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 .
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-7 and 16-20 in the reply filed on 01/29/26 is acknowledged. By this election, claims 8-15 are withdrawn and claims 1-7 and 16-20 will be examined in the application.
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)(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.
Claim(s) 1-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Shi et al. (2023/0335636).
Regarding claim 1, Shi (Figs. 4-7) discloses a semiconductor structure, comprising: a substrate 302 (Fig. 7, [0054]); a body region 306 and a drift region 304 in the substrate 302; a first gate structure 402 over the body region 306 and the drift region 304 ([0066]); a second gate structure 404 over the drift region ([0066]); a source 308 in the body region 306; and a drain 310 in the drift region 304 ([0058]), the first gate structure 402 being between the source 308 and the drain 310, and the second gate structure 404 being between the first gate structure 402 and the drain 310 (Fig.7).
Regarding claim 2, Shi (Fig. 7) discloses wherein the second gate structure 404 is arranged in an isolation trench 702 in the drift region 304.
Regarding claim 3, Shi (Figs. 4-7) discloses wherein the second gate structure 404 includes a dielectric layer 702 between a gate electrode 404 of the second gate structure and a bottom surface of the isolation trench (Fig. 7, [0072]).
Regarding claim 4, Shi (Fig. 7) discloses wherein the dielectric layer 702 penetrates partially through the substrate 302.
Regarding claim 5, Shi (Figs. 4-7) discloses wherein the drift region 304 is adjacent to the body region 306.
Regarding claim 6, Shi (Figs. 4-7) discloses wherein a gate electrode (G2) of the second gate structure 404 is reversely biased ([0050]).
Regarding claim 7, Shi (Figs. 4-7) discloses wherein a gate electrode (G2) of the second gate structure 404 is isolated electrically.
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) 16-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shi et al. (2023/0335636) in view of Yang et al. (2024/0347626).
Regarding claim 16, Shi (Figs. 4-7) discloses a semiconductor structure, comprising: a substrate 302 (Fig. 7, [0054]); a body region 306 and a drift region 304 in the substrate 302; a gate structure 402 having a gate electrode (G1) over the body region 306 and the drift region 304 ([0066]); a first dielectric layer 320 between the gate electrode G1 and the body 306 and drift regions 304 (Figs. 3C and 7, [0060]); a dielectric structure including a second dielectric layer 702 penetrating through the drift region 702 ([0072]); a source 308 in the body region 306 ([0057]); and a drain 310 in the drift region 304 ([0058]), the gate structure 404 being between the source 308 and the drain 310, and the dielectric structure 702 being between the gate structure G2 and the drain 310 (Figs. 3A and 7, [0072]).
Shi discloses all the claimed limitations as discussed above except for the first and second dielectric layers having a same structure.
Yang (Figs. 3E-3F) discloses a gate structure 350a having a gate electrode 340a over the body region 304a and the drift region 304b ([0066]); a first dielectric layer 330 between the gate electrode 340a and the body 304a and drift regions 304b (Figs. 3F, [0060]); a dielectric structure including a second dielectric layer (332, 334) wherein the first and second dielectric layers (330, 332, 334) having a same material (silicon dioxide) and a same structure (Fig. 3E, [0060]) in order to provide the semiconductor devices that designed for an intended purpose. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the device of Shi by forming the first and second dielectric layers having a same structure, as taught by Yang in order to provide the semiconductor devices that designed for an intended purpose (Figs. 3E-3F, [0060]).
Regarding claim 17, Shi (Figs. 4-7) discloses wherein the dielectric structure 702 is formed in an isolation trench 702 in the drift region 304, the isolation trench 702 penetrating through the drift region 304.
Regarding claim 18, as discussed, the combination above, Yang (Figs. 3E-3F) discloses wherein the first and second dielectric layers (330, 332, 334) are formed concurrently.
Regarding claim 19, Shi (Figs. 4-7) discloses wherein the drift region 304 is adjacent to the body region 306.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 20 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.
The prior art of record fails to disclose all the limitations recited in the above claim. Specifically, the prior art of record fails to disclose wherein the dielectric structure includes a dielectric body over the second dielectric layer in the isolation trench.
Conclusion
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/THERESA T DOAN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2814