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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 20190006455 A1 (Ku) as evidenced by US 20040121606 A1 (Raskin).
Re claim 1, Ku teaches a method of forming a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
forming a first insulation layer (insulating layer 115 [0043]) over a substrate (substrate 100);
depositing a first stack of magnetic layers (magnetic stack 124) over the first insulation layer;
etching the first stack of magnetic layers such that a sidewall of the first stack of magnetic layers forms a stairstep pattern (Figs. 4C-4F);
forming a first photosensitive layer (polymer layer 130 Ku does teach that the polymer can be epoxy, polyimide, benzocyclobutene (BCB), polybenzoxazole (PBO) ([0043]). US 20040121606 A1 Raskin teaches that benzocytobutene is a photosensitive dielectric material ([0037])) over the first stack of magnetic layers, the first insulation layer, and the substrate, wherein a thickness of the first photosensitive layer above a center of a first step of the stairstep pattern is different from a thickness of the first photosensitive layer above a center of a second step of the stairstep pattern (Fig. 2);
forming a first conductive feature (second metal layer 132) over the first photosensitive layer;
depositing a second insulation layer (polymer layer 134) over the first photosensitive layer and the first conductive feature; depositing a second magnetic layer (UBM 138 which can be nickel which is a magnetic material [0048]) over the second insulation layer (Figs. 4A-4F).
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Re claim 4, Ku teaches wherein the first photosensitive layer comprises a polymer (polymer layer 130 can be benzocyclobutene (BCP) [0043]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3 and 5-7 are 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.
Claims 8-14, 21, 23-27 are allowed.
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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRIGITTE A PATERSON whose telephone number is (571)272-1752. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00AM-5:00PM.
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BRIGITTE A. PATERSON
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2896
/BRIGITTE A PATERSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2896
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