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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-9 and 19-25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being incomplete for omitting essential structural cooperative relationships of elements, such omission amounting to a gap between the necessary structural connections. See MPEP § 2172.01. The omitted structural cooperative relationship is between a first side and a second side of the dielectric portion. For example, it is not clear whether the first side and the second side are on opposite to each other, or are adjacent to each other.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being incomplete for omitting essential structural cooperative relationships of elements, such omission amounting to a gap between the necessary structural connections. See MPEP § 2172.01. The omitted structural cooperative relationship is between a first deck of memory cells of the memory device and a second deck of additional memory cells of the memory device. It is not clear where the first deck is located in the memory device relative to the second deck in the memory device.
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being incomplete for omitting essential structural cooperative relationships of elements, such omission amounting to a gap between the necessary structural connections. See MPEP § 2172.01. The omitted structural cooperative relationships are between a conductive line and a first conductive region, between a conductive line and a second conductive region, and between a semiconductor material portion of the memory cell and a memory element, a first portion, a second portion of the memory cell.
Claim 19 recites the limitation “the semiconductor material portion, part of the conductive line spanning across part of the semiconductor material portion and the second portion”. It is not clear whether part of the conductive line spanning across part of the second portion, or across the entire second portion.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-9 and 19-25 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Claims 10-18 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 1 as so far as understood, the prior art of record, Karda (US 2021/0066196), discloses an apparatus comprising: a conductive region; a memory cell including: a memory element formed over the conductive region; a first portion formed over the memory element, the first portion including a first material; a dielectric portion including a first side adjacent the memory element, the first portion; a third portion including a third material, the third portion adjacent a second side of the dielectric portion and separated from the memory element, the first portion, by the dielectric portion; a data line formed over the second portion and the third portion. See Karda, FIGS. 5-6 and paragraphs [0065]-[0089]. The prior art of records, individually or in combination, do not disclose nor teach “a second portion formed over the first portion, the second portion including a second material; a first side adjacent the second portion; a second side separated from the second portion” in combination with other limitations as recited in claim 1.
The prior art of record, Karda, discloses an apparatus comprising: a data line; a memory cell coupled to the data line, the memory cell including: a first transistor including a first channel region coupled to the data line; a second transistor including a second channel region coupled to the data line; a memory element; a ground connection coupled to the first channel region of the first transistor. The prior art of records, individually or in combination, do not disclose nor teach “a conductive portion separated from the first channel region by a dielectric portion; a second channel region coupled to the conductive portion; a memory element coupled to the conductive portion, the memory element and the conductive portion having different materials; a ground connection coupled to the memory element” in combination with other limitations as recited in claim 10.
Regarding claim 19 as so far as understood, the prior art of record, Karda, discloses an apparatus comprising: a first conductive region located in a first level of the apparatus; a second conductive region located in a second level of the apparatus; a memory cell located between the first and second levels and coupled to the first and second conductive regions, the memory cell including: a memory element adjacent the first conductive region; a first portion adjacent the memory element; a second portion adjacent the first portion, the first and second portions having different materials; a semiconductor material portion in electrical contact with the second conductive regions; a conductive line electrically separated from the memory element, the first portion, the second portion, and the semiconductor material portion, part of the conductive line spanning across the second portion. The prior art of records, individually or in combination, do not disclose nor teach “a semiconductor material portion in electrical contact with the first conductive region; part of the conductive line spanning across part of the semiconductor material portion” in combination with other limitations as recited in claim 19.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHIH TSUN A CHOU whose telephone number is (408)918-7583. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-16:00 Arizona Time.
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/SHIH TSUN A CHOU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2811
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