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 .
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) 1, 4-6, 9-11, and 21-28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ohtou et al. (US 2018/0151494).
Ohtou et al. discloses, as shown in Figures 2A-5C, an integrated circuit (IC) device comprising:
a die (a semiconductor device 100 is inherently a part of a die);
a first metal line (340,BML1) and a second metal line (340,BML2) extending along an axis (horizontal axis), over the die, wherein:
each of the first metal line and the second metal line has a first end and a second end along the axis,
the first end of the second metal line faces the first end of the first metal line,
a first electrically conductive material (340) fills a volume of a portion of the first metal line at the first end and a volume of a portion of the second metal line at the first end (not shown, [0068]),
a second electrically conductive material (BML1) fills a volume of another portion of the second metal line, and
the second electrically conductive material is different from the first electrically conductive material [([0066]-[0069]).
Regarding claim 4, Ohtou et al. discloses the first electrically conductive material comprises tungsten, molybdenum or ruthenium [0069].
Regarding claim 5, Ohtou et al. discloses the another portion of the first metal line is a portion of the first metal line at the second end (BML1, Figures 2A-5C).
Regarding claim 6, Ohtou et al. discloses
axis the axis is a first axis;
the IC device further comprises:
a plurality of metal lines (BML1-BML3) extending, along the first axis, over the die and spaced apart from each other along a second axis by an insulator material (335), and
the first metal line is one of the plurality of metal lines.
Regarding claim 9, Ohtou et al. discloses the first end of the first metal line and the first end of the second metal line are spaced apart from each other by an insulator material (335).
Regarding claim 10, Ohtou et al. discloses the insulator material is a first insulator material,
the IC device further comprises a second insulator material (320) between the die and the first metal line, and
the first insulator material extends into a portion of the second insulator material.
Regarding claim 11, Ohtou et al. discloses the device further comprising:
a first metallization layer (BML1-BLM3) including the first metal line and the second metal line;
a second metallization layer (ML1-ML4) including a third metal line; and
a via (C1-C5) extending between the third metal line and the first end of the first metal line, wherein the via comprises the first electrically conductive material (Figures 2A-5C).
Regarding claim 21, Ohtou et al. discloses the first electrically conductive material is absent from a portion of the another portion of the first metal line that is substantially in a middle of a height and a a middle of a width of the first metal line (Figures 2A-5C).
Regarding claim 22, Ohtou et al. discloses, as shown in Figures 2A-5C, an integrated circuit (IC) device, comprising:
a first conductive line (BML1) along an axis;
a second conductive line (BML2) along the axis; and
an insulator structure (335, [0068]) separating a first end of the first conductive line and a first end of the second conductive line, wherein a second end of the first conductive line is opposite the first end of the first conductive line, and a second end of the second conductive line is opposite the first end of the second conductive line,
wherein:
each of the first conductive line and the second conductive line includes a first portion (340, [0068]) and a second portion (BML1,BML2),
the first portion (340) of the first conductive line is a portion of the first conductive line that includes the first end of the first conductive line,
the second portion (BML1) of the first conductive line is a portion of the first conductive line that is separated from the first end of the first conductive line by the first portion of the first conductive line,
the first portion (not shown, 340, [0068]) of the second conductive line is a portion of the second conductive line that includes the first end of the second conductive line,
the second portion (BML2) of the second conductive line is a portion of the second conductive line that is separated from the first end of the second conductive line by the first portion of the second conductive line,
the first portion of the first conductive line includes a first electrically conductive material extending from a first sidewall to a second sidewall of the first portion of the first conductive line across a width of the first conductive line and extending from a bottom to a top of the first portion of the first conductive line across a height of the first conductive line,
the first portion of the second conductive line includes the first electrically conductive material extending from a first sidewall to a second sidewall of the first portion of the second conductive line across a width of the second conductive line and extending from a bottom to a top of the first portion of the second conductive line across a height of the second conductive line,
the second portion of the first conductive line includes a second
electrically conductive material extending from a first sidewall to a second sidewall of the second portion of the first conductive line across the width of the first conductive line and extending from a bottom to a top of the second portion of the first conductive line across the height of the first conductive line, and
the second portion of the second conductive line includes the second electrically conductive material extending from a first sidewall to a second sidewall of the second portion of the second conductive line across the width of the second conductive line and extending from a bottom to a top of the second portion of the second conductive line across the height of the second conductive line.
Regarding claim 23, Ohtou et al. discloses the first electrically conductive material is absent from a portion of the second portion of the first conductive line that is substantially in a middle of the width of the first conductive line and substantially in a middle of the height of the first conductive line (Figures 2A-5C).
Regarding claim 24, Ohtou et al. discloses the second electrically conductive material is absent from a portion of the first portion of the first conductive line that is substantially in the middle of the width of the first conductive line and substantially in the middle of the height of the first conductive line (Figures 2A-5C).
Regarding claim 25, Ohtou et al. discloses wherein the first electrically conductive material is absent from a portion of the second portion of the second conductive line that is substantially in a middle of the width of the second conductive line and substantially in a middle of the height of the second conductive line (Figures 2A-5C).
Regarding claim 26, Ohtou et al. discloses wherein the second electrically conductive material is absent from a portion of the first portion of the second conductive line that is substantially in the middle of the width of the second conductive line and substantially in the middle of the height of the second conductive line (Figures 2A-5C).
Regarding claim 27, Ohtou et al. discloses the first electrically conductive material is absent from a portion of the second portion of the second conductive line that is substantially in a middle of the width of the second conductive line and substantially in a middle of the height of the second conductive line (Figures 2A-5C).
Regarding claim 28, Ohtou et al. discloses the second electrically conductive material is absent from a portion of the first portion of the second conductive line that is substantially in the middle of the width of the second conductive line and substantially in the middle of the height of the second conductive line (Figures 2A-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) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ohtou et al. (US 2018/0151494) in view of Fan et al. (US 2020/0381296).
Ohtou et al. discloses the claimed invention including the IC device as explained in the above rejection. Ohtou et al. discloses the second electrically conductive material comprises Al, etc. Ohtou et al. does not disclose the second electrically conductive material comprises copper. However, Fan et al. discloses a second electrically conductive material (portion of 130, [0042]) comprises aluminum, copper, etc. Note Figures, 9-16 and [0042] of Fan et al. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art at the time the invention was made to form the second electrically conductive material of Ohtou et al. comprising copper, such as taught by Fan et al. since aluminum and copper are commonly used as the conductive material and they are interchangeable.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ohtou et al. (US 2018/0151494).
Ohtou et al. discloses the plurality of metal lines are located next to each other. Ohtou et al. does not disclose exactly the pitch of the plurality of metal lines. However, the selection of these parameters such as energy, concentration, temperature, time, speed, molar fraction, depth, thickness, pitch, width, etc., would have been obvious and involve routine optimization which has been held to be within the level of ordinary skill in the art. "Normally, it is to be expected that a change in energy, concentration, temperature, time, molar fraction, depth, thickness, pitch, width, etc., or in combination of the parameters would be an unpatentable modification. Under some circumstances, however, changes such as these may impart patentability to a process if the particular ranges claimed produce a new and unexpected result which is different in kind and not merely degree from the results of the prior art... such ranges are termed "critical ranges and the applicant has the burden of proving such criticality.... More particularly, where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation." In re Alter 105 USPQ233, 255 (CCPA 1955). See also In re Waite 77 USPQ 586 (CCPA 1948); In re Scherl 70 USPQ 204 (CCPA 1946); In re Irmscher 66 USPQ 314 (CCPA 1945); In re Norman 66 USPQ 308 (CCPA 1945); In re Swenson 56 USPQ 372 (CCPA 1942); In re Sola 25 USPQ 433 (CCPA 1935); In re Dreyfus 24 USPQ 52 (CCPA 1934).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 8 is 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Applicant's claim 8 is allowable over the references of record because none of these references disclose or can be combined to yield the claimed IC device having a distance between the first end of the first metal line and the first end of the second metal line in a first plane parallel to the die is greater than a distance between the first end of the firs meta line and the first end of the second metal line in a second plane parallel to the die, the second plane being closer to the die than the first plane, as recited in claim 8.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
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 HUNG K VU whose telephone number is (571)272-1666. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday: 7am - 5pm.
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/HUNG K VU/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2897
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