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 .
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claims 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)as being anticipated by Sharma (US 2020/0388685).
Regarding claim 1, Sharma teaches an apparatus in fig.10, comprising:
a monocrystalline material (205) comprising a group IV element (see par. 28);
a transistor structure (220) comprising a gate terminal coupled to a channel material (210), the channel material comprising a metal and a chalcogen (see par. 72); and
a passivation material (refer to a metal oxide layer 1010) between the monocrystalline material (205) and the transistor structure (220), wherein the passivation material comprises at least one of nitrogen or a metal (see par. 72. NOTE: layer 1010 is a metal oxide layer).
Regarding claim 2, Sharma teaches all the limitations of the claimed invention for the same reasons as set forth above. Besides, Sharma teaches the passivation material (1010) extends a lateral distance beyond an area of the transistor structure (NOTE: fig. 109 shows layer 1010 extending horizontal, side to side space between the left side and the right side of the transistor structure 220).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 3 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, since the prior art of record and considered pertinent to the applicant’s disclosure does not teach or suggest “the passivation material is a continuous layer that spans at least the entire region and is at least 50 nm thick” in combination of all of the limitations of claim 3. Claims 4-5 include all the limitations of the claim 3.
Claim 6 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, since the prior art of record and considered pertinent to the applicant’s disclosure does not teach or suggest “the passivation material is amorphous and comprises at least one of Al, Hf or Zr and at least one of oxygen or nitrogen” in combination of all of the limitations of claim 6.
Claim 7 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, since the prior art of record and considered pertinent to the applicant’s disclosure does not teach or suggest “the passivation material comprises predominantly silicon and nitrogen” in combination of all of the limitations of claim 7.
Claims 8-20 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 8, the prior art of record alone or in combination neither teaches nor makes obvious the invention of an integrated circuit (IC) wafer, comprising: “a plurality of IC dies arrayed over a front side area of the monocrystalline substrate material, wherein individual ones of the IC dies comprise a transistor structure comprising a gate terminal coupled to a channel material, the channel material comprising a metal and a chalcogen; and a passivation material over a back side area of the monocrystalline substrate material, wherein the passivation material comprises least one of nitrogen or a metal” in combination of all of the limitations of claim 8. Claims 9-11 include all of the limitations of claim 8.
Regarding claim 12, the prior art of record alone or in combination neither teaches nor makes obvious the invention of method of fabricating an IC structure, the method comprising: “ forming a passivation material on at least a back side or edge of the substrate, wherein the passivation material is an amorphous compound of least one of nitrogen or a metal; forming on the workpiece a channel material comprising a metal and a chalcogen” in combination of all of the limitations of claim 12. Claims 13-20 include all of the limitations of claim 12.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Niki Tram Nguyen whose telephone number is (571) 272-5526. The examiner can normally be reached on 6:00am-4:00pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Steven Loke can be reached on (703)872-9306. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NIKI H NGUYEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818