DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 16-20 and newly added claims 21-35 in the reply filed on 11/12/2025 is acknowledged.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 07/14/23 filed after the mailing date of the application. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 28-29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Dewey et al., U.S. Publication No. 2020/0098887.
Regarding claim 28, Dewey discloses a method, comprising (See Figs. 1, 2(a)-2(b)):
forming a first 2-D material channel 203 over a substrate 201,
forming first interlayer electrodes 205 over source/drain regions of the channel layer ([0030] – the metal carbides such as hafnium carbide and zirconium carbine are multiple metal layers, so could broadly be plural electrodes),
forming a second channel layer 209 over the first channel layer and covering the first interlayer electrodes, and
forming a gate electrode 211, 217 over the second 2-D material channel layer.
Regarding claim 29, Dewey discloses wherein the interlayer electrodes are made of metal [0030].
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 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 30 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dewey et al., U.S. Publication No. 2020/0098887, in view of Son et al., U.S. Patent No. 11,569,367.
Regarding claim 30, Dewey fails to disclose that the interlayer electrode is made of graphene. Son discloses the interlayer electrode is made of graphene (Fig. 1). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to use graphene in Son as interlayer electrode in the method of Dewey because graphene is extremely high in electrical conductivity and extremely high in thermal conductivity.
Claims 31 and 32 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dewey et al., U.S. Publication No. 2020/0098887, in view of Goldsmith et al.., U.S. Publication No. 2022/0155289.
Regarding claim 31, Dewey fails to disclose the method of claim 28, further comprising forming 2-D material electrodes over the substrate, wherein the first 2-D material channel layer is formed over the 2-D material electrodes. Goldsmith discloses forming electrodes 22, 24 over a substrate and forming the channel layer 26 over the material electrodes (Fig. 4C). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to form channel layer over electrode material (source/drain) in order to improve current flow and provide a low-resistance path, and for easy connectivity.
Regarding claim 32, Dewey discloses wherein the first interlayer electrodes vertically overlaps the 2-D material electrodes (Fig. 2a).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 35 is 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, since the prior made of record and considered pertinent to the applicant’s disclosure does not teach or suggest the claimed limitations having the method of claim 28, further comprising: forming second interlayer electrodes over source/drain regions of the second 2-D material channel layer, and forming a third 2-D material channel layer over the second 2-D material channel layer and covering the second interlayer electrodes.
Claim 33-34 is 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, since the prior made of record and considered pertinent to the applicant’s disclosure does not teach or suggest the claimed limitations having the method of claim 28, wherein the second 2-D material channel layer interfaces the first 2-D material channel layer (Claim 33), wherein the second 2-D material channel layer interfaces sidewalls of the first interlayer electrodes (Claim 34).
Claims 16-20 are allowed. The following is an examiner’s statement of reason for allowance: None of the references of record teaches or suggests the claimed having a method comprising: forming a graphene layer over a substrate, patterning the graphene layer such that the patterned graphene layer has two separated portions, forming a channel layer over the substrate covering the two separated portions of the patterned graphene layer, forming metal electrodes over the source/drain regions (claim 16).
Claims 21-27 are allowed. The following is an examiner’s statement of reason for allowance: None of the references of record teaches or suggests the claimed having a method comprising: forming an electrode layer over a substrate, patterning the electrode layer to form first source/drain electrodes spaced apart from each other, depositing channel layer over the source/drain electrodes, forming second source/drain electrodes over the channel layer, and forming a gate electrode over the channel layer (Claim 21).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THAO P LE whose telephone number is (571)272-1785. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 9AM-6PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jeff Natalini can be reached on 571-272-2266. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 703-872-9306.
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/THAO P LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818