fig. 31 about a memory device, comprising:
wherein the inner plate (inner plate item directly below item BL) has a first width within a first one of the ferroelectric capacitors (first width within a first ferroelectric capacitor), a second width within a second one of the ferroelectric capacitors (second width within a second ferroelectric capacitor), and a third width between the first and second ones of the ferroelectric capacitors (third width between the first and second ferroelectric capacitor), the third width being in between the first and second widths.
Thus, it would have been obvious to try by one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time the
invention was made, to consider utilizing the conical shaped inner plate of 093 to embody the bit line (BL) in 599 in order to provide a horizontal landing margin for the interface between the inner plate and the source contact (item SL) as taught by 093 in Fig. 31.
It would have been also obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to have changed the shape of the inner plate by changing the third width to accommodate for any structural support requirements of the stack because the number and type of surfaces in contact with the inner plate remain the same, since it has been held that adjusting the shape of an article involves only routine skill in the art. In re Dailey, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1966). See MPEP 2144.04.
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Fig. 31, annotated by Examiner from Kakushima et al., “093”
Regarding Claim 2. 599 teaches in Fig. 4 about a memory device, wherein a portion of the inner plate at the third width is not vertically between the ferroelectric layers.
599 does not teach about a memory device, wherein a portion of the inner plate at the third width is vertically between the ferroelectric layers.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to have changed the shape of the inner plate by changing the third width to accommodate for any structural support requirements of the stack because the number and type of surfaces in contact with the inner plate at the third width remain the same, since it has been held that adjusting the shape of an article involves only routine skill in the art. In re Dailey, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1966). See MPEP 2144.04.
Regarding Claim 3. 599 teaches in Fig. 4 about a memory device, wherein individual ones of the ferroelectric layers comprise a non-perovskite metal oxide in an orthorhombic or tetragonal phase (“the ferroelectric film 205 includes, for example, hafnium (Hf) and oxygen (O) as main components … also includes … silicon (Si) …, the ferroelectric film 205 has a … orthorhombic crystal”, [0056], Ln. 1-9).
Regarding Claim 4. 599 teaches in Fig. 4 about a memory device, wherein individual ones of the ferroelectric layers comprise hafnium and oxygen. (“the ferroelectric film 205 includes, for example, hafnium (Hf) and oxygen (O) as main components”, [0056], Ln. 1-2).
Regarding Claim 5. 599 teaches in Fig. 4 about a memory device, wherein individual ones of the ferroelectric layers comprise predominantly hafnium, zirconium, and oxygen. (“the ferroelectric film 205 includes, for example, hafnium (Hf) and oxygen (0) as main components … also includes … zirconium (Zr)”, [0056], Ln. 1-5).
Regarding Claim 6. 599 teaches in Fig. 4 about a memory device, wherein an outer plate comprises predominantly tungsten, or both titanium and nitrogen (“the conductive layer 202 … is including the likes of a laminated film of titanium nitride (TiN) and tungsten (W)”, [0053], Ln. 1-4).
599 does not teach about a memory device, wherein an outer plate comprises predominantly molybdenum.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have used an outer plate comprising predominantly a material in the same group of the periodic table and also a refractory transition metal similar to tungsten, such as molybdenum, since it has been held to be within the general skill of worker in the art to select known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design variation and choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over US 2019/0287599 A1; Higashi et al.; 09/2019; (“599”) in view of US 2023/0012093 A1; Kakushima et al.; 01/2023; (“093”) in further view of US 2024/0196624 A1; Song et al.; 06/2024; (“624”).
Regarding Claim 7. 599 teaches in Fig. 3 about a memory device, comprising an insulating gap between vertically adjacent outer plates (empty space between outer plate items 202).
599 does not teach about a memory device, wherein the insulator comprises oxygen and carbon, or predominantly silicon and oxygen.
599 in view of 093 does not teach about a memory device, wherein the insulator comprises oxygen and carbon, or predominantly silicon and oxygen.
624 teaches in Fig. 6 about a memory device, comprising an insulator (layer items ILD) between vertically adjacent outer plates (vertically adjacent plate items EL2), and wherein the insulator comprises predominantly silicon and oxygen (“interlayer insulation layers ILD may include silicon oxide”, [0081], Ln. 12-13).
624 does not teach about a memory device, wherein the insulator comprises oxygen and carbon.
Thus, it would have been obvious to try by one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time the
invention was made, to consider utilizing the insulating silicon oxide layers between vertical adjacent outer plates of 624 to electrically isolate adjacent outer plates in 599 in order to provide insulation between vertically adjacent outer plates as taught by 624 in Fig. 6.
It would have been also obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have used an insulating layer comprising a material in the same group of the periodic table similar to silicon, such as carbon and also combined with oxygen, since it has been held to be within the general skill of worker in the art to select known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design variation and choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JORGE ANDRES LOPEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-5763. The examiner can normally be reached M-F (8:30am to 5:00pm).
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/FERNANDO L TOLEDO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2897
/JORGE ANDRES LOPEZ/Examiner, Art Unit 2897