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 Objections
Claim 22 objected to because of the following informalities: it is belonged to cancel claim 21. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated TAKATSUKI (Pub. No.: US 2020/0111675).
Re claim 7, TAKATSUKI teaches a method comprising:
providing a feature on a substrate, the feature comprising a metal surface (102) having a layer of metal oxide (102a, FIG. 5B) formed thereon and a dielectric surface: and
exposing the feature to a metal halide (“a chemical etching is promoted by using at least one of the WF6, WCl5, WCl6”, FIG. 5B, [0050]) to remove the layer of metal oxide from the metal surface (FIG. 5A → 5B), wherein filling the feature (210) comprises an atomic layer deposition [0079] or chemical vapor deposition process, including plasma enhanced or thermal processes, to deposit bulk conductive material (210),
wherein deposition of the bulk conductive material (210) is selective to the metal surface (102) with respect to the dielectric surface (110, FIG, 5C).
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) 1-6, 8-16, 20, 22-23 and 24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over TAKATSUKI (Pub. No.: US 2020/0111675) in view of another Thombare (Pub. No.: US 2018/0294187).
Re claim 1, TAKATSUKI teaches a method comprising:
providing a feature on a substrate (101), the feature comprising a metal surface (102) having a layer of metal oxide (102a, FIG. 5A, ¶ [0048]) formed thereon and a dielectric surface; and
exposing the feature to a metal halide (“a chemical etching is promoted by using at least one of the WF6, WCl5, WCl6”, FIG. 5B, [0050]) to remove the layer of metal oxide (102a) from the metal surface (102) wherein exposing the feature to a metal halide [0060] to remove the layer of metal oxide [0059] from the metal surface comprises exposing the feature to a plurality of cycles (ALD, [0079]).
TAKATSUKI fails to teach wherein each cycle comprises a dose of a metal halide followed by a pulse of an inert gas.
Thombare teaches wherein exposing the feature to a metal halide to remove the layer of metal oxide (“Pulse of Mo-containing precursor” of ¶ [0058] between ¶ [0058]-[0060] processes, note that the Mo-containing precursor is a Cl-containing precursor such as MoOCl.sub.4”, [0066], processes 457 to 458 of FIG. 4B) from the metal surface comprises exposing the feature to a plurality of cycles, wherein each cycle comprises a dose of a metal halide followed by a pulse of an inert gas (‘Argon purge”, [0061]).
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 reducing high resistivity for thinner films as taught by Thombare, [0003].
Re claim 2, in the combination, TAKATSUKI teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising filling the feature with a conductive material (210, FIG. 5C, [0074]).
Re claim 3, in the combination, TAKATSUKI teaches the method of claim 2, wherein the conductive material (210, FIG. 5C) directly contacts the metal surface (102) and the dielectric surface (110) without an interposed layer.
Re claim 4, in the combination, Thombare teaches the method of claim 2, wherein filling the feature with a conductive material comprises depositing a nucleation layer of the conductive material prior to depositing bulk conductive material [0088].
Re claim 5, in the combination, TAKATSUKI teaches the method of claim 2, wherein filling the feature with a conductive material comprises depositing bulk conductive material without depositing a nucleation layer (from the bottom up to form 210, [0074]).
Re claim 6, in the combination, TAKATSUKI teaches the method of claim 1, wherein filling the feature comprises an atomic layer deposition or chemical vapor deposition process, including plasma enhanced or thermal processes, to deposit bulk conductive material [0079].
Re claim 8, in the combination, TAKATSUKI teaches the method of claim 6, wherein deposition of the bulk conductive material (210, FIG. 5C) is non-selective to the metal (102) and dielectric surfaces (110).
Re claim 9, in the combination, Thombare teaches the method of any of claim 2, wherein exposing the feature to the metal halide and filling the feature with a conductive material are performed in the same chamber (a single deposition chamber, [0088]-[0089]).
Re claim 10, in the combination, Thombare teaches the method of claim 2, wherein exposing the feature to the metal halide and filling the feature with a conductive material are performed in different stations of the same chamber (“various steps for the nucleation process are performed at two different stations of a deposition chamber”, [0088]-[0089]).
Re claim 11, in the combination, TAKATSUKI teaches the method of any of claim 2, wherein exposing the feature to the metal halide and filling the feature with a conductive material are performed in different chambers (swapping among chambers 11 to 14 as shown in FIG. 1, [0021]).
Re claim 12, in the combination, TAKATSUKI teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the conductive material is selected from molybdenum (Mo), ruthenium (Ru), tungsten (W), iridium (ir), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), and titanium nitride (TiN) (210, FIG. 5C, [0074]).
Re claim 13, in the combination, Thombare teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the metal surface is a one of a titanium nitride (TiN) surface, a molybdenum nitride (MoNx) surface, a tungsten nitride (WN) surface, a tungsten carbon nitride (WCxNy) surface, a tungsten carbide (WCx) surface, a titanium aluminum carbide (TiAlxCy) surface, or a tantalum nitride (TaN) surface (106/206, FIGS. 1A/2, [0020]/[0023]).
Re claim 14, in the combination, TAKATSUKI teaches the method of any of claim 1 wherein the metal of the metal halide is one of Mo, W, Cr, Ti, Ta, and vanadium (V) [0094].
Re claim 15, in the combination, TAKATSUKI teaches the method of any of claim 1 wherein the metal halide is one of tungsten hexafluoride (WF6), tungsten hexachloride (WCl6), tungsten pentachloride (WCl5), tungsten hexabromide (WBr6) [0094].
Re claim 16, in the combination, Thombare teaches the method of any of claim 1 wherein the metal halide is one of molybdenum hexafluoride (MoF6) and molybdenum pentachloride (MoCl5) [0004].
Re claim 20, in the combination, TAKATSUKI teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising performing a reducing treatment (with H2, [0068) to remove residual halogen (SOCl2) after removing the layer of metal oxide.
Re claim 22, in the combination, TAKATSUKI teaches the method of claim 21, wherein the plurality of cycles is at least 20 cycles (in order to achieve a desired thickness of step 462 of FIG. 4B).
Re claim 23, in the combination, TAKATSUKI teaches the method of claim 2, wherein the bulk conductive layer is deposited using the metal halide (WF6, [0067]).
Re claim 24, in the combination, TAKATSUKI teaches a method comprising:
providing a feature on a substrate, the feature comprising a metal surface (102) having a layer of metal oxide (102a) formed thereon and a dielectric surface (110); and exposing the feature to a metal halide to remove the layer of metal oxide from the metal surface (FIG. 5A → 5B),
wherein exposing the feature to a metal halide to remove the layer of metal oxide from the metal surface comprises exposing the feature to a plurality of cycles, wherein each cycle comprises a dose of pulse WCl5 ([0058], note that this is performed under the ALD process, [0079], and wherein the bulk conductive layer is deposited using a molybdenum precursor (halogen-containing gas) and a reducing agent hydrogen, [0078].
TAKATSUKI fails to teach wherein each cycle comprises a dose of a MoCl5 followed by a pulse of an inert gas.
Thombare teaches wherein each cycle comprises a dose of a MoCl5 (“Pulse of Mo-containing precursor” of ¶ [0058] between ¶ [0058]-[0060] processes, note that the Mo-containing precursor is a Cl-containing precursor such as MoOCl4”, [0066], processes 457 to 458 of FIG. 4B) followed by a pulse of an inert gas (‘Argon purge”, [0061]).
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 reducing high resistivity for thinner films as taught by Thombare, [0003].
Claim(s) 17-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over TAKATSUKI.
Re claim 17/18/19, TAKATSUKI teaches all the limitation of claim 1 and wherein exposing the feature to a metal halide to remove the layer of metal oxide (102a, FIGS. 5A → 5B, [0093]) from the metal surface comprises exposing the feature to a plurality of cycles (ALD process, [0092]).
TAKATSUKI fails to teach the limitation of claim 17/18/19.
However, TAKATSUKI teaches wherein the metal halide is one of niobium pentachloride (NbCl5) and niobium pentabromide (NbBr5) (claim 17); wherein the metal halide is one of tantalum pentafluoride (TaF5) and tantalum pentachloride (TaCl5) (claim 18); and wherein the metal halide is one of vanadium pentafluoride (VF5), chromium pentafluoride (CrF5), and titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) (claim 20) (“The tungsten oxide film is an example of the metal oxide film. In this experiment, ClF3, WCl5, and WCl6 gases were used as the other halogen gases”, FIG. 2, ¶ [0045]).
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 effecting remove the oxide material using the halogen containing gas as taught by TAKATSUKI, Abstract.
Moreover, TAKATSUKI does not specifically disclose the specific material as teaching in claim 17-19.
However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to include the above said teaching since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 277 F.2d 197, 125 USPQ 416.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments with respect to claims 1-20 and 22-24 on the remarks filed on 10/29/2025 have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 2019/0189456 A1; US 2019/02373019 A1.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Britt Hanley can be reached at 571-270-3042. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TONY TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893