DETAILED ACTION
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 7/22/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that primary reference Sun does not teach certain advantages provided by the amended claim which requires the first and third insulating layers into contact (Remarks, p. 8). This limitation is not supported by the original disclosure; see 112(a) rejection below. No further arguments regarding Sun or other cited references are provided. The rejection is maintained.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1 and 6-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Applicant has amended claim 1 to require that the first and third insulators are in contact with each other. For support, Applicant cites to Fig. 1B and paragraph [0075] of the specification (Remarks, p. 9). Applicant further provided an annotated version of Fig. 1B, listing the first insulator as 105, the second insulator as 155, and the third insulator as 152 (Remarks, p. 9). A clean copy of Fig. 1B is reproduced below for legibility.
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Fig. 1B does not depict the first insulator 105 and the third insulator 152 as in contact.
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Fig. 1C, reproduced above, does depict the first insulator 105 and the third insulator 152 as in contact. However, claim 1 requires that the ferroelectric layer 130 contact the top surface of the first insulator 105 and a side surface of the first conductor 110, corresponding to Fig. 1B. No embodiment is disclosed which includes the previously recited limitations corresponding to Fig. 1B and the new limitation corresponding to Fig. 1C. This subject matter was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. This limitation will therefore not be read into the claims.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sun (U.S. PGPub 2015/0206893) in view of Choi (U.S. PGPub 2008/0164503), Jeon (U.S. PGPub 2021/0202508), and Martin (U.S. PGPub 2004/0099893).
Regarding claim 1, Sun teaches a ferroelectric device (Fig. 2I) comprising a first conductor over a first insulator, a ferroelectric layer over the first conductor, a second conductor over the ferroelectric layer (first insulator 232, [0038]; first conductor 238, ferroelectric layer 240, second conductor 242, [0041]), wherein the first insulator comprises nitrogen and silicon (Sun, [0038]),
a second insulator over the second conductor and a third insulator surrounding the first conductor, the ferroelectric layer, the second conductor, and the second insulator, wherein the ferroelectric layer is in contact with a top surface of the first conductor (Fig. 2I, second insulator 250a, third insulator 250b, [0044]),
wherein the second insulator comprises oxygen and aluminum, and wherein the third insulator comprises nitrogen and silicon ([0044]).
Sun does not explicitly teach wherein the ferroelectric layer is in contact with a top surface of the first insulator and a side surface of the first conductor.
Choi teaches a ferroelectric device comprising a ferroelectric layer which contacts the top and side surface of the lower electrode and extends onto the insulating layer adjacent to the device (Fig. 1, lower electrode 182, ferroelectric layer 184/186, insulating layer 170/160, [0031]-[0035) and a protective insulator surrounding the first conductor, ferroelectric layer, and a second conductor layer ([0036]).
Therefore it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filing date to combine the teachings of Choi with Sun such that the ferroelectric layer is in contact with a top surface of the first insulator and a side surface of the first conductor for the purpose of increasing the capacitance (Choi, [0037]).
Sun and Choi do not explicitly teach wherein the ferroelectric layer comprises hafnium and zirconium and an orthorhombic crystal structure.
Sun and Choi teach wherein the ferroelectric layer comprises PZT (Sun, [0041]; Choi, [0035]).
Jeon teaches a ferroelectric device, comprising a first conductor, a ferroelectric layer over the first conductor, and a second conductor over the ferroelectric layer (Fig. 2, 11/13/15, [0073]), wherein the ferroelectric layer comprises hafnium and zirconium and has an orthorhombic crystal structure ([0075]).
Therefore it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filing date to combine the teachings of Jeon with Sun and Choi such that the ferroelectric layer comprises hafnium and zirconium and an orthorhombic crystal structure for the purpose of replacing PZT to improve device miniaturization and CMOS compatibility, and to provide a lead-free ferroelectric (Jeon, [0004]-[0005]).
Sun, Choi, and Jeon do not explicitly teach wherein the second insulator has an amorphous structure.
Martin teaches wherein a hydrogen barrier layer comprising aluminum oxide is amorphous ([0014], [0053]-[0054]).
Therefore it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filing date to combine the teachings of Martin with Sun, Choi, and Jeon such that the second insulator has an amorphous structure for the purpose of providing improved hydrogen barrier properties (Martin, [0014]).
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sun (U.S. PGPub 2015/0206893) in view of Choi (U.S. PGPub 2008/0164503), Jeon (U.S. PGPub 2021/0202508), and Summerfelt (U.S. Pat. 6548343).
Regarding claim 6, Sun, Choi, and Jeon do not explicitly teach wherein a hydrogen concentration in the ferroelectric layer is lower than or equal to 5×1020 atoms/cm3 in secondary ion mass spectrometry.
Summerfelt teaches forming a ferroelectric capacitor and a hydrogen barrier layer over the capacitor, wherein the hydrogen barrier layer comprises an aluminum oxide layer and a silicon nitride layer (Fig. 1, 118, 120, col. 13, l. 8-14) followed by a heat treatment (Fig. 2, 218, 222; thermal step, Abstract; col. 14, l. 60-67).
Applicant’s Specification teaches wherein a heat treatment is performed on second and third insulators comprising aluminum oxide and silicon nitride, which provides the decreased hydrogen concentration in the ferroelectric layer ([0108], [0114]-[0116]; [0672]). Where the claimed and prior art products are identical or substantially identical in structure or composition, or are produced by identical or substantially identical processes, a prima facie case of either anticipation or obviousness has been established. See MPEP 2112.01.
Therefore it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filing date to combine the teachings of Summerfelt with Sun, Choi, and Jeon such that a hydrogen concentration in the ferroelectric layer is lower than or equal to 5×1020 atoms/cm3 in secondary ion mass spectrometry due to incorporating a heat treatment to remove damage in the capacitor stack (Summerfelt, col. 20, l. 44-49).
Claims 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sun (U.S. PGPub 2015/0206893) in view of Choi (U.S. PGPub 2008/0164503), Jeon (U.S. PGPub 2021/0202508), and Sharma (U.S. PGPub 2020/0373312).
Regarding claims 7-8, Sun, Choi, and Jeon teach a transistor below the first insulator, the ferroelectric device according to claim 1, wherein the transistor is below the first insulator, wherein one of a source and drain of the transistor is electrically connected to the first conductor (Sun, Fig. 2I, 214, [0032]; Choi, Fig. 1, 132, [0031]-[0032]).
Sun, Choi, and Jeon do not explicitly teach wherein the transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor layer in a channel formation region.
Sharma teaches a ferroelectric capacitor, a transistor below the ferroelectric capacitor, wherein the transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor layer in a channel formation region, and wherein one of a source and drain of the transistor is electrically connected to the first conductor (Fig. 1, 190, 140, 180, [0027], [0023]-[0024]).
Therefore it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filing date to combine the teachings of Sharma with Sun, Choi, and Jeon such that the transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor layer in a channel formation region for the purpose of improving scaling (Sharma, [0015]).
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.
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/ALIA SABUR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812
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