DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to the Election filed on November 26, 2025.
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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-14 in the reply filed on November 26, 2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 15-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply.
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.
Claims 1-3 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Sondhi et al. (US Pub. 2024/0064991 A1).
The applied reference has a common inventor (or assignee) with the instant application. Based upon the earlier effectively filed date of the reference, it constitutes prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2). This rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) might be overcome by: (1) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(a) that the subject matter disclosed in the reference was obtained directly or indirectly from the inventor or a joint inventor of this application and is thus not prior art in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(A); (2) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(b) of a prior public disclosure under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(B) if the same invention is not being claimed; or (3) a statement pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) establishing that, not later than the effective filing date of the claimed invention, the subject matter disclosed in the reference and the claimed invention were either owned by the same person or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person or subject to a joint research agreement.
In re claim 1, Sondhi et al. shows (fig. 21D) a semiconductor memory device, comprising: an alternating stack of insulating layers (32) and electrically conductive layers (46B); a memory opening (58) vertically extending through the alternating stack; and a memory opening fill structure located in the memory opening and comprising a vertical semiconductor channel (60) and a vertical stack of discrete ferroelectric material portions (154) located at levels of the electrically conductive layers, wherein the discrete ferroelectric material portions protrude inward into the memory opening relative to vertical sidewalls of the insulating layers (32).
In re claim 2, Sondhi et al. shows (fig. 21D) a first discrete ferroelectric material portion of the discrete ferroelectric material portions comprises an outer sidewall that is in direct contact with a cylindrical sidewall of a first electrically conductive layer of the electrically conductive layers, and an inner sidewall adjoined to the outer sidewall; and an entirety of the inner sidewall is spaced by a first distance from a most proximal point within an interface between the first electrically conductive layer and the outer sidewall.
In re claim 3, Sondhi et al. shows (fig. 21D)wherein the inner sidewall comprises:
a cylindrical surface segment; an upper convex annular surface segment that is adjoined to a top periphery of the cylindrical surface segment; and a lower convex annular surface segment that is adjoined to a bottom periphery of the cylindrical surface segment.
In re claim 14, Sondhi et al. shows (fig. 21D) the vertical stack of discrete ferroelectric material portions is in direct contact with cylindrical surface segments of the insulating layers.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-13 are 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Bae et al. (US Pub. 2023/0180481 A1), Nam (US 12,464,727 B2), Takekida (WO-2023105763-A1), and Li (CN-112652630-A) also disclose various elements of the claimed invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MATTHEW E WARREN whose telephone number is (571)272-1737. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 10am - 6pm.
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/MATTHEW E WARREN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2815