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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 15 July 2026 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 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) 1-11, 13-17, and 19-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al, US Patent Application Publication 2022/0085144 in view of Ramdani et al, US Patent 6,709,989 (both as cited in previous Office Action)
Regarding claim 1, Lee teaches a semiconductor processing method comprising:
providing a first precursor (NbCl5) to a semiconductor processing chamber, wherein a substrate is disposed within a processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber [0027], and wherein the first precursor comprises one or more of hafnium, lanthanum, niobium, strontium, tantalum, titanium, or zirconium (NbCl5 in figure 11 and [00118,0121]);
contacting the substrate with the first precursor, wherein the contacting forms a first portion of a metal oxide material 101 (figure 7) on the substrate;
providing a second precursor (H2O and H2S) to the semiconductor processing chamber, wherein the second precursor comprises oxygen; and
contacting the first portion of the metal oxide material with the second precursor, wherein the contacting forms a second portion of the metal oxide material (which is the oxygen portion) on the substrate, wherein the metal oxide material comprises one or more of hafnium oxide, lanthanum oxide, niobium oxide, strontium oxide, tantalum oxide, titanium oxide, or zirconium oxide (figures 7 and 11 and [0094]).
Lee fails to teach the second precursor excludes molecular oxygen (O2), water/stream (H2O) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).
However, Ramdani teaches several materials that are conventionally-used in the art to form an oxygen-containing precursor, such as nitrous oxide (N2O) and nitric oxide (NO) (see column 5, lines 15-16).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Ramdani with that of Lee because pure oxygen is a generally-known material that nitrous oxide (N2O) and nitric oxide are used to oxidize a metal layer in a deposition process.
Regarding claim 2, Lee teaches the metal oxide material is characterized by a dielectric constant of greater than or about 20 [0068].
Regarding claim 3, Lee teaches the first precursor comprises a metal halide, a metal ethoxide, a metal sulfide, a metal cyclopentadienyl, a metal amide, a metal phosphine, a metal amine, a metal hydride, a metal carboxylate, a metal hydrazide, or a metal azide [0115,0121].
Regarding claim 4, both Lee and Ramdani teach the second precursor comprises an alcohol, an alkoxide, a hydroxide, an acetylacetonate, an acetate, a formate, a nitrate, a sulfate (Lee [0094]), a phosphate, a phosphide, a carbonate, an oxide, an oxynitride (nitrous oxide or nitric oxide), a perchlorate, an oxyhalide, a peroxide, an oxalate, or a phenolate (Lee, [0094] and Ramdani, column 5, lines 15-16).
Regarding claim 5, Lee teaches the substrate comprises a first electrode 101 (figure 7), wherein the first electrode comprises titanium nitride; and the metal oxide material 103 is formed on the first electrode (figures 7 and 11).
Regarding claim 6, Lee teaches the substrate comprises a second electrode 102, wherein the second electrode comprises titanium nitride [0094]; and the second electrode is disposed above the metal oxide material (figure 7)
Regarding claim 7, Lee teaches halting a flow of the first precursor while providing the second precursor (figure 11).
Regarding claim 8, Lee teaches the metal oxide material comprises a first metal oxide material, the method further comprising:
subsequent to forming the first metal oxide material to a first thickness [0124], providing a third precursor to the semiconductor processing chamber, wherein the third precursor comprises one or more of hafnium, lanthanum, niobium, strontium, tantalum, titanium, or zirconium [0094,0125];
contacting the first metal oxide material with the third precursor (Sr(iPrCp)2), wherein the contacting forms a first portion of a second metal oxide material on the first metal oxide material [0125];
providing a fourth precursor to the semiconductor processing chamber, wherein the fourth precursor comprises oxygen (H2O) [0125]; and
contacting the first portion of the second metal oxide material with the fourth precursor, wherein the contacting forms a second portion of the second metal oxide material on the first metal oxide material, wherein the second metal oxide material comprises one or more of hafnium oxide, lanthanum oxide, niobium oxide, strontium oxide, tantalum oxide, titanium oxide, or zirconium oxide [0094,0125].
Regarding claim 9, Lee teaches the fourth precursor comprises water, steam, ozone, molecular oxygen, oxygen-containing plasma, or hydrogen peroxide [0125].
Regarding claim 10, Lee teaches a semiconductor processing method comprising:
i) flowing a first precursor (NbCl5 in figure 11 and [00118,0121]), wherein the first precursor comprises one or more of hafnium, lanthanum, niobium, strontium, tantalum, titanium, or zirconium;
ii) forming a first portion of a metal oxide material on a first electrode;
iii) flowing a second precursor (H2O and H2S); and
iv) contacting the first portion of the metal oxide material with the second precursor, wherein the first precursor, the second precursor, or both further comprise oxygen, and wherein the contacting forms a second portion of the metal oxide material, wherein the metal oxide material comprises one or more of hafnium oxide, lanthanum oxide, niobium oxide, strontium oxide, tantalum oxide, titanium oxide, or zirconium oxide (figure 7, 11, and [0094]).
Lee fails to teach the second precursor excludes molecular oxygen (O2) water/stream (H2O) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).
However, Ramdani teaches several materials that are conventionally-used in the art to form an oxygen-containing precursor, such as nitrous oxide (N2O) and nitric oxide (NO) (see column 5, lines 15-16).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Ramdani with that of Lee because pure oxygen is a generally-known material that nitrous oxide (N2O) and nitric oxide are used to oxidize a metal layer in a deposition process
Regarding claim 11, Lee teaches operations i) through iv) are repeated for at least 2 cycles [0124].
Regarding claim 13, Lee teaches: annealing the metal oxide material, wherein the annealing causes amorphous metal oxide to crystallize [0089]
Regarding claim 14, Lee teaches the metal oxide material is a first metal oxide material [0124], the method further comprising:
v) flowing a third precursor, wherein the third precursor comprises one or more of hafnium, lanthanum, niobium, strontium, tantalum, titanium, or zirconium, and wherein the third precursor comprises a different metal than the first precursor (NbCl5 in figure 11 and [00118,0121]);
vi) forming a first portion of a second metal oxide material on the first metal oxide material [0125];
vii) flowing a fourth precursor [0125]; and
viii) contacting the first portion of the second metal oxide material with the fourth precursor, wherein the third precursor, the fourth precursor, or both further comprise oxygen, wherein the contacting forms a second portion of the second metal oxide material, and wherein the second metal oxide material comprises one or more of hafnium oxide, lanthanum oxide, niobium oxide, strontium oxide, tantalum oxide, titanium oxide, or zirconium oxide [0094,0125]. .
Regarding claim 15, Lee teaches the first metal oxide material and the second metal oxide material comprise different metal oxides [0124,0125].
Regarding claim 16, both Lee and Ramdani teach the fourth precursor comprises an alcohol, an alkoxide, a hydroxide, an acetylacetonate, an acetate, a formate, a nitrate, a sulfate (Lee [0094]), a phosphate, a phosphide, a carbonate, an oxide, an oxynitride (nitrous oxide or nitric oxide), a perchlorate, an oxyhalide, a peroxide, an oxalate, or a phenolate (Lee, [0094] and Ramdani, column 5, lines 15-16).
Regarding claim 17, Lee teaches a semiconductor structure comprising:
a substrate [0027];
a first electrode 101 overlying the substrate, wherein the first electrode comprises titanium nitride [0094];
one or more metal oxide materials 103 overlying the first electrode, wherein the one or more metal oxide materials comprise one or more of hafnium oxide, lanthanum oxide, niobium oxide, strontium oxide, tantalum oxide, titanium oxide, or zirconium oxide (as shown in figure 11 and [0068]); and
a second electrode 102 overlying the one or more metal oxide materials, wherein the second electrode comprises titanium nitride, and wherein no interfacial layer is formed between the first electrode and the one or more metal oxide materials ([0094] and figures 7 and 11).
Lee fails to teach at least a first portion of the one or more metal oxide materials is formed without molecular oxygen (O₂), water/steam (H2O), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).
However, Ramdani teaches several materials that are conventionally-used in the art to form an oxygen-containing precursor, such as nitrous oxide (N2O) and nitric oxide (NO) (see column 5, lines 15-16).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Ramdani with that of Lee because pure oxygen is a generally-known material that nitrous oxide (N2O) and nitric oxide are used to oxidize a metal layer in a deposition process
Regarding claim 19, Lee teaches each of the one or more metal oxide materials are characterized by a dielectric constant of greater than or about 3 [0068]
Regarding claim 20, Lee teaches the one or more metal oxide materials comprise three metal oxide materials, wherein a first metal oxide material 1 overlies the first electrode, wherein a second metal oxide material 1 overlies the first metal oxide material, and wherein a third metal oxide material 1, upper is disposed between the second metal oxide material and the second electrode (as shown in figure 6)
Regarding claim 21, Ramdani teaches the second precursor further excludes ozone (03) and oxygen-containing plasma (by using nitrous oxide or nitric oxide),
Claim(s) 10-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ahn et al, US Patent 7,601,649 view of Ramdani et al, US Patent 6,709,989 (both as cited in previous Office Action)
Regarding claim 10, Ahn teaches a semiconductor processing method comprising:
i) flowing a first precursor (tantalum) wherein the first precursor comprises one or more of hafnium, lanthanum, niobium, strontium, tantalum, titanium, or zirconium (step 310);
ii) forming a first portion of a metal oxide material on a first electrode (step 310);
iii) flowing a second precursor (oxygen, step 320); and
iv) contacting the first portion of the metal oxide material with the second precursor, wherein the first precursor, the second precursor, or both further comprise oxygen, and wherein the contacting forms a second portion of the metal oxide material, wherein the metal oxide material comprises one or more of hafnium oxide, lanthanum oxide, niobium oxide, strontium oxide, tantalum oxide, titanium oxide, or zirconium oxide (figure 3).
Ahn fails to teach the second precursor excludes molecular oxygen (O2) water/stream (H2O) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).
However, Ramdani teaches several materials that are conventionally-used in the art to form an oxygen-containing precursor, such as nitrous oxide (N2O) and nitric oxide (NO) (see column 5, lines 15-16).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Ramdani with that of Ahn because pure oxygen is a generally-known material that nitrous oxide (N2O) and nitric oxide are used to oxidize a metal layer in a deposition process
Regarding claim 11, Ahn teaches operations i) through iv) are repeated for at least 2 cycles (column 9, lines 24-26)
Regarding claim 12, Ahn the metal oxide material is doped with one or more of aluminum, barium, calcium, hafnium, potassium, tantalum, titanium, sodium, strontium, zinc, or zirconium (step 340, figure 3).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 15 July 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to Applicant’s argument that the cited prior art of Lee, Ramdani, and Ahn does not discuss any oxygen-containing precursors aside from O2, H2O, and H2O2, it is noted that Ramdani teaches nitrous oxide or nitric oxide as generally-known oxygen-containing precursor materials (see column 5, lines 15-16). Therefore, the reference of Ramdani still teaches the limitations presented, including new claim 21.
Further, while Applicant has argued that Ahn discloses conventional oxygen precursors result in the formation of interfacial layer, it is noted that column 5, lines 9-11 of Ahn discloses that this interfacial layer is formed when the deposition process is above 700 degrees Celcius and not by using conventional oxygen-containing material such as water or hydrogen peroxide. Ahn also teaches that the temperature for deposition process for forming the metal oxide layers is held at 230-500 degrees Celsius (see column 1, lines 30-31), which would then imply that no interfacial layer would be formed.
Therefore, the rejection of claims 1-17 and 19-21 under 35 USC 103 using the cited prior art of record is maintained.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US Patent 6,806,145, issued to Haukka, discloses ALD process using alkoxides as an oxygen source. US Patent 6,960,537, issued to Shero et al, discloses ALD process using alcohols as an oxygen source.
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