DETAILED ACTION
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 3 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 3 recites the limitation “the metal layer” in line 1.
However, there is a lack of antecedent bases for “the metal layer” because base independent claim on recites “filling the recessed features with a metal.” Chaing the limitation to “the metal layer” to --the metal” in claim 3 or alternatively changing the limitation “a metal” to --a metal layer-- in claim 1 provides proper antecedent basis. Appropriate correction is required.
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) 1-3, 5, 17 and 22-29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chang et al. (US 6,875,692) in view of Joi et al. (US 10,163,695).
Re Claim 1, Chang et al. disclose a method comprising: (a) receiving a metallization layer (12) having recessed features (16) within a dielectric layer (14) comprising a dielectric material (see Fig 1); (b) conformally depositing one or more layers collectively comprising copper (24) and metal over the recessed features (see Figs. 2 and 3), wherein conformally depositing at least one layer of the one or more layers comprises a copper atomic layer deposition (ALD) process; and (c) filling the recessed features (16) with a metal (see figs. 1-4 are related text in Col. 1, line 65 – Col. 3, line 17).
The difference between the instant application and Chang et al. disclosure is that the instant application is used to form zinc as barrier layer on the dielectric sidewall of the recess feature whereas Chang et al. use Sn (tin) to form a barrier layer on the sidewall of the recess feature. Furthermore, Chang et al. silent about ALD process during formation of copper seed layer. Therefore, Chang et al. do not disclose zinc and ALD process to deposit the copper layer.
Joi et al. disclose conformally depositing zinc layer (182) over dielectric layer (164) having opening (165) and a metallization layer (180) in order to form zinc-based barrier/adhesion layer (see Figs 10C and related text in Col. 10, lines 13-29). Furthermore, Joi et al. disclose forming copper seed layer using ALD process (see Col. 11, lines 21-30).
Therefore, it 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 to provide Chang et al. reference with Zn and ALD deposition Cu seed layer as taught by Joi et al. in order to form an adhesion barrier layer and ALD process also advantageous to form thin film layer at low pressure and temperature.
Re Claim 2, as applied to claim 1 above, Chang et al. and Joi et al. in combination disclose all the claimed limitations including causing zinc to diffuse from the one or more layers into the dielectric layer (see Joi et al. Col. 9, lines 53-56).
Re Claim 3 s applied to claim 1 above, Chang et al. and Joi et al. in combination disclose all the claimed limitations including prior to forming the metal layer in the recessed features, annealing the one or more layers at a temperature of at most about 200°C to 350°C, i.e., within the claimed limitation of 250°C, (see Col 11, line 65 – Col. 12, line 13).
Re Claim 5, as applied to claim 1 above, Chang et al. and Joi et al. in combination disclose all the claimed limitations including wherein the one or more layers are electrically conductive and wherein at least one of the one or more layers provides a barrier to diffusion of metal ions from a metal layer to the dielectric material metal (see Chang et al. Figs. 1-4 are related text in Col. 1, line 65 – Col. 3, line 17; and Joi et al. Col. 11, lines 21-30).
Re Claim 17, as applied to claim 1 above, Chang et al. and Joi et al. in combination disclose all the claimed limitations including wherein conformally depositing the one or more layers comprises:(a) depositing a first zinc layer on the dielectric material, and (b) depositing a copper layer by an ALD process (see Chang et al. Figs. 1-4 are related text in Col. 1, line 65 – Col. 3, line 17; and Joi et al. Col. 11, lines 21-30).
Re Claim 22, as applied to claim 1 above, Chang et al. and Joi et al. in combination disclose all the claimed limitations including prior to depositing the one or more layers, conformally depositing a liner layer over the recessed features (see Chang et al. Figs. 1-4 are related text in Col. 1, line 65 – Col. 3, line 17; and Joi et al. Col. 11, lines 21-30).
Re Claim 23, as applied to claim 22 above, Chang et al. and Joi et al. in combination disclose all the claimed limitations including wherein the liner layer comprises at least one material chosen from the group consisting of: zinc, tantalum, titanium, tungsten, molybdenum, and their nitrides, carbides, and carbonitrides (see Chang et al. Figs. 1-4 are related text in Col. 1, line 65 – Col. 3, line 17; and Joi et al. Col. 11, lines 21-30).
Re Claim 24, as applied to claim 1 above, Chang et al. and Joi et al. in combination disclose all the claimed limitations including wherein filling the recessed features is performed by an electrodeposition process (see Chang et al. Figs. 1-4 are related text in Col. 1, line 65 – Col. 3, line 17; and Joi et al. Col. 11, lines 21-30).
Re Claim 25, as applied to claim 1 above, Chang et al. and Joi et al. in combination disclose all the claimed limitations including wherein the metal is copper that is substantially free of zinc (see Chang et al. Figs. 1-4 are related text in Col. 1, line 65 – Col. 3, line 17; and Joi et al. Col. 11, lines 21-30).
Re Claim 26, as applied to claim 1 above, Chang et al. and Joi et al. in combination disclose all the claimed limitations including wherein at least some of the recessed features have a predetermined aspect ratio. Furthermore, the claimed aspect ratio is within the scope of combination of Chang et al. and Joi et al. and can routinely optimized in order to achieve the desired device size.
Re Claim 27, as applied to claim 26 above, Chang et al. and Joi et al. in combination disclose all the claimed limitations including wherein at least some of the recessed features having a predetermined aspect ratio and predetermined width or diameter. Furthermore, the claimed aspect ratio as well as diameter is within the scope of combination of Chang et al. and Joi et al. and can routinely optimized in order to achieve the desired device size.
Re Claim 28, as applied to claim 1 above, Chang et al. and Joi et al. in combination disclose all the claimed limitations including wherein the dielectric material has a dielectric constant of about 3.0 or lower.
Re Claim 29, Chang et al. disclose a device, comprising: a dielectric layer (14) comprising a dielectric material and having recessed (16) features, wherein at least some of the recessed features have a predetermined critical dimension; one or more layers comprising at least one of copper (24) and metal conformally formed in the dielectric layer (14); and electrically conductive material (26) formed in the recessed features, wherein the electrically conductive material is substantially zinc-free (see figs. 1-4 are related text in Col. 1, line 65 – Col. 3, line 17).
The difference between the instant application and Chang et al. disclosure is that the instant application is used to form zinc as barrier layer on the dielectric sidewall of the recess feature whereas Chang et al. use Sn (tin) to form a barrier layer on the sidewall of the recess feature
Joi et al. disclose conformally depositing zinc layer (182) over dielectric layer (164) having opening (165) and a metallization layer (180) in order to form zinc-based barrier/adhesion layer (see Figs 10C and related text in Col. 10, lines 13-29).
Therefore, it 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 to provide Chang et al. reference with Zn layer as taught by Joi et al. in order to form an adhesion barrier layer.
Furthermore, the claimed aspect ratio is within the scope of combination of Chang et al. and Joi et al. and can routinely optimized in order to achieve the desired device size.
Claim(s) 30 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Joi et al. (US 10,163,695) in view of Chang et al. (US 6,875,692).
Re Claim 30, Joi et al. disclose an apparatus, comprising: a reaction chamber (not shown) configured to hold a substrate during a conformal deposition reaction on a substrate having recessed features (165) within a dielectric layer (164) comprising a dielectric material; and a controller (1500, Fig. 15) that includes one or more processors and one or more memory devices (i.e., the computer as describe in Col. 13, lines 15-29 has memory) , wherein the one or more memory devices store computer-executable instructions (i.e., software Col 13, lines 15-29) for controlling the one or more processors to: (a) receive the substrate (Abstract) in the reaction chamber;(b) conformally deposit one or more layers collectively comprising zinc (182, ) over the recessed features (165), wherein conformally depositing at least one layer of the one or more layers comprises a copper atomic layer deposition (ALD) process (see Fig. 10C and related text in Col. 10, lines 13-29).
However, Joi et al. do not disclose forming of copper and transfer the substrate to an electroplating cell.
Chang et al. disclose formation of copper seed layer (24) over metal layer and depositing of bulk copper layer (26) to fill the opening (16) via electroplating process (see Fig. 3 and Col. 3, lines 40-55, i.e., process requires transferring of the substrate to electroplating cell).
Therefore, it 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 to provide Joi et al. reference with forming of copper and transfer the substrate to an electroplating cell as taught by Chang et al. in order to form copper plug with electroplating process.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 6-16 and 18-21 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure Lee et al. (US 2017/0005038) disclose similar inventive subject matter.
Correspondence
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/BROOK KEBEDE/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2894
/BK/
November 1, 2025