DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to the application No. 18/364,008 filed on August 02, 2023.
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 the Group II invention including claims 1-11 in the reply filed on 01/08/2026 is acknowledged. Claims 12-16 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a non-elected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Accordingly, pending in this Office action are claims 1-16.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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 1 and 9-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim (US 2022/0189969).
Regarding Claim 1, Kim (see, e.g., Figs. 1, 4-16), teaches a manufacturing method of a semiconductor structure, comprising:
providing a substrate 100, wherein the substrate 100 comprises a first region A and a second region B, the first region A comprises a plurality of independent first active regions, adjacent two of the first active regions are isolated by a first trench 90a, and an isolating lamination layer 108a is formed in the first trench 90a (see, e.g., Fig. 4, pars. 0017, 0059);
forming a barrier layer 120 covering a top surface of the second region B (see, e.g., Fig. 5, par. 0061);
forming an epitaxial layer 130 covering a top surface of the first active region (see, e.g., Fig. 7, par. 0072); and
etching off the barrier layer 120 and part of the isolating lamination layer 108a in the first region A, wherein joints of top surfaces of layers 102a/106a in the isolating lamination layer 108a retained in the first region A are basically consistent in height (see, e.g., Figs. 6, 9, pars. 0063, 0075).
Regarding Claim 9, Kim teaches all aspects of claim 1. Kim (see, e.g., Figs. 1, 4-16), teaches forming a protective layer 124 covering a top surface of the epitaxial layer 130, wherein the protective layer 124 comprises a first material (see, e.g., Fig. 8, par. 0073).
Regarding Claim 10, Kim teaches all aspects of claim 1. Kim (see, e.g., Figs. 1, 4-16), teaches that the second region B comprises a plurality of independent second active regions, adjacent two of the second active regions are isolated by a second trench 90b, the isolating lamination layer 108b is formed in the second trench 90b, and the first active region and the second active region are of different conductive types (see, e.g., Fig. 1, par. 0016).
Regarding Claim 11, Kim teaches all aspects of claim 10. Kim (see, e.g., Figs. 1, 4-16), teaches, wherein the first region A comprises a P-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (PMOSFET) region, and the second region B comprises an N-channel metal- oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (NMOSFET) region (see, e.g., Fig. 1, par. 0016).
Allowable subject matter
Claims 2-8 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 Nelson Garces whose telephone number is (571) 272-8249. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Fri 9:00 AM-5:30 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Wael Fahmy can be reached on (571) 272-1705.
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/Nelson Garces/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2814