This Office Action is in response to the response filed on December 30, 2025.
Applicant’s election of Group I, claims 1-9, is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)). Claims 10-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention.
Claims 1-4 and 6-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yang (United States Patent 11,387,412).
As to independent claim 1, Yang discloses a resistive memory device, (see the entire patent, including the Fig. 1 disclosure) comprising:
a first dielectric layer 16;
a via connection structure 18 disposed in the first dielectric layer; and
a resistive switching element ST1 disposed on the via connection structure and the first dielectric layer, wherein the resistive switching element comprises:
a titanium bottom electrode BE1 (column 8, lines 4-10);
a titanium top electrode TE1 (column 8, lines 4-10) disposed above the titanium bottom electrode; and a variable resistance material RL1 sandwiched between the titanium bottom electrode and the titanium top electrode in a vertical direction D1, wherein the variable resistance material is directly connected with the titanium bottom electrode and the titanium top electrode (column 7, lines 53-59), and the titanium bottom electrode is directly connected with the via connection structure.
As to dependent claim 2, Yang’s titanium bottom electrode BE1 consists of titanium, and its titanium top electrode TE1 consists of titanium (column 8, lines 4-10).
As to dependent claim 3, Yang’s variable resistance material RL1 consists of a metal oxide material (column 5, lines 55-57).
As to dependent claim 4, a thickness of Yang’s titanium bottom electrode BE1 in the vertical direction D1 is less than a thickness of its titanium top electrode TE1 in the vertical direction.
As to dependent claim 6, Yang’s device further comprises a second dielectric layer 42 disposed on the resistive switching element ST1; and a top connection structure 44 disposed in the second dielectric layer, wherein the top connection structure is directly connected with the titanium top electrode TE1.
As to dependent claim 7, a material composition of Yang’s top connection structure 44 is different from a material composition of the titanium top electrode (column 8, lines 56-65).
As to dependent claim 8, a material composition of Yang’s top connection structure 44 is different from a material composition of the titanium top electrode (column 8, lines 56-65).
As to dependent claim 9, Yang’s device further comprises a spacer structure 32A disposed on a sidewall of the resistive switching element ST1
Claim 5 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 independent claim 1 and intervening claim 4.
Registered practitioners can telephone the examiner at (571) 272-1843. Any voicemail message left for the examiner should include the registration number of the registered practitioner calling. The examiner’s supervisor is Wael Fahmy, whose telephone number is (571) 272-1705.
/MARK V PRENTY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2814
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