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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 21 Mar 2025 and 24 Sep 2025 have been considered by the examiner.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because it appears that the term described as a “breakdown voltage” is actually a breakdown electric field strength. Voltage is measured in volts and electric field strength is measured in volts per meter or megavolts per centimeter [MV∕cm] (in general, voltage per unit distance). The examiner suggests that it would be more correct to use a term like “breakdown electric field strength”, “breakdown field strength”, “breakdown field”, or “dielectric strength” instead of “breakdown voltage” (i.e., the electric field strength in MV∕cm at which the current density is 0.001 A∕cm2). “Breakdown voltage” is mentioned in paragraphs [0005], [0007], [0010], [0017], [0018], [0030], and [0041]. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1–20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claims 1–2, 7–13, and 16–19, the term “about”, as in
“a dielectric constant of less than or about 4.0” in claim 1,
“a leakage current at 2 MV∕cm of less than or about 3E−08 A∕cm2” in claim 1,
“greater than or about four methyl groups” in claim 2,
“greater than or about 500 sccm” in claim 7,
“a plasma power of less than or about 1,500 W” in claim 8,
“greater than or about 200 °C” in claim 9,
“less than or about 15 Torr” in claim 10,
“greater than or about 5.5 MV∕cm” in claim 11,
“a dielectric constant of less than or about 3.5” in claim 12,
“greater than or about four methyl groups” in claim 13,
“a dielectric constant of less than or about 4.0” in claim 13,
“a plasma power of less than or about 1,000 W” in claim 16,
“greater than or about 7.5 MV∕cm” in claim 17,
“at less than or about 600 °C” in claim 18,
“greater than or about three methyl groups” in claim 19,
“a plasma power of less than or about 1,500 W” in claim 19,
“a dielectric constant of less than or about 4.0” in claim 19, and
“a leakage current … of less than or about 1E−08 A∕cm2” in claim 19,
is a relative term which renders the claims indefinite. The term “about” is not defined by the claims, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention.
For the purpose of examination, the examiner will interpret “about X” to mean:
within ±10% from X if X is a continuous parameter,
e.g., “a dielectric constant of less than or about 4.0” will be interpreted as “a dielectric constant (κ) of less than or equal to 3.6, 4.0, or 4.4”—effectively κ ≤ 4.4;
or within ±1 from X if X is a whole number,
e.g., “greater than or about four methyl groups” will be interpreted as “greater than three, four, or five methyl groups”—effectively “greater than or equal to three methyl groups”.
Regarding claim 3, of the various chemicals listed as possibilities for the silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor, the last three chemicals listed— bis(trimethylsilyl)methane1; 1,1,3,3-tetramethyl-1,3-disilacyclobutane2; and trimethylsilane3—do not contain any nitrogen atoms. Although the claim also allows for the possibility of “a combination thereof”, if any of those last three chemicals is used alone, or if a combination of only those last three chemicals is used, then it would not constitute a “silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor” as claimed. Hence, it is not clear from the provided list of chemicals in claim 3 that in all cases, one chemical or a combination of the chemicals in the list could be accurately described as a “silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor”.
Regarding claim 4, it is not clear whether or not “a nitrogen-containing precursor” as introduced in this claim is a different precursor from the “silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor” that was previously introduced in independent claim 1, upon which claim 4 depends. This is because the silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor necessarily includes nitrogen and thus may itself be described as “a nitrogen-containing precursor”. Claims 1 and 4 would be clearer if claim 1 instead introduced “a first precursor containing silicon, carbon, and nitrogen”, and if claim 4 instead introduced “a second precursor containing nitrogen”. That way there can be no confusion that the second precursor is a different chemical substance from the first precursor.
For the purpose of examination, “a nitrogen-containing precursor” in claim 4 will be interpreted as either the same precursor4 as the silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor of claim 1, or as a different precursor from the silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor of claim 1.
Additionally, it is not clear from claims 4 or 1 whether the different deposition precursors are provided at the same time to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber, or whether said deposition precursors are provided at different times.
Regarding claim 13, the claim recites the limitation “the layer of silicon-containing material” in the 8th line, whereas the 7th line introduced “a layer of silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing material”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. As written, it is not clear whether the “silicon-containing material” of line 8 is the same or a different material from the “silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing material” of line 7.
Additionally, it is not clear how “depositing a layer of silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing material” may be accomplished using “a silicon-containing precursor” unless the silicon-containing precursor also contains carbon and nitrogen, or unless there are other precursors, thus far unmentioned, which contain carbon and nitrogen. Dependent claim 15 adds a nitrogen-containing precursor, but nowhere in claim 13 or in any of the claims depending on claim 13 is a carbon-containing precursor mentioned.
Regarding claim 15, it is not clear from claims 15 and 13 whether the different deposition precursors (the silicon-containing precursor [claim 13], nitrogen-containing precursor, and hydrogen-containing precursor) are provided at the same time to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber, or whether said deposition precursors are provided at different times.
Also, it is not clear whether or not the three precursors in all cases refer to three separate chemical substances, or if in some cases the Si-containing, N-containing, and H-containing precursors may all refer to a single chemical substance. For instance, supposing that the silicon-containing precursor of claim 13 is a chemical that also contains nitrogen and hydrogen, then all three descriptors—“silicon-containing”, “nitrogen-containing”, and “hydrogen-containing”—would describe the same chemical.
Regarding claims 11 and 17, it is unclear to the examiner how a “breakdown voltage” can be measured in units of MV∕cm. Voltage is measured in Volts (V, MV, etc.) and electric field strength is measured in voltage per distance (V∕m, MV∕cm, etc.). For a parallel-plate capacitor with a dielectric film of thickness d between the two plates and a voltage difference V applied across the plates, the electric field strength E inside the dielectric film is
E
=
V
/
d
. It appears that claims 11 and 17 are both describing an electric field strength E at which the leakage current density J (current per cross-sectional area) reaches 0.001 A∕cm2. A “breakdown voltage” would necessarily depend on the thickness d of the particular film, whereas a “breakdown electric field strength” is a property of the dielectric film that is independent of its thickness. Thus, the examiner suggests that it would be more correct to use a term like “breakdown electric field strength”, “breakdown field strength”, “breakdown field”, or “dielectric strength” instead of “breakdown voltage” to describe the parameter that is given in MV∕cm. Appropriate correction is required.
For the purpose of examination, the examiner interprets a breakdown voltage in MV∕cm to refer to a breakdown electric field strength, defined as the electric field strength for which the leakage current density of the silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing material is 0.001 A∕cm2.
Regarding any remaining claims not specifically pointed out above as being indefinite, these remaining claims inherit the indefiniteness of the independent claims 1, 13, or 19 because each dependent claim includes by reference all the limitations of one of the independent claims.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 4–6, 8–10, and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by Reference A5 (Patent Application Pub. No. US 2007/0042610 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Reference A teaches:
A semiconductor processing method (“a method for processing a substrate including depositing a barrier layer on the substrate by introducing a processing gas” ¶[0012]) comprising:
providing deposition precursors to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber (“introducing a processing gas comprising an organosilicon compound into a processing chamber” ¶[0012]), wherein the deposition precursors comprise a silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor6 (i.e., silicon and carbon from “the organosilicon compound has the formula SiHa(CH3)b(C6H5)c, wherein a is 0 to 3, b is 0 to 3, and c is 1 to 4” ¶[0012]; in ¶[0058] a specific example given of an organosilicon compound is diphenylsilane7; and “The processing gas may further include … compounds having Si—N—Si bonding groups, such as silazane compounds, and combinations thereof, for doping the deposited silicon carbide material with … nitrogen” ¶[0023]), and wherein a substrate (“200 mm (millimeter) substrate” ¶[0031]) is disposed within the processing region (“a processing chamber” ¶[0012]);
forming plasma effluents of the deposition precursors (“The silicon carbide barrier layer is deposited by reacting a processing gas including an organosilicon compound … in a plasma” ¶[0020]); and
depositing a layer of silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing material on the substrate (i.e., silicon and carbon in “The silicon carbide barrier layer” ¶[0020]; and “The barrier layer may further be doped with oxygen, nitrogen, boron, or phosphorous to reduce the dielectric constant of the deposited material” ¶[0026]), wherein the layer of silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing material is characterized by a dielectric constant of less than or about 4.0 (“The diphenylsilane silicon carbide film had a measured dielectric constant of about 3.4” ¶[0059]), and wherein the layer of silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing material is characterized by a leakage current at 2 MV∕cm of less than or about 3E−08 A∕cm2 (“the diphenylsilane silicon carbide had a leakage current of … about 1e−8 amps∕cm2 at 2 MV∕cm” ¶[0060]).
Regarding claim 4, Reference A teaches:
The semiconductor processing method of claim 1, wherein the deposition precursors further comprise a nitrogen-containing precursor (“The processing gas may further include … compounds having Si—N—Si bonding groups, such as silazane compounds, and combinations thereof, for doping the deposited silicon carbide material with … nitrogen” ¶[0023]).
Regarding claim 5, Reference A teaches:
The semiconductor processing method of claim 4, wherein the nitrogen-containing precursor comprises ammonia (NH3) (“Nitrogen doping may occur by optionally including a nitrogen-containing gas, for example, ammonia (NH3), nitrogen (N2), a silizane compound, or combinations thereof” ¶[0027]).
Regarding claim 6, Reference A teaches:
The semiconductor processing method of claim 1, further comprising:
providing helium, argon, or both with the deposition precursors (“The processing gas may also include an inert gas, such as argon (Ar), helium (He), neon (Ne), xenon (Xe), nitrogen (N.sub.2), and combinations thereof” ¶[0022]).
Regarding claim 8, Reference A teaches:
The semiconductor processing method of claim 1, wherein the plasma effluents are formed at a plasma power of less than or about 1,500 W (“generating a plasma in the processing chamber by applying 100 watts of RF energy” ¶[0046, 0058]).
Regarding claim 9, Reference A teaches:
The semiconductor processing method of claim 6, wherein a temperature in the semiconductor processing chamber is maintained at greater than or about 200 °C (“maintaining the substrate temperature at about 290° C” ¶[0058]).
Regarding claim 10, Reference A teaches:
The semiconductor processing method of claim 1, wherein a pressure in the semiconductor processing chamber is maintained at less than or about 15 Torr (“maintaining the chamber pressure at about 3 Torr to deposit a silicon carbide layer” ¶[0046, 0058]).
Regarding claim 12, Reference A teaches:
The semiconductor processing method of claim 1, wherein the layer of silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing material is characterized by a dielectric constant of less than or about 3.5 (“The diphenylsilane silicon carbide film had a measured dielectric constant of about 3.4” ¶[0059]).
Claims 1–6, 8–10, 13–16, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Reference U (Y.H. Wang et al. / Thin Solid Films 460 (2004) 211–216).
Regarding claim 1, Reference U teaches:
A semiconductor processing method (see section 2, “Experimental details”) comprising:
providing deposition precursors (“precursors” pg. 212, left column, 1st full paragraph) to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber (“single wafer, parallel plate PECVD system”), wherein the deposition precursors comprise a silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor8 (i.e., silicon and carbon in trimethylsilane [“3MS”, (CH3)3SiH], and nitrogen in NH3), and wherein a substrate (“Si(100) substrates (8 inch p-type single crystal wafers)”) is disposed within the processing region;
forming plasma effluents (“The plasma was sustained with an r.f. generator at 13.56 MHz”) of the deposition precursors; and
depositing a layer of silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing material on the substrate (“The SiCN films were deposited via the direct dissociation of 3MS in plasma”), wherein the layer of silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing material is characterized by a dielectric constant of less than or about9 4.0 (according to Table 3, the SiCN film has a dielectric constant of 4.3), and wherein the layer of silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing material is characterized by a leakage current at 2 MV∕cm of less than or about 3E−08 A∕cm2 (as shown in Fig. 4 below, the examiner has marked a horizontal dashed line at a leakage current density of 3E−8 A∕cm2, and the leakage current of the SiCN film appears to be approximately equal to 3E−8 A∕cm2 for an electric field of −2 MV∕cm).
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Regarding claim 2, Reference U teaches:
The semiconductor processing method of claim 1, wherein the silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor (the mixture of trimethylsilane [(CH3)3SiH] and ammonia [NH3]) comprises greater than or about10 four methyl groups (trimethylsilane comprises three methyl [CH3] groups).
Regarding claim 3, Reference U teaches:
The semiconductor processing method of claim 1, wherein the silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor (the mixture of trimethylsilane [(CH3)3SiH] and ammonia [NH3]) comprises trimethylsilane.
Regarding claim 4, Reference U teaches:
The semiconductor processing method of claim 1, wherein the deposition precursors further comprise a nitrogen-containing precursor (NH3: “A mixture gas (He and NH3) was added to increase the 3MS dissociation efficiency and adjust the composition and property of this barrier layer” pg. 212, left column, 1st full paragraph).
Regarding claim 5, Reference U teaches:
The semiconductor processing method of claim 4, wherein the nitrogen-containing precursor comprises ammonia (NH3) (“A mixture gas (He and NH3) was added to increase the 3MS dissociation efficiency and adjust the composition and property of this barrier layer” pg. 212, left column, 1st full paragraph).
Regarding claim 6, Reference U teaches:
The semiconductor processing method of claim 1, further comprising:
providing helium, argon, or both with the deposition precursors (“A mixture gas (He and NH3) was added to increase the 3MS dissociation efficiency and adjust the composition and property of this barrier layer. The gas flow rate ratio 3MS/NH3/He was fixed to a value of 1/2/2.5” pg. 212, left column, 1st full paragraph).
Regarding claim 8, Reference U teaches:
The semiconductor processing method of claim 1, wherein the plasma effluents are formed at a plasma power of less than or about 1,500 W (“The r.f. power and working pressure were maintained at 300 W and 3.0 Torr, respectively” pg. 212, left column, 1st full paragraph).
Regarding claim 9, Reference U teaches:
The semiconductor processing method of claim 6, wherein a temperature in the semiconductor processing chamber is maintained at greater than or about 200 °C (“The deposition temperature was 350 °C” pg. 212, left column, 1st full paragraph).
Regarding claim 10, Reference U teaches:
The semiconductor processing method of claim 1, wherein a pressure in the semiconductor processing chamber is maintained at less than or about 15 Torr (“The r.f. power and working pressure were maintained at 300 W and 3.0 Torr, respectively” pg. 212, left column, 1st full paragraph).
Regarding claim 13, Reference U teaches:
A semiconductor processing method (see section 2, “Experimental details”) comprising:
providing deposition precursors (“precursors” pg. 212, left column, 1st full paragraph) to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber (“single wafer, parallel plate PECVD system”), wherein the deposition precursors comprise a silicon-containing precursor11 (a mixture of trimethylsilane [“3MS”, (CH3)3SiH] and NH3) comprising greater than or about12 four methyl groups (trimethylsilane has three methyl groups [CH3]), and wherein a substrate (“Si(100) substrates (8 inch p-type single crystal wafers)”) is disposed within the processing region;
forming plasma effluents (“The plasma was sustained with an r.f. generator at 13.56 MHz”) of the deposition precursors; and
depositing a layer of silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing material on the substrate (“The SiCN films were deposited via the direct dissociation of 3MS in plasma”), wherein the layer of silicon-containing material13 is characterized by a dielectric constant of less than or about14 4.0 (according to Table 3, the SiCN film has a dielectric constant of 4.3).
Regarding claim 14, Reference U teaches:
The semiconductor processing method of claim 13, wherein the silicon-containing precursor (the mixture of trimethylsilane [(CH3)3SiH] and NH3) further comprises nitrogen (NH3: “A mixture gas (He and NH3) was added to increase the 3MS dissociation efficiency and adjust the composition and property of this barrier layer” pg. 212, left column, 1st full paragraph).
Regarding claim 15, Reference U teaches:
The semiconductor processing method of claim 13, wherein the deposition precursors further comprise a nitrogen-containing precursor, a hydrogen-containing precursor, or both (the silicon-containing mixture of claim 13, identified as the mixture of trimethylsilane [(CH3)3SiH] and NH3, may also be called “a nitrogen-containing precursor” and “a hydrogen-containing precursor”; see rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) above).
Regarding claim 16, Reference U teaches:
The semiconductor processing method of claim 15, wherein the plasma effluents are formed at a plasma power of less than or about 1,000 W (“The r.f. power and working pressure were maintained at 300 W and 3.0 Torr, respectively” pg. 212, left column, 1st full paragraph).
Regarding claim 18, Reference U teaches:
The semiconductor processing method of claim 13, wherein a temperature within the processing region is maintained at less than or about 600 °C (“The deposition temperature was 350 °C” pg. 212, left column, 1st full paragraph).
Claims 1 and 11 are rejected15 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Reference V (C.W. Chen et al., Thin Solid Films 447–448 (2004) 632–637).
Regarding claim 1, Reference V teaches:
A semiconductor processing method (first paragraph of section 2—Experimental) comprising:
providing deposition precursors (“tri-methyl-silane” [trimethylsilane] and NH3) to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber (“plasma-enhance [sic] chemical vapor deposition system” [i.e., a PECVD system], “chamber”), wherein the deposition precursors comprise a silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor (trimethylsilane [C3H10Si] has silicon and carbon; ammonia [NH3] has nitrogen; thus, the combined precursor of trimethylsilane mixed with ammonia contains silicon, carbon, and nitrogen), and wherein a substrate (“p-type silicon wafer”) is disposed within the processing region (“The silicon carbide film was deposited on p-type silicon wafer” in the “plasma-enhance [sic] chemical vapor deposition system”);
forming plasma effluents of the deposition precursors (inherent to the PECVD process); and
depositing a layer of silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing material (Title/Abstract: “amorphous SiCN (a-SiCN)” and “a-SiCN films”; Section 3–Results and discussions: “SiCN samples”, “SiCN films”, and “a-SiCN films”) on the substrate (“The silicon carbide16 film was deposited on p-type silicon wafer”), wherein the layer of silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing material is characterized by a dielectric constant of less than or about17 4.0 (in Table 1, the dielectric constant of the “SiC–N4” film is 4.40), and wherein the layer of silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing material is characterized by a leakage current at 2 MV∕cm of less than or about 3E−08 A∕cm2 (see Fig. 6 with grid lines added by the examiner, including a solid horizontal line at J = 3×10−8 A∕cm2; for an applied electric field of 2 MV∕cm, the current density J of the 450°C data set [solid circles] is approximately 3×10−8 A∕cm2; the caption for Fig. 6 notes that all the data sets in Fig. 6 correspond to “SiC–N4” samples, the only difference between the data sets being the temperature used for thermal annealing).
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Regarding claim 11, Reverence V teaches:
The semiconductor processing method of claim 1, wherein the layer of silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing material (the “SiC–N4 film” corresponding to the data in Fig. 6) is characterized by a breakdown voltage at 0.001 A∕cm2 of greater than or about18 5.5 MV∕cm (Fig. 6 shows that when the leakage current J is 0.001 A∕cm2, the electric field strength is approximately 5.0 MV∕cm).
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 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Reference V (C.W. Chen et al., Thin Solid Films 447–448 (2004) 632–637).
Regarding claim 7, Reference V teaches:
The semiconductor processing method of claim 1, wherein a flow rate of a nitrogen-containing precursor (NH3) is greater than or about 500 sccm (“The flow rate of NH3 gas for SiC–N1, SiC–N2, SiC–N3 and SiC–N4 were increasing from 250 to 500 sccm”; thus, the film coded as “SiC–N4” was deposited using a flow rate of NH3 of 500 sccm).
However, Reference V does not disclose the flow rate of trimethylsilane, so the total flow rate of the silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor (the mixture of trimethylsilane and NH3) is not disclosed in Reference V.
Since the flow rate of NH3 was disclosed to be 500 sccm, it follows that the unknown flow rate of trimethylsilane would have added to the 500 sccm flow rate of NH3 so that the total flow rate of the silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor (the mixture of trimethylsilane and NH3) must have been greater than 500 sccm.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention based on Reference V that the total flow rate of the silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor (the mixture of trimethylsilane and NH3) must have been greater than 500 sccm, which was the flow rate disclosed for NH3 alone.
Allowable Subject Matter
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
-Claim 17 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. This claim requires that
“the layer of silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing material is characterized by a breakdown voltage at 0.001 A∕cm2 of greater than or about 7.5 MV∕cm.”
Here, “breakdown voltage” is understood by the examiner to refer to a breakdown electric field strength, also known as a dielectric strength, as discussed above (see rejections under 35 USC § 112(b)).
Reference A does not disclose a breakdown electric field strength.
Reference U in Fig. 4 (see below) shows that the leakage current density of the SiCN film reaches 0.001 A∕cm2 for an electric field strength (absolute value) of approximately 4.5 MV∕cm.
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Reference V in Fig. 6 (see rejection of claim 11 above) shows that the leakage current density J of the 450°C-annealed “SiC–N4” film (solid circles) reaches 0.001 A∕cm2 for an electric field strength E of approximately 5.0 MV∕cm.
Reference W (Y.-L. Cheng et al., Thin Solid Films 702 (2020) 137983) shows in Fig. 4 (see below) that the layer named “SiCxNy-2” has a leakage current density of between 7 MV∕cm and 8 MV∕cm. The SiCxNy-2 layer was deposited using a single-source silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor: N-methyl-aza-2,2,4-trimethylsilacyclopentane19 (MTSCP). However, Reference W discloses in Table 1 that the dielectric constant of the SiCxNy-2 layer is 4.60±0.06, which does not satisfy the requirement of claim 13, upon which claim 17 depends, that the dielectric constant must be less than or about 4.0.
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-Claim 19 is allowed. This claim requires, in combination with all the other limitations of the claim, that
“the silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor comprises greater than or about three methyl groups”
and
“the layer of silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing material is characterized by a dielectric constant of less than or about 4.0, and wherein the layer of silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing material is characterized by a leakage current at 2 MV∕cm of less than or about 1E−08 A∕cm2.”
Reference A teaches that “the diphenylsilane silicon carbide had a leakage current of … about 1e−8 amps∕cm2 at 2 MV∕cm” ¶[0060]. However, diphenylsilane [SiH2(C6H5)2] does not have any methyl (CH3) groups.
Reference U satisfies all the requirements of claim 19 (e.g., see the rejections of claims 1, 2, and 8 above) except the leakage current at 2 MV∕cm is too high at approximately 3E−08 A∕cm2.
Reference V does not disclose the plasma power (RF power) used during the deposition process, which is required by one of the limitations of claim 19. Also, Reference V discloses a leakage current at 2 MV∕cm of approximately 3E−08 A∕cm2, which is too high.
-Claim 20 is allowed because it depends on allowed claim 19 and therefore includes all the limitations of claim 19 by reference.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Reference X (N.I. Fainer et al., Glass Physics and Chemistry, 2014, Vol. 40, No. 6, pp. 643–649)
Relevant to claim 3: uses as a deposition precursor 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexamethyldisilazane20 (HMDS).
Missing: does not disclose the leakage current at an electric field strength of 2 MV/cm as required by claim 1; only discloses the leakage current at a voltage of 5 V (“a leak current of ~2×10–8 A/cm2 at the voltage of 5 V”).
Reference N (from the IDS, International Pub. No. WO 2023/147382 A1)
Relevant to claims 3 and 20: Formula A can be hexamethyl cyclotrisilazane21 (HMCTZ); see drawing below comparing Formula A to HMCTZ.
Missing: only describes leakage current at 1 MV∕cm, not at 2 MV∕cm as required by claims 1 and 19.
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Hung-En Tu et al. 2012 J. Electrochem. Soc. 159 G56
Relevant to claim 1: Fig. 7 shows that three of the SiCxNy films had a dielectric constant of less than 4.0.
Relevant to claim 3: “1, 3, 5-trimethyl-1, 3, 5- trivinylcyclotrisilazane22 (C9H21N3Si3, VSZ) (Gelest, Inc. 95%) was used as the single source precursor”.
Missing: Fig. 8(a) shows that at an electric field of 2 MV/cm, none of the five different SiCxNy films deposited at five different temperatures from 25 °C to 400 °C had a leakage current rate of less than 3E−08 A/cm2 as required by claim 1.
Nadezhda I. Fainer et al. 2009 ECS Trans. 25 921
Relevant to claims 3 and 30: uses as a precursor “hexamethylcyclotrisilazane (HMCTS) (CH3)6Si3N3H3”, the same chemical that is called HMCTZ in claims 3 and 20; see footnote 22.
Missing: no leakage currents disclosed as required by claims 1 and 19.
W. Kafrouni et al., Applied Surface Science 257 (2010) 1196–1203
Relevant to claim 3: uses as a precursor bis(dimethylamino)dimethylsilane23 (BDMADMS)
Missing: no leakage currents disclosed as required by claim 1.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Adam J Mott whose telephone number is (571)272-2367. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:30AM-5:00PM EST.
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/A.J.M./Examiner, Art Unit 2817
/RATISHA MEHTA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2817
1 CAS Reg. No. 2117-28-4, formula C7H20Si2
2 CAS Reg. No. 1627-98-1, formula C6H16Si2
3 CAS Reg. No. 993-07-7, formula C3H10Si
4 In the broadest reasonable interpretation, a deposition precursor need not consist of only a single chemical. For instance, a deposition precursor could be a mixture of two or more chemicals, such as a mixture of trimethylsilane and ammonia (NH3).
5 Hereinafter, References A, B, etc., refer to entries on the attached PTO-892 “Notice of References Cited” form.
6 In the broadest reasonable interpretation, a deposition precursor need not consist of only a single chemical. For instance, a deposition precursor could be a mixture of two or more chemicals, such as a mixture of trimethylsilane and ammonia (NH3).
7 Diphenylsilane: CAS Reg. No. 775-12-2, formula C12H12Si, therefore (a,b,c)=(2,0,2) in Reference A’s general formula for an organosilicon compound, SiHa(CH3)b(C6H5)c
8 In the broadest reasonable interpretation, a deposition precursor need not consist of only a single chemical. For instance, a deposition precursor could be a mixture of two or more chemicals, such as a mixture of trimethylsilane and ammonia (NH3).
9 See Rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) above; “about 4.0” is being interpreted as 4.0±10%, so this claim limitation is being interpreted as “a dielectric constant of less than or equal to 4.4”.
10 See Rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) above; “about four” is being interpreted as 4±1, so this claim limitation is being interpreted as “greater than or equal to three methyl groups”.
11 In the broadest reasonable interpretation, a deposition precursor need not consist of only a single chemical. For instance, a deposition precursor could be a mixture of two or more chemicals, such as a mixture of trimethylsilane and ammonia (NH3).
12 See Rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) above; “about four” is being interpreted as 4±1, so this claim limitation is being interpreted as “greater than or equal to three methyl groups”.
13 See Rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) above; the examiner interprets “the layer of silicon-containing material” to refer to the “layer of silicon-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing material” that was previously introduced in the claim.
14 See Rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) above; “about 4.0” is being interpreted as 4.0±10%, so this claim limitation is being interpreted as “a dielectric constant of less than or equal to 4.4”.
15 It appears that Reference V could also be used to reject claims 2–5, 9–10, 13–15, and 18. For the sake of brevity, the examiner is only applying Reference V to rejecting claims 1 and 11 under 35 USC § 102(a)(1) and claim 7 under 35 USC § 103.
16 Here the authors use the term “silicon carbide film” generically for both SiC and SiCN films, which they label as SiC for pure silicon carbide film and “SiC–N1” through “SiC–N4” for silicon carbonitride films deposited using increasing gas flows of NH3 during deposition.
17 See Rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) above; “about 4.0” is being interpreted as 4.0±10%, so this claim limitation is being interpreted as “a dielectric constant of less than or equal to 4.4”.
18 See Rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) above; “about 5.5” is being interpreted as 5.5±10%, so this claim limitation is being interpreted as “a breakdown voltage at 0.001 A∕cm2 of greater than or equal to 4.95”.
19 N-methyl-aza-2,2,4-trimethylsilacyclopentane (MTSCP): CAS Reg. No. 18387-19-4, formula C7H17NSi
20 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS): CAS Reg. No. 999-97-3, formula NH(Si(CH3)3)2 = C6H19NSi2
21 Hexamethyl cyclotrisilazane (HMCTZ): CAS Reg. No. 1009-93-4, formula (Si(CH3)2)3(NH)3 = C6H21N3Si3
22 1,3,5-trimethyl-1,3,5-trivinylcyclotrisilazane (VSZ) is also called 1,3,5-trivinyl-1,3,5-trimethyl cyclotrisilazane (3V3MCTZ), which is one of the precursors listed in claim 3. It has CAS Reg. No. 5505-72-6 and formula C9H21N3Si3.
23 bis(dimethylamino)-dimethylsilane (BDMADMS): CAS Reg. No. 3768-58-9, formula C6H18N2Si