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 .
DETAILED ACTION
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.
Claim(s) 9-12 and 19 are is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yamazaki et al. (US 2020/0212185, as disclosed in previous office action).
As for claim 9, Yamazaki et al. disclose in Fig. 29 and the related text a semiconductor device comprising:
a first device layer 290-1 to an n-th (n is a natural number of 2 or more) device layer 290-n which are stacked over a substrate in order (Fig. 29, [0006]),
wherein each of the first device layer 290-1 to the n-th device layer comprises a structure body comprising an oxide semiconductor device 230/242a/243a/250/260 and a first conductor 240a, and a second conductor 240a,
wherein the first device layer comprises a first barrier insulating film 211 under the oxide semiconductor device (Fig. 29),
wherein the n-th device layer comprises a second barrier insulating film 283/284/286/287 over and in (thermally) contact with the second conductor 246a of the n-th device layer (Fig. 29),
wherein in each of the first device layer to the n-th device layer, the first conductor 240a is placed over the oxide semiconductor device so as to be electrically connected to the oxide semiconductor device (Fig. 29), and the second conductor 246a is placed over the first conductor (Fig. 29),
wherein an opening (where 21 is formed in) reaching the first barrier insulating film 211 in the first device layer is formed in the first device layer to the n-th device layer (Fig. 29),
wherein the opening is provided so as to surround the oxide semiconductor device in the first device layer to the n-th device layer (Fig. 29), and
wherein the second barrier insulating film 283/284/286/287 is in (thermally) contact with a side surface of the structure body in the first device layer to side surface of the structure body in the n-th device layer (fig. 29).
As for claim 10, Yamazaki et al. disclose the semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein the second barrier insulating film 283/284/286/287 in the n-th device layer is in (thermally/electrically) contact with the first barrier insulating film 211 in the first device layer in a region where the second barrier insulating film 283/284/286/287 in the n-th device layer does not overlap with the oxide semiconductor device in the first device layer to the n-th device layer (Fig. 29).
As for claim 11, Yamazaki et al. disclose the semiconductor device according to any one of claim 1, wherein the first barrier insulating film 211 and second barrier insulating film 283/284/286/287 are silicon nitride ([0166] and [0439]).
As for claim 12, Yamazaki et al. disclose the semiconductor device according to any one of claim 1, wherein the second barrier insulating film 283/284/286/287 comprises a first layer 283 and a second layer 284/286/287 over the first layer, and wherein the first layer has a lower hydrogen concentration than the second layer ([0162], [0170] and [0439]).
As for claim 19, Yamazaki et al. disclose the semiconductor device according to any one of claim 1, wherein the second barrier insulating film 283/284/286/287 comprises a first layer 283/284/287 and a second layer 286 over the first layer, and wherein a thickness of the second layer is smaller than a thickness of the first layer (Fig. 29).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's response filed on 06/02/2026 is acknowledged and is answered as follows.
Applicant’s arguments, see pgs 4-6, with respect to claim 9 rejection that “the n-th device layer comprises a second barrier insulating film over and in contact with the second conductor of the n-th device layer” have been fully considered but they are not persuasive in view of the following reasons.
Fig. 29 of Yamazaki et al. teach the n-th device layer 290_1/290_n comprises a second barrier insulating film 283/284/286/287 over and in (thermally) contact with the second conductor 246a of the n-th device layer. Therefore, Yamazaki et al. still disclosed the claimed invention.
In view of the foregoing reasons, the Examiner believes that all Applicant’s arguments and remarks are addressed. The Examiner has determined that the previous Office Action is still proper based on the above responses. Therefore, the rejections are sustained and maintained.
Conclusion
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/TRANG Q TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2811
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