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 .
Attorney Docket Number: 3590-1196US
Filling Date: 07/20/2023
Priority Date: 01/05/2023
Inventor: Iwata et al
Examiner: Bilkis Jahan
DETAILED ACTION
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.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-15 in the reply filed on 01/05/26 is acknowledged.
Claims 16-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected method, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
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.
Claim 3 recites the limitation " the second retro-stepped dielectric material portion" in line 8. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Inasmuch as understood in light of 112 2nd rejection, the art rejection as follows.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claim(s) 1-7, 9-10 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Otsu et al (US 2020/0127006 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Otsu discloses a three-dimensional memory device (Figures 7-19), comprising: a first-tier alternating stack of first insulating layers 132 (Para. 118) and first electrically conductive layers 142 (Para. 123); a second-tier alternating stack of second insulating layers 232 (Para. 43) and second electrically conductive layers 242 (Para. 143) overlying the first-tier alternating stack 132, 142; memory openings 249, 148 (Paras. 220, 141) vertically extending through the second-tier alternating stack 232, 242 and the first-tier alternating stack 132, 142; memory opening fill structures located in the memory openings 148, 249, wherein each of the memory opening fill structures comprises a respective vertical stack of memory elements 54 (Para. 158) and a respective vertical semiconductor channel 60 (Para. 158) including a respective portion of a semiconductor material (Para. 158); and hybrid support structures 19, 20 (Paras. 156, 167) vertically extending at least through a respective subset of layers within the first-tier alternating stack 132, 142, wherein each of the hybrid support structures 19, 20 comprises a respective vertical stack of a dielectric support pillar 56 (Para. 158) and a composite support pillar 19, 20 having a respective dielectric outer surface 52 (Para. 158) and including a respective additional portion of the semiconductor material 60 (Para. 158).
Regarding claim 2, Otsu discloses the three-dimensional memory device of Claim 1, wherein a subset of the hybrid support structures 19, 20 vertically extends through each layer within the first-tier alternating stack 132, 142 and the second-tier alternating stack 232, 242.
Regarding claim 3, Otsu discloses the three-dimensional memory device of Claim 1, further comprising: a first stepped dielectric material portion 200 (Para. 114) overlying first stepped surfaces of the first-tier alternating stack 132, 142; and a second stepped dielectric material portion 200 overlying second stepped surfaces of the second-tier alternating stack 232, 242, wherein a first subset of the hybrid support structures 19, 20 vertically extends through each layer within the first-tier alternating stack 132, 142, a respective subset of layers within the second-tier alternating stack 232, 242, and the second retro-stepped dielectric material portion 200.
Regarding claim 4, Otsu discloses the three-dimensional memory device of Claim 3, wherein a second subset of the hybrid support structures 200, 19, 20 vertically extends through the first stepped dielectric material portion 132 and the second stepped dielectric material portion 132 and does not extend through the second-tier alternating stack 232, 242.
Regarding claim 5, Otsu discloses the three-dimensional memory device of Claim 1, wherein: each vertical stack of memory elements 49 comprises portions of a memory material 49; and each composite support pillar includes a respective additional portion of the memory material 54 (Para. 158).
Regarding claim 6, Otsu discloses the three-dimensional memory device of Claim 1, wherein: each of the memory opening fill structures comprises a respective blocking dielectric layer 52 (Para. 158) laterally surrounding the respective vertical stack of memory elements 49; and each of the composite support pillars comprises a respective blocking dielectric layer 52 laterally having a same material composition as the blocking dielectric layers 52 in the memory opening fill structures 49.
Regarding claim 7, Otsu discloses the three-dimensional memory device of Claim 1, wherein: each of the memory opening fill structures 49 comprises a respective dielectric core comprising a respective portion of a dielectric fill material (Para. 162); and each of the composite support pillars 19, 20 comprises a respective dielectric core 49 comprising a respective additional portion of the dielectric fill material 52.
Regarding claim 9, Otsu discloses the three-dimensional memory device of Claim 1, wherein the memory opening fill structures 49 and the hybrid support structures 19, 20 have a same height (Para. 156, element 19 and 49 are same).
Regarding claim 10, Otsu discloses the three-dimensional memory device of Claim 1, further comprising support pillar structures 19, 20 vertically extending through at least a bottommost layer within the first-tier alternating stack 132, 142, having a same height as the memory opening fill structures (Figs. 8, 9), and comprising a respective vertical semiconductor channel 60 having a same height as vertical semiconductor channels within the memory opening fill structures.
Regarding claim 11, Otsu discloses the three-dimensional memory device of Claim 10, wherein each of the dielectric support pillars 19, 20 consists essentially of a dielectric material and entirely fills 49 (Para. 156, 49 and 19 are the same) a respective support opening extending at least through one of the first-tier alternating stack 132, 142 or the second-tier alternating stack 232, 242.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8, 12-14 and 15 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 BILKIS JAHAN whose telephone number is (571)270-5022. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:00 am-5 Pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Marlon T Fletcher can be reached at (571)272-2063. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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BILKIS . JAHAN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2817
/BILKIS JAHAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2817