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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 02/23/2026 has been entered.
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, 6, 9-10, and 15-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JUNG et al. (US 20210134804 A1, hereinafter Jung)
With regards to claim 1, Jung discloses a semiconductor device (FIG. 2C) comprising:
an upper electrode; (top electrode TE)
a lower electrode; (bottom electrode BE)
a dielectric structure comprising a first dielectric layer (dielectric layer DL) and a second dielectric layer (interface layer IFt) between the upper electrode and the lower electrode, wherein the dielectric layer comprises a first metal oxide (Paragraph [0103]: “For example, the dielectric layer DL may be formed by depositing zirconium oxide (e.g., ZrO.sub.x) or hafnium oxide (e.g., HfO.sub.x)”) and wherein the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer are made of different materials (See Paragraph [0038]: “the upper interface layer 40 may include ZrNbTiON, HfNbTiON…”); and
a low-bandgap interfacial layer (at least interface layer IFb/20, see Paragraphs [0034], [0038], and [0071]) between the first dielectric layer and the upper electrode or between the second dielectric layer and the lower electrode, (see FIG. 2C, showing the positioning of the IFb between the BE and the IFt)
Jung further teaches wherein the low-bandgap interfacial layer comprises a second metal oxide having a bandgap energy of more than about 2.5 eV and less than or equal to about 3.5 eV, (Paragraph [0070]: “For example, the interface layer IFb may include niobium (Nb), titanium (Ti), oxygen (O), and nitrogen (N), and further include a metallic constituent such as zirconium (Zr) or hafnium (Hf).” Thus, NbO or TiO are within the purview of the disclosure, where TiO has a bandgap of between 3-3.2 eV.)
wherein the bandgap energy of the second metal oxide is lower than a bandgap energy of the first metal oxide. (It should be noted that HfO has a bandgap energy of about 5.3-5.7, which is higher than the bandgap energy of TiO)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use titanium oxide in the interface layer, as titanium oxide is a well-known dielectric, and would be substituting one known element for another to obtain predictable results. (See Response to Arguments)
With regards to claim 2, Jung teaches the semiconductor device of claim 1.
Jung further teaches wherein the metal oxide consists of cobalt oxide, tungsten oxide, vanadium oxide, copper oxide, titanium oxide, niobium oxide, iron oxide, or a combination thereof. (Paragraph [0070]: “For example, the interface layer IFb may include niobium (Nb), titanium (Ti), oxygen (O), and nitrogen (N), and further include a metallic constituent such as zirconium (Zr) or hafnium (Hf).” Thus, NbO or TiO, which are constituents of the above, are within the purview of the disclosure.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use titanium oxide in the interface layer, as titanium oxide is a well-known dielectric, and would be substituting one known element for another to obtain predictable results.
With regards to claim 3, Jung teaches the semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein a thickness of each of the first low- bandgap interfacial layer and the second low-bandgap interfacial layer is more than about 0 angstroms (A) and less than or equal to about 10 A. (see FIG. 2C, where the layer has a thickness, which falls inside the range, see also the rejection under 35 USC 112b)
With regards to claim 6, Jung teaches the semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the second metal oxide has a bandgap energy lower than a bandgap energy of TiO2. (Paragraph [0034]: “The interface layer 20 may include NbTiON.” Where NbTiON has a bandgap between 3eV-3.6eV, which is lower than the bandgap of TiO2)
With regards to claim 9, Jung discloses a semiconductor device (FIGS. 2A-2C) comprising:
a substrate; (substrate 301)
an active region (impurity regions 312) defined by a device isolation film (STI 302) in the substrate;
a word line (word line WL) intersecting with the active region, the word line extending in a first direction in the substrate;
a bit line (bit line BL) extending in a second direction on the substrate, the second direction intersecting with the first direction; and
a capacitor (capacitor CAP) on the bit line, wherein the capacitor comprises:
an upper electrode, (top electrode TE) a lower electrode, (bottom electrode BE) and a dielectric structure, comprising a first dielectric layer (dielectric layer DE) and a second dielectric layer (interface layer IFt) between the upper electrode and the lower electrode, wherein the dielectric structure comprises a first metal oxide (Paragraph [0103]: “For example, the dielectric layer DL may be formed by depositing zirconium oxide (e.g., ZrO.sub.x) or hafnium oxide (e.g., HfO.sub.x)”) wherein the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer are made of different materials (See Paragraph [0038]: “the upper interface layer 40 may include ZrNbTiON, HfNbTiON…”); and
a low-bandgap interfacial layer (at least interface layer IFb/20, see Paragraphs [0034], [0038], and [0071]) between the first dielectric layer and the upper electrode or between the second dielectric layer and the lower electrode, (see FIG. 2C, showing the positioning of the IFb between the BE and the IFt)
Jung further teaches wherein the low-bandgap interfacial layer comprises a second metal oxide having a bandgap energy of more than about 2.5 eV and less than or equal to about 3.5 eV, (Paragraph [0070]: “For example, the interface layer IFb may include niobium (Nb), titanium (Ti), oxygen (O), and nitrogen (N), and further include a metallic constituent such as zirconium (Zr) or hafnium (Hf).” Thus, NbO or TiO are within the purview of the disclosure, where TiO has a bandgap of between 3-3.2 eV.)
wherein the bandgap energy of the second metal oxide is lower than a bandgap energy of the first metal oxide. (It should be noted that HfO has a bandgap energy of about 5.3-5.7, which is higher than the bandgap energy of TiO)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use titanium oxide in the interface layer, as titanium oxide is a well-known dielectric, and would be substituting one known element for another to obtain predictable results. (See Response to Arguments)
With regards to claim 10, Jung teaches the semiconductor device of claim 9.
Jung further teaches wherein the metal oxide consists of cobalt oxide, tungsten oxide, vanadium oxide, copper oxide, titanium oxide, niobium oxide, iron oxide, or a combination thereof. (Paragraph [0070]: “For example, the interface layer IFb may include niobium (Nb), titanium (Ti), oxygen (O), and nitrogen (N), and further include a metallic constituent such as zirconium (Zr) or hafnium (Hf).” Thus, NbO or TiO, which are constituents of the above, are within the purview of the disclosure.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use titanium oxide in the interface layer, as titanium oxide is a well-known dielectric, and would be substituting one known element for another to obtain predictable results.
With regards to claim 15, Jung discloses a semiconductor device (FIGS. 2A-2C) comprising:
a substrate; (substrate 301)
an active region (impurity regions 312) defined by a device isolation film (STI 302) in the substrate;
a word line (word line WL) intersecting with the active region, the word line extending in a first direction in the substrate;
a bit line (bit line BL) extending in a second direction on the substrate, the second direction intersecting with the first direction; and
a capacitor (capacitor CAP) on the bit line, wherein the capacitor comprises:
an upper electrode, (top electrode TE) a lower electrode, (bottom electrode BE) and a dielectric structure, comprising a first dielectric layer (dielectric layer DE) and a second dielectric layer (interface layer IFt) between the upper electrode and the lower electrode, wherein the dielectric structure comprises a first metal oxide (Paragraph [0103]: “For example, the dielectric layer DL may be formed by depositing zirconium oxide (e.g., ZrO.sub.x) or hafnium oxide (e.g., HfO.sub.x)”) wherein the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer are made of different materials (See Paragraph [0038]: “the upper interface layer 40 may include ZrNbTiON, HfNbTiON…”); and
a low-bandgap interfacial layer (at least interface layer IFb/20, see Paragraphs [0034], [0038], and [0071]) between the first dielectric layer and the upper electrode or between the second dielectric layer and the lower electrode, (see FIG. 2C, showing the positioning of the IFb between the BE and the IFt)
Jung further teaches wherein the low-bandgap interfacial layer comprises a first metal dopant (Niobium) comprising a second metal oxide having a bandgap energy of more than about 2.5 eV and less than or equal to about 3.5 eV, (Paragraph [0070]: “For example, the interface layer IFb may include niobium (Nb), titanium (Ti), oxygen (O), and nitrogen (N), and further include a metallic constituent such as zirconium (Zr) or hafnium (Hf).” Thus, TiO doped with niobium is within the purview of the disclosure, where TiO has a bandgap of between 3-3.2 eV.)
wherein the bandgap energy of the second metal oxide is lower than a bandgap energy of the first metal oxide. (It should be noted that HfO has a bandgap energy of about 5.3-5.7, which is higher than the bandgap energy of TiO)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use titanium oxide in the interface layer, as titanium oxide is a well-known dielectric, and would be substituting one known element for another to obtain predictable results. (See Response to Arguments)
With regards to claim 16, Jung teaches the semiconductor device of claim 15, wherein a content ratio of
With regards to claim 17, Jung teaches the semiconductor device of claim 15, wherein the first metal dopant consists of cobalt, tungsten, vanadium, copper, titanium, niobium, (niobium, see Paragraph [0034]) iron, or a combination thereof.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-5, 7-8, 11-14, and 18-20 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 11/11/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Examiner notes that Paragraph [0070] recites “For example, the interface layer IFb may include niobium (Nb), titanium (Ti), oxygen (O), and nitrogen (N), and further include a metallic constituent such as zirconium (Zr) or hafnium (Hf).” Examiner notes that this language would suggest to one of ordinary skill in the art that other materials than NbTioN may be used, such as NbO, NbON, TiO, TiON, etc. Thus, it would be obvious to modify the interfacial layers to have, for example, TiO, which is a common interfacial/dielectric layer.
Therefore, for at least this and the above reasons, Jung teaches claims 1-20, and claims 1-20 are properly rejected.
Conclusion
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/STEVEN M PAGE/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2812