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 claims 1-9 in the reply filed on 5 December 2025 is acknowledged.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “thinning a back surface of the base until the conductive structure is exposed” must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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, 2 and 4-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shih et al. (US Pat. Pub. 2022/0130736) in view of Park et al. (US Pat. Pub. 2020/0273780).
Regarding claim 1, Shih teaches a method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure, comprising:
providing a base [fig. 7, base 321];
forming a sacrificial blocking layer in the base [fig. 19, 852,];
forming an etched hole in the base, the etching hole being located at an inner side of the sacrificial blocking layer [fig. 23, the opening has been extended at and past an inner side of the blocking layer now labeled 872]; and
removing the sacrificial blocking layer to obtain an interconnecting hole, a width of an upper part of the interconnecting hole being greater than a width of a lower part of the interconnecting hole [fig. 25, the blocking layer has been removed, fig. 26 shows a upper and lower part of opening the upper part being wider].
While Shih teaches an interconnect structure they fail to teach the blocking layer is annular. However, Park teaches an interconnect structure with a blocking layer and the entire structure is a circular or annular shape [figs 1 and 2, interconnect 30 with a blocking layer 14, the structure is circular and the blocking structure has circular opening making an annular blocking layer, paragraph [0123] also teaches various shapes are possible including circular].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to incorporate the teachings of Park into the method of Shih by forming the interconnect structure to be circular which would lead to the blocking layer being annular. The ordinary artisan would have been motivated to modify Park in the manner set forth above for at least the purpose of utilizing an interconnect structure that prevents bending defects [Park, paragraph [0105] as well as utilizing known successful interconnect shapes to ensure proper electrical communication.
Regarding claim 2, Shih in view of Park discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein
the base comprises a substrate and a dielectric layer located on a surface of the substrate [Shih, fig. 7, substrate 321, dielectric 450; and forming the annular sacrificial blocking layer in the base comprises:
forming a first patterned mask layer on a surface of the dielectric layer, the first patterned mask layer having an annular opening, and the annular opening defining a shape and a position of an annular trench [Shih, fig. 7, mask 800 with opening 802, Park teaches the opening can be annular];
etching the dielectric layer based on the first patterned mask layer to form the annular trench in the dielectric layer [Shih, fig. 8, 452 has been etched];
removing the first patterned mask layer [Shih, fig. 27, 800 has been removed];
forming a sacrificial material layer on the surface of the dielectric layer, the sacrificial material layer filling up the annular trench and covering the surface of the dielectric layer [Shih, fig. 12, 820 is formed on (above) dielectric 452, and within the trench partially filling it up as it covers the sidewalls and bottom]; and
removing the sacrificial material layer covering the surface of the dielectric layer, such that the sacrificial material layer retained in the annular trench forms the annular sacrificial blocking layer [Shih, fig. 13, 820 has been etched to form part of the annular blocking layer only within the opening and not on the surface of the dielectric].
Regarding claim 4, Shih in view of Park teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein a sidewall of the upper part of the interconnecting hole is a sloping sidewall [Shih, fig. 26, sidewall near label 300 is a sloping sidewall, the upper part can be considered the part within 322].
Regarding claim 5, Shih in view of Park show an angled or sloped sidewall of the upper part of the interconnecting hole, however they do not specifically teach the measurement of the angle. The angle shown in Shih, fig. 26 is similar to the angle of applicants instant invention as shown in applicants drawing fig. 12.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been led to the recited angle dimension through routine experimentation and optimization to achieve a desired contact properties such as overall footprint [Shih, paragraph [0024]]. Applicant has not disclosed that the dimensions are for a particular unobvious purpose, produce an unexpected result, or are otherwise critical, and it appears prima facie that the process would possess utility using another dimension. Indeed, it has been held that mere dimensional limitations are prima facie obvious absent a disclosure that the limitations are for a particular unobvious purpose, produce an unexpected result, or are otherwise critical. See, for example, In re Rose, 220 F.2d 459, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955); In re Rinehart, 531 F.2d 1048, 189 USPQ 143 (CCPA 1976); Gardner v. TEC Systems, Inc., 725 F.2d 1338, 220 USPQ 777 (Fed. Cir. 1984), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 830, 225 USPQ 232 (1984); In re Dailey, 357 F.2d 669, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1966). See also MPEP 2144.04(IV)(B).
Regarding clam 6, Shih in view of Park discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:
After removing the annular sacrificial blocking layer to obtain the interconnecting hole,
Forming a conductive structure in the interconnecting hole ,the conductive structure filling up the interconnecting hole [Shih, fig. 30, conductive structure 510 fills the hole].
Regarding claim 7, Shih in view of Park teaches the method according to claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:
before forming the conductive structure in the interconnecting hole, forming a pad oxide layer at least on a sidewall and a bottom of the interconnecting hole, the conductive structure being located on a surface of the pad oxide layer [Shih, fig. 27, 520, paragraph [0076] teaches oxide, fig. 30 shows conductive structure 510 on pad oxide 512 (actually 522 which is 520 after etching)].
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shih in view of Park as applied to claims 1, 2 and 4-7 above, and further in view of Zierath et al. (US Pat. Pub. 2019/0393156).
Regarding claim 9, Shih in view of Park teaches forming a conductive material [Shih, fig. 30, 510] and removing the conductive material formed on the base to obtain a conductive layer located in the interconnecting hole [Shih, paragraph [0079]]. However, Shih in view of Park fails to teach the use of a seed layer formed on the pad oxide layer, forming a conductive material on the seed layer and removing the seed layer on the base along with the conductive material to obtain a conductive layer located in the interconnecting hole, the seed layer and conductive layer together constituting the conductive structure.
However, Zierath teaches forming an interconnect structure in a semiconductor device, the interconnect structure having a seed layer formed in the opening [fig. 1c, 130], a conductive material formed on the seed layer [fig. 1d, 140] and the conductive material and seed layer are removed to obtain a conductive structure in the interconnecting hole [fig. 1f, paragraph [0123]].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to incorporate the teachings of Zierath into the method of Shih in view of Park by forming a seed material on the surface of the pad oxide layer, forming a conductive material layer on the seed layer, and removing the conductive material and seed material layer on the base to obtain a conductive layer located in the interconnecting hole. The ordinary artisan would have been motivated to modify Shih in view of Park in the manner set forth above for at least the purpose of utilizing materials and structures which mitigate electromigration and improve reliability [Zierath, paragraph [0013]].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 and 8 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN M PARKER whose telephone number is (571)272-8794. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30am - 3:30pm.
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/JOHN M PARKER/Examiner, Art Unit 2899