DETAILED ACTION
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 09/23/2026 has been entered.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kang et al. (US 2023/0178476 A1; hereinafter “Kang”).
Regarding claim 1, Kang teaches a microelectronic device comprising:
a nanosheet transistor (a gate-all-around FET comprising a plurality of nanosheet stacks NSS) comprising a source/drain (a middle one of a plurality of source/drain regions 430 positioned below CA4 and CAV4) (See annotated Figs. 6-7A below and paragraphs 93-109. It is also noted that one skilled in the art would recognize that the middle one of the plurality of source/drain regions 430 positioned below CA4 and CAV4 as annotated in Fig. 6 would be structurally identical to the middle one of the plurality of source/drain regions 430 shown in Fig. 7A showing a cross-sectional view taken along line X4-X4’ of Fig. 6);
a first dielectric shoulder and a second dielectric shoulder (left-side and right-side portions of a combination of 442, 444, and 454 formed of dielectric/insulating materials) located on top of the source/drain and in direct contact with the source/drain (the combination of 442, 444, and 454 is in direct contact with 430), wherein the first dielectric shoulder and the second dielectric shoulder are located at a perimeter of the source/drain and the source/drain includes a gouged area (a recess surface 130R) located at a center of the source/drain (Figs. 2C and 7A and paragraphs 33, 41-43, and 100-106); and
a source/drain contact (a combination of CAV4 and 456 of CA4) connected to the source/drain, wherein the source/drain contact is in direct contact with a horizontal topmost surface of the first dielectric shoulder (CAV4 is in direct contact with the topmost surface of the combination of 442, 444, and 454 similar to how CAV2 is in direct contact with the topmost surface of 154 of CA as shown in Fig. 3) and a vertical side surface of the first dielectric shoulder (456 of CA4 is in direct contact with vertical side surface of the combination of 442, 444, and 454) (Figs. 3 and 6-7A), the source/drain contact includes a source/drain contact protrusion (456 of CA4) that extends into the source/drain, and the source/drain contact protrusion is located within the gouged area of the source/drain (Figs. 3 and 6-7A and paragraphs 72-72 and 109).
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Regarding claim 2, Kang teaches wherein the source/drain contact protrusion is located between the first dielectric shoulder and the second dielectric shoulder (Fig. 7A, 456 of CA4 is located between the left-side and right-side portions of the combination of 442, 444, and 454 formed).
Regarding claim 3, Kang teaches wherein the source/drain contact protrusion is in contact with a side surface of the first dielectric shoulder (Fig. 7A).
Regarding claim 4, Kang teaches wherein the source/drain contact protrusion is in contact with a side surface of the second dielectric shoulder (Fig. 7A).
Regarding claim 5, Kang teaches wherein the source/drain contact is in contact with a top surface of the second dielectric shoulder (Figs. 3 and 6-7A, CAV4 is in contact with a top surface of the right-side portion of the combination of 442, 444, and 456).
Regarding claim 6, Kang teaches wherein respective bottom surfaces of the first dielectric shoulder and the second dielectric shoulder are in contact with a top surface of the source/drain (Fig. 7A).
Regarding claim 7, Kang teaches further comprising: a dielectric gate cut (444) located adjacent to the nanosheet transistor (Fig. 7A and paragraph 103-105).
Regarding claim 8, Kang teaches wherein the source/drain contact extends into the dielectric gate cut (Fig. 7A).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-11 and 13-21 are allowable over cited prior arts of record.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art of record, alone or in combination, and to the examiner’s knowledge does not teach, disclose, suggest, or render obvious, at least to the skilled artisan, the instant invention regarding:
A microelectronic device in claim 9, particularly in combination with the limitation that a source/drain contact connected to the source/drain, wherein the source/drain contact is in direct contact with a horizontal topmost surface of the first dielectric shoulder and a vertical side surface of the first dielectric shoulder, wherein the source/drain contact does not contact a top surface of the second dielectric shoulder, wherein the source/drain contact includes a source/drain contact protrusion that extends into the source/drain, wherein the source/drain contact protrusion is located within the gouged area of the source/drain; a dielectric liner located on top of the second dielectric shoulder; and an oxide layer located on top of the dielectric liner; and
A microelectronic device in claim 17, particularly in combination with the limitation that a first source/drain contact connected to the first source/drain, wherein the first source/drain contact is in contact with a top surface of the first dielectric shoulder and a top surface of the second dielectric shoulder, wherein the first source/drain contact includes a first source/drain contact protrusion that extends into the first source/drain, wherein the first source/drain contact protrusion is located within the gouged area of the first source/drain; and a second source/drain contact connected to the second source/drain, wherein the second source/drain contact is in contact with a top surface of the third dielectric shoulder, the second source/drain contact does not contact a top surface of the fourth dielectric shoulder, the second source/drain contact includes a second source/drain contact protrusion that extends into the second source/drain, the second source/drain contact protrusion is located within the gouged area of the second source/drain.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to amended claim 1 have been fully considered but are moot in view of a different ground of rejection by Kang et al. (US 2023/0178476 A1) as set forth above in this Office Action.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL B WHALEN whose telephone number is (571)270-3418. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 8AM-5PM.
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/DANIEL WHALEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893
