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 .
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.
Claims 1, 11-12, and 14-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Park et al. (US 11315935).
Regarding claim 1, Park discloses a semiconductor device, comprising:
a semiconductor layer (10) [Figs. 2-3 and 9-10];
a stack structure over the semiconductor layer (10) and comprising alternating first layers (24/26) and first dielectric layers (22), wherein the stack structure comprises a first portion (CNR/DCH) and a second portion (CAR1/CAR2/SR) adjacent to the first portion, the first layers (24) of the first portion comprise second dielectric layers (24), and the first layers (26) of the second portion (CAR1/CAR2/SR) comprise conductive layers (26) [Figs. 3 and 9-10, and col. 6, lines 1-32];
a first contact structure (CNT) extending through the first portion and the semiconductor layer (10) [Fig. 9-10]; and
a second contact structure (DCH) extending through a part of the first portion and connecting (.e.g. joining together) with one of the conductive layers (26) [Figs. 3 and 9-10].
Regarding claim 11, Park discloses channel structures (CH) extending through the second portion into the semiconductor layer (10) [Figs. 3 and 10].
Regarding claim 12, Park discloses wherein, in a vertical direction, a length of the first contact structure (CNT) is greater than a length of the channel structures (CH) [Fig. 10].
Regarding claim 14, Park discloses a peripheral circuit (P) connected with the first contact structure (CNT) [Figs. 1 and 10].
Regarding claim 15, Park discloses a first connection layer (PAD1) and a second connection layer (PAD2), the first connection layer (PAD1) connected with the first contact structure (CNT), the second connection layer (PAD2) connected with the peripheral circuit (P) [Fig. 10], wherein the first connection layer (PAD1) is bonded with the second connection layer (PAD2) [Fig. 10 and col. 10, lines 27-31].
Regarding claim 16, Park discloses wherein the peripheral circuit (P) is disposed under the stack structure (C), and the first contact structure (CNT) extends through the semiconductor layer (10) to connect with the peripheral circuit (P) [Fig. 9].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 17-20 are allowed.
Claims 2-10 and 13 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. Lu et al. (US 2019/0067314) discloses a stack structure comprising alternating first layers and first dielectric layers (232/234) [Fig. 2].
Correspondence
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSE R DIAZ whose telephone number is (571)272-1727. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday.
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/Jose R Diaz/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2815
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