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 .
Response to Amendment
Amendment dated 03/09/2026 has been entered. Claims 1 ,4, 9 and 12 are amended. Claims 3 & 11 are canceled. Claims 19-20 are newly added. Claims 12-18 are withdrawn by applicant. Claims 1-2,4-10,12-20 remain pending in application.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s argument dated 03/09/2026 has been acknowledged but are moot since a new ground of rejections are made and none of the arguments applies to the new rejection. More specifically, redefining “a contact hole” (including hole of 800 & 830, para [0061], FIG. 10), “a barrier layer” (insulating layer region 830, para [0061], which is similar to barrier layer 200 in Fig. 9 of disclosure), and “a conductive contact structure” (including contact structure 800 & metal silicide 812, para [0061], [0063]), LEE still reads on the amended limitation. (see associated claim 1 rejections below).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 19 recites “wherein the thickness of the barrier layer is greater than the depth of the contact hole extending into the active area arranged below the at least one of the source area or the drain area”. It is unclear how thickness of barrier layer 200, Fig. 9 is greater than the depth of contact hole 100a , Fig. 7. The limitations “the thickness” and “the depth” also lack antecedent base. For examination purpose, examiner is interpreting the limitation as “wherein [[the thickness of]] the barrier layer (200) [[is greater than the depth of the contact hole]] extending into the active area (111) arranged below the at least one of the source area or the drain area (1111/1112)”
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 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, 4-8, 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by LEE (US 2012/0313151 A1).
Regarding claim 1, LEE teaches,
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A semiconductor structure (FIG. 10), comprising:
a base (including 110 & 120, para [0034]), a contact hole (including hole of 800 & 830, para [0061]), a barrier layer (insulating layer region 830, para [0061]), and a conductive contact structure (including contact structure 800 & metal silicide 812, para [0061], [0063],
wherein the base comprises an active area (area of 110), and a drain area (impurity region 300 on right, para [0034]) and a source area (impurity region 300 on left) are formed in the active area;
wherein the contact hole extends from a surface (top surface of 120) of the base to at least one of the source area or the drain area (300);
wherein the barrier layer (830, para [0061]) is arranged on a bottom surface of the conductive contact structure (as seen in FIG. 10 above),
and the barrier layer which is an insulating dielectric layer (830 is an insulating layer, para [0061]) , is arranged inside the contact hole (as defined contact hole includes 800 &830, hence 830 is inside the contact hole);
and wherein the contact hole is filled with the conductive contact structure (as seen above, the contact hole is partially filled with 800),
and the conductive contact structure comprises a contact layer (metal silicide layer 812, para [0063])
wherein the contact layer (including 812) is in contact with the at least one of the source area or the drain area (300)(as seen) .
Regarding claim 2, LEE teaches the semiconductor structure of claim 1 and further teaches , wherein the base comprises a substrate(110, para [0081]) and a dielectric layer (120, para [0081]), wherein the substrate comprises the active area (as defined in claim 1 rejection above), the dielectric layer is arranged on the substrate (as seen), and the contact hole extends from a surface (top surface) of the dielectric layer to the at least one of the source area or the drain area (300) (as seen above).
Regarding claim 4, LEE teaches the semiconductor structure of claim 1 and further teaches , wherein the contact hole extends from the surface of the base (top surface of 120) to the active area (110) arranged below the at least one of the source area or the drain area (300, Fig. 10), and the barrier layer (830) covers a portion (portion of the contact hole) , which extends beyond the at least one of the source area or the drain area (300) and into the active area (110), of the contact hole.
Regarding claim 5, LEE teaches the semiconductor structure of claim 1 and further teaches, wherein the contact layer (812) is arranged between the contact hole (hole of 800 & 830 as defined) and the at least one of the source area or the drain area (300) (see Fig. 1 above).
Regarding claim 6, LEE teaches the semiconductor structure of claim 5 and further teaches , wherein the conductive contact structure further comprises a conductive metal structure (contact plug 810 which is analogous to 410 made of tungsten (W), para [0089]), Fig. 1B) , wherein the contact hole is filled with the conductive metal structure (as seen in Fig. 10), the contact layer (812) is arranged between the conductive metal structure (810) and the at least one of the source area or the drain area (300), and the barrier layer (830) is arranged between the conductive metal structure (810) and the active area arranged below the contact hole (area of 110 below contact hole of 800).
Regarding claim 7, LEE teaches the semiconductor structure of claim 6 and further teaches, wherein a material of the conductive metal structure is at least one of tungsten, molybdenum, or aluminum (810 may be formed of tungsten as per claim 6 rejection above).
Regarding claim 8, LEE teaches the semiconductor structure of claim 1 and further teaches, wherein a material of the contact layer is a metal silicide (812 is a metal silicide, para [0063]).
Regarding claim 19, LEE teaches the semiconductor structure of claim 4 and further teaches, wherein the thickness of the barrier layer is greater than the depth of the contact hole extending into the active area arranged below the at least one of the source area or the drain area (interpreting as per 112(b) rejection above, the barrier layer 830, FIG. 10, extending into the active area 110 arranged below the at least one of the source area or the drain area 300).
Regarding claim 20, LEE teaches the semiconductor structure of claim 6 and further teaches,
wherein the orthographic projections of the contact layer (redefining contact layer including 800 & 812) and the barrier layer (830) onto the substrate (110) surface are tangent or at least partially overlap (see Fig. 10, orthographic projection of 800 & 812 onto 110 overlaps orthographic projection of 830 onto 100).
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 extension fee 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 date of this final action. (FP 7.40)
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KHATIB A RAHMAN whose telephone number is (571)270-0494. The examiner can normally be reached on MON-FRI 8:00 am- 5:00 pm (Arizona).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor Steven Loke, can be reached on (571) 272-1657. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/K.A.R/Examiner, Art Unit 2818
/CUONG B NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818
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