DETAILED ACTION
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, i.e., claim 1-15 and 18 in the reply filed on January 23, 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 16 and 17 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.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 filed on January 23, 2026.
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and 10 objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 recites the limitation “second film containing a Group 13 element or a Group 14 element” in line 3.
However, “Group 13 element” or “Group 14 element” normally refers to periodic table of elements and, therefore, changing “Group 13 element” or “Group 14 element” to --Group 13 element of periodic table-- or --Group 14 element of periodic table--- provides clarity in the claim.
Similar changes should be applied for claim 10 also. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1-6 and 9-15 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kusumoto et al. (US 2020/0235219) in view of SATOII (US 2013/0137262).
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Re Claims 1 and 18, Kusumoto et al. disclose a substrate processing method comprising: (A) preparing a substrate (11 14, Paragraph [0022]) comprising a first film (16) containing a first metal element (Ti, Paragraph [0022]) and a second film containing a Group 14 element of periodic table(18 , i.e., SiN, Fig. 1) and formed on the first film (16); and (B) forming a third film (20) containing a second metal element , while removing at least part of the second film (i.e., when layer 20 formed over layer 18 part of layer 18 on surface region converted metal silicide region, i.e., W, Fig. 1) on the substrate (11 14). See Fig. 1 and related text in Paragraphs [0020] - [0022]).
However, Kusumoto et al. disclose formation of third layer 20 (i.e., W) over the second layer (18) by deposition in a chamber, Kusumoto et al. do not disclose (a) supplying a gas containing the second metal element to the substrate; and (b) supplying a first reactive gas to the substrate.
SATOII discloses forming of tungsten (W) layer by suppling a reactive precursor gas comprises WF6 and reducing gas comprise hydrogen (H2) in order to deposit tungsten film (see Abstract and Paragraph [0123]).
Therefore, it 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 to provide Kusumoto et al. reference with supplying a first reactive gas with reducing agent to the substrate as taught by SATOII in order in order to deposit metal film
Re Claim 2, as applied to claim 1 above, Kusumoto et al. and SATOII in combination disclose all the claimed limitations including wherein the first reactive gas comprises a reducing gas (see SATOII Abstract and Paragraph [0123]).
Re Claim 3. as applied to claim 1 above, Kusumoto et al. and SATOII in combination disclose all the claimed limitations including wherein the first reactive gas comprises a hydrogen-containing gas (see SATOII Abstract and Paragraph [0123]).
Re Claim 4, as applied to claim 3 above, Kusumoto et al. and SATOII disclose all the claimed limitations including wherein the hydrogen-containing gas comprises a hydrogen gas.
Re Claim 5, as applied to claim 1 above, Kusumoto et al. and SATOII disclose all the claimed limitations including wherein the first reactive gas comprises a gas containing silicon and hydrogen (see SATOII Abstract and Paragraphs [0007] and [0123]).
Re Claim 6, as applied to claim 1 above, Kusumoto et al. and SATOII disclose all the claimed limitations including wherein the first reactive gas comprises a gas containing boron and hydrogen (see SATOII Abstract and Paragraphs [0007] and [0123]).
Re Claim 9, as applied to claim 1 above, Kusumoto et al. and SATOII disclose all the claimed limitations including wherein, in (b), a flow rate of the first reactive gas is set to be smaller than a flow rate of the gas containing the second metal element, and after a predetermined time has elapsed, the flow rate of the first reactive gas is changed to a flow rate substantially same as the flow rate of the gas containing the second metal element (see SATOII Abstract and Paragraphs [0009]).
Re Claim 10, as applied to claim 1 above, Kusumoto et al. and SATOII disclose all the claimed limitations including wherein (A) comprises forming the second film on the first film by performing: (d) supplying a gas containing the Group 14 element of periodic table to the substrate (see Kusumoto et al Paragraph [0039]) on which the first film is formed; and (e) supplying a third reactive gas to the substrate (see Kusumoto et al. Fig. 1 and related text in Paragraphs [0020] - [0022] and SATOII Abstract and Paragraphs [0007] and [0123]).
Re Claims 11, as applied to claim 10 above, Kusumoto et al. and SATOII disclose all the claimed limitations including wherein (d) and (e) are repeatedly performed n times in the forming the second film on the first film, and (a) and (b) are repeatedly performed m times (in (B), m being greater than n (see Kusumoto et al Paragraph [0039] and SATOII Paragraph [0074]).
Furthermore, the claimed cycle can be routinely optimized in order to deposit the particle layer at desired thickness.
Notwithstanding, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been led to the recited dimensions through routine experimentation and optimization. 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).
Re Claims 12-14, as applied to claim 1 above, Kusumoto et al. and SATOII disclose all the claimed limitations including a predetermined thickness of the second film in (A).
Furthermore, the claimed thickness can be routinely optimized as desired. Notwithstanding, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been led to the recited dimensions through routine experimentation and optimization. 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).
Re Claim 15, as applied to claim 1 above, Kusumoto et al. and SATOII disclose all the claimed limitations including (see Kusumoto et al Paragraph [0039] and SATOII Paragraph [0074]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure Nakano et al. (US 5,506,449) disclose similar inventive subject matter.
Correspondence
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BROOK KEBEDE whose telephone number is 571-272-1862. The examiner can normally be reached Monday Friday 8:00 AM 5:00 PM.
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/BROOK KEBEDE/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2894
/BK/
April 1, 2026
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