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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Specie I Fig 17A in the reply filed on 4/14/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that there is no serious burden. This is not found persuasive because Fig 17B, Fig 18A and Fig 18B requires different combination and arrangement of layers and different content/concentration or chalcogenide composition.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claims 7-9 and 17 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected specie, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 4/14/2026.
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.
Claims 1, 3-5, 10-13-16, 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brew et al (US Publication No. 2022/0209105) in view of Lee et al (US Publication No. 2010/0314601).
Regarding claim 1, Brew discloses a material stack for microelectronic device comprising: a substrate Fig 3C, 320, a first undoped monocrystalline layer Fig 3C, 308-4 ¶0036 and 0044 on the substrate Fig 3C, 320, said undoped monocrystalline layer Fig 3C, 308-4 having a thickness superior or equal to 4 nm ¶0028 and 0044, and a Si-doped crystalline chalcogenide layer Fig 3C, 302 ¶0024 and 0027 on the first undoped monocrystalline layer Fig 3C, 308-4, said Si-doped crystalline chalcogenide layer having a thickness comprised in between 0.5 nm and 20 nm ¶0044. Brew discloses all the limitations except for the atomic concentration of the dopant. Whereas Lee discloses a material stack for microelectronic device comprising: a substrate Fig 4, a Si-doped crystalline chalcogenide layer being doped with Si having an atomic concentration ranging from 0.5 at.% to 20 at.% Fig 18-20. Brew and Lee are analogous art because they are directed to semiconductor devices and one of ordinary skill in the art would have had a reasonable expectation of success to modify Brew because they are from the same field of endeavor. Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill of the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the dopant concentration to improve device performance (e.g. low reset current) ¶0008.
Regarding claim 3, Brew discloses wherein said first undoped monocrystalline layer is an undoped monocrystalline chalcogenide layer ¶0036-0037.
Regarding claim 4, Brew discloses wherein the Si-doped chalcogenide layer is monocrystalline ¶0030-0033.
Regarding claim 5, Brew discloses wherein the first undoped layer is monocrystalline as deposited on the substrate, and wherein the Si-doped chalcogenide layer is crystalline as deposited on the first undoped monocrystalline layer ¶0024-0033.
Regarding claim 10, Brew discloses wherein the substrate comprises a heater Fig 2E, 206, and wherein the first undoped crystalline layer is over the heater Fig 2E.
Regarding claim 11, Brew discloses wherein said first undoped crystalline layer extending on the substrate has a thickness comprised in between 4 and 20 nm¶0028 and 0044.
Regarding claim 12, Lee discloses wherein each Si-doped crystalline chalcogenide layer and/or each undoped crystalline chalcogenide layer is based on a material chosen among:a. GexSbyTez (GST) where "x-y-z" are chosen to reach a stoichiometric composition allowing a deviation of plus or minus 2 at. %, from a targeted stoichiometric composition, b. GeTe, and c. Sb2Te3 ¶0073-0078.
Regarding claim 13, Lee discloses wherein each first undoped crystalline layer extending on the substrate is based on at least one material chosen among:a. Sb2Te3, b. Bi2Te3, and c. Sb2Se3 ¶0073-0078.
Regarding claim 14, Brew discloses a thermally processed material stack for microelectronic device ,being a Phase-Change Memory (PCM) device, a thermally processed Si-doped crystalline chalcogenide layer Fig 3C, 302 ¶0024 and 0027; said thermally processed Si-doped crystalline chalcogenide layer being doped with less than 20 at.% ¶0027. Brew discloses all the limitations except for forming the doped layer on a substrate. Whereas Lee discloses a material stack for microelectronic device comprising: a substrate Fig 4, a Si-doped crystalline chalcogenide layer being doped with Si having an atomic concentration ranging from 0.5 at.% to 20 at.% Fig 18-20 and said thermally processed Si-doped crystalline chalcogenide layer having a crystal surface parallel to the substrate Fig 4. Brew and Lee are analogous art because they are directed to semiconductor devices and one of ordinary skill in the art would have had a reasonable expectation of success to modify Brew because they are from the same field of endeavor. Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill of the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Brew and incorporate the teachings of Lee as an alternative method known in the art to form a phase change layer. Brew and Lee discloses all the limitations but silent for the area of the Si doped layer. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the area, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233 (1955).
Regarding claim 15, Brew discloses a method for manufacturing a thermally processed material stack comprising: a step of providing a material stack Fig 2A-4 ; and a step of thermal treatment of the provided material stack ¶0025-0026, 0034-0035, 0039-0040.
Regarding claim 16, Brew discloses wherein said step of thermal treatment is part of an integration process of the material stack in a microelectronic device Fig 2A-4.
Regarding claim 18, Lee discloses wherein the Si-doped crystalline chalcogenide layer is formed by co-sputtering deposition ¶0056.
Regarding claim 19, Brew discloses a microelectronic device, being a Phase-Change Memory (PCM) device, comprising at least a material stack according to claim 1 and a top electrode Fig 2E, 210 of the microelectronic device on the material stack Fig 2E; While Lee wherein a substrate of the concerned material stack comprises a bottom electrode of the microelectronic device Fig 4.
Claims 2 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brew et al (US Publication No. 2022/0209105) in view of Lee et al (US Publication No. 2010/0314601) and in further view of Miao et al (US 2013/0270503).
Regarding claim 2, Brew discloses all the limitation except for the method of forming the layer. Whereas Miao discloses wherein the first undoped monocrystalline layer is based on a material allowing heterogenous epitaxial growth on the substrate and allowing the heterogenous epitaxial growth of the Si-doped crystalline chalcogenide layer thereon ¶0043-0045. Brew and Miao are analogous art because they are directed to semiconductor devices and one of ordinary skill in the art would have had a reasonable expectation of success to modify Brew because they are from the same field of endeavor. Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill of the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Brew and incorporate the teachings of Miao as an alternative method known in the art for forming a phase change material.
Regarding claim 6, Brew discloses comprising:a second undoped crystalline layer Fig 2E, 208-6 and Fig 4, 408-2 over said Si-doped crystalline chalcogenide layer Fig 2E, 202 and Fig 4, 406, with said second undoped crystalline layer having a thickness comprised in between 1 and 20 nm ¶0028 and 0044 and being based on a chalcogenide material, While Miao discloses a secondary Si-doped crystalline chalcogenide layer Fig 1-3 over said second undoped crystalline layer, with said secondary Si-doped crystalline chalcogenide layer being based on the same chalcogenide material than said Si-doped crystalline chalcogenide layer ¶0035 and 0043-0045.
Conclusion
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/CHRISTINE A ENAD/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2811
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