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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 6/9/26 have been fully considered. Applicant has argued that Oomori Kato and Gu fail to teach the amended limitations. However, Kumagai et al. teaches (Paragraphs 102, 109, 113) additives for CxHyFx dielectric stack etching include HF, H₂, SF₆, NF₃, NH₃, Cl₂, Br₂, HBr gas and P-containing gases selected from PF₃, PCl₃, PBr₃, PH₃, POCI₃, PF₅, POF₃, PH₃. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the well known CxHyFx additive gasses to etch a dielectric stack with predictable results.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 4, 5, 11-13, 15 and 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Publication 2022/0157614 to Oomori et al. in view of US Publication 2023/0215700 to Kumagai et al.
Regarding Claims 1, 12 and 17, Oomori et al. teaches an etching method for forming an structure by selectively etching one or more dielectric films (Paragraph 27) in a substrate using a patterned mask layer (photoresist) deposited on top of the one or more dielectric films, the method comprising: mounting the substrate (18) in a reaction chamber (11); introducing an etching gas containing C₂H₂F₂ into the reaction chamber (Paragraph 26); converting the etching gas to a plasma; and allowing an etching reaction to proceed between the plasma and the one or more dielectric films so that the one or more dielectric films are selectively etched versus the patterned mask layer (photoresist) to form the aperture.
Oomori et al. does not expressly teach adding an additive to the etching gas C₂H₂F₂, wherein the additive is selected from H₂, SF₆, NF₃, NH₃, Cl₂, BCI₃, BF₃, Br₂, F2, FNO, FNO3, HBr, HCI, HI, IF5, IF₇ or HF. However, Kumagai et al. teaches (Paragraphs 102, 109, 113) additives for CxHyFx dielectric stack etching include the additive is selected from H2, SF₆, NF₃, NH₃, Cl₂, BCl₃, BF₃, Br₂, F2, FNO, FNO3, HBr, HCI, HI, IF5, IF₇ or HF. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the additive gasses to etch a dielectric stack with predictable results.
Regarding Claims 2 and 13, Oomori et al. teaches (Paragraph 25) adding one or more hydrofluorocarbon or fluorocarbon etching gases to the etching gas C₂H₂F₂, wherein the one or more hydrofluorocarbon or fluorocarbon etching gases are selected from CF₄, C4F6, C4F8, C4H₂F₆, CHF₃, CH₂F₂, CH₃F, C₂F₆, C3F8, SF₆, NF₃, C₂F₄, C3F₆, C4F₁₀, C₅F₈, C₆F₆, C₁-C₆ CxFyH₂ molecule (x, y, and Z are integers), C₂H₅F, C₃H₇F, C₃H₂F₆, C₂HF₅, C₃H₂F₄, or combination thereof.
Regarding Claims 4, 5, 15 and 17-19, Oomori et al. teaches (Paragraph 42) adding an inert gas to the etching gas C₂H₂F₂, wherein the inert gas is selected from Ar, Kr, Xe, Ne, N₂, He or combination thereof.
Regarding Claims 11 and 12, Oomori et al. teaches the method of the invention substantially as claimed but does not expressly teach CO2 emissions are 10% lower than using CF4 as an etching gas. However, the same emissions are a result of the etching gas and process conditions and would reasonably be expected to be the same or else are the result of essential limitations which have not been claimed.
Regarding Claim 17, as applied above, Oomori et al. teaches the method of the invention substantially as claimed including (Paragraph 46) a substrate temperature ranges from -20 to 300°C
Claims 6-9, 16 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Publication 2022/0157614 to Oomori et al. in view of US Publication 2023/0215700 to Kumagai et al. and in view of US Publication 2020/00234962 to Kato et al.
Regarding Claims 6-9, 16 and 20, as applied above, Oomori et al. in view of Kumagai et al. teaches the method of the invention substantially as claimed including C₂H₂F₂ etch gas, but does not expressly teach isomers. However, isomer alternatives are well known for etching gas processing. For example, Kato et al. teaches (Paragraphs 137-141) isomers as alternatives for C₂H₂F₂. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the 4 isomers of C₂H₂F₂ as an etch gas with predictable results.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Publication 2022/0157614 to Oomori et al. in view of US Publication 2023/0215700 to Kumagai et al. and in view of US Publication 2005/0266691 to Gu et al.
Regarding Claims 10, as applied above, Oomori et al. in view of Kumagai et al.
teaches the method of the invention substantially as claimed including C₂H₂F₂ etch gas for silicon compound films such as silicon oxide and nitride (Paragraphs 3-4), but does not expressly teach SiCOH films. However, Gu et al. teaches etching a recess in silicon containing films such as silicon oxide and SiCOH (See at least Abstract and Paragraphs 82 and 189) using CxHyFx etch gas mixtures. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the silicon containing films such as silicon oxide and SiCOH in the method of Oomori et al. in order to form a recess with predictable results.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/ROBERTS P CULBERT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1716
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