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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s amendments and the accompanying arguments, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1, 7, and 13 (and their dependents) have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, new grounds of rejection are made.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 8, 10, and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claims 8, 10, and 11 each require different carbon-containing treatment precursors, none of which are disclosed as used in combination with the acyl halide or alkyl diacyl halide carbon-containing precursor required by claim 7.
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 8, 10, and 11 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.
Claims 8, 10, and 11, depend on claim 7, and each require different carbon-containing treatment precursors, none of which are disclosed as used in combination with the acyl halide or alkyl diacyl halide carbon-containing precursor required by claim 7. It is unclear if claims 8, 10, and 11 require the respective carbon-containing treatment precursors in combination with the acyl halide or alkyl diacyl halide or in place of the acyl halide or alkyl diacyl halide. It is therefore unclear what the treatment precursor of claim 8, 10, and 11 comprises.
For purposes of examination, claims 8, 10, and 11 have been interpreted to mean the treatment reactant comprises only the respective materials of claims 8, 10, and 11, not in combination with the acyl halide or alkyl diacyl halide.
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, 3, 5, and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Jeon (US 6,607,973).
In reference to claim 1, Jeon (US 6,607,973), hereafter “Jeon,” discloses a method of forming a structure comprising a threshold voltage tuning layer, the method comprising:
providing a substrate comprising a substrate surface within a reaction chamber;
providing a treatment reactant comprising a metal treatment precursor to the reaction chamber to form a treated surface on the substrate surface, wherein the metal treatment precursor comprises a metal selected from one or more of hafnium, zirconium, or aluminum, wherein the substrate surface comprises the metal, (hafnium) Figure 4 and col. 3 lines 40-51; and
depositing threshold voltage tuning material overlying the treated surface, wherein the treatment reactant inhibits deposition of the threshold voltage tuning material, (self-limiting) col. 3 lines 52-56.
In reference to claim 3, Jeon discloses the metal treatment precursor comprises hafnium chloride, col. 3 lines 40-45.
In reference to claim 5, Jeon discloses the step of depositing threshold voltage tuning material comprises a cyclical deposition process comprising:
providing a threshold voltage tuning material precursor to the reaction chamber, ‘silicon compound’ col. 4, lines 12-20; and
providing a threshold voltage tuning material reactant to the reaction chamber, ‘oxygen compound’ col. 3 line 66 to col. 4 line 3.
In reference to claim 6, Jeon discloses the threshold voltage tuning material reactant removes a ligand (Cl) of the treatment reactant on the treated surface, Figures 3 and 4 and col. 3 line 66 to col. 4 line 11.
Claims 7, 8, and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Sharma et al. (US 2019/0017170).
In reference to claim 7, Sharma et al. (US 2019/0017170), hereafter “Sharma,” discloses a method of forming a structure comprising a threshold voltage tuning layer, the method comprising:
providing a substrate comprising a substrate surface within a reaction chamber;
providing a treatment reactant comprising a carbon-containing treatment precursor to the reaction chamber to form a treated surface on the substrate surface, wherein the carbon-containing treatment precursor comprises one or more of an acyl halide or an alkyl diacyl halide, paragraph 87; and
depositing threshold voltage tuning material overlying the treated surface, paragraph 66.
In reference to claim 8, Sharma discloses the carbon-containing treatment precursor comprises one or more of an aminosilane, an alkyl amine, and formamidine, (alkyl amine), paragraph 87.
In reference to claim 12, Sharma discloses repeating the steps of providing the treatment reactant to the reaction chamber and depositing the threshold voltage tuning material overlying the treated surface to form the threshold voltage tuning layer, Figure 5 and paragraph 100.
Claims 13 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by ‘Characterisation of alumina-silica films deposited by ALD,’ by Prince et al.
In reference to claim 13, Prince et al. discloses in ‘Characterisation of alumina-silica films deposited by ALD,’ hereafter “Prince,” a method of forming a structure comprising a threshold voltage tuning layer, second paragraph under the heading ‘INTRODUCTION’ on page 1692, the method comprising:
providing a substrate comprising a substrate surface within a reaction chamber; and
using a cyclical deposition process, (ALD), depositing threshold voltage tuning material overlying the substrate surface, wherein the cyclical deposition process comprises:
providing a metal deposition precursor to the reaction chamber, wherein the metal deposition precursor comprises a carbon-free, halogen-containing metal precursor, AlCl3;
providing a silicon precursor, SiBr4, to the reaction chamber; and
providing an oxidant, tBA (t-C4H9OH) to the reaction chamber,
wherein the threshold voltage tuning layer comprises one or more of silicon-doped niobium oxide and silicon-doped aluminum oxide (alumina-silica), see page 1693 under the heading ‘EXPERIMENTAL’ and page 1694 under the heading ‘Reaction of SiBr4 and t-C4H9OH with AlCl3 catalyst.’
In reference to claim 15, Prince discloses the step of providing the silicon precursor comprises providing a carbon-free, halogen-containing silicon precursor, SiBr4, page 1694 under the heading ‘Reaction of SiBr4 and t-C4H9OH with AlCl3 catalyst.’
Claims 10, 11, and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Madia et al. (US 2022/0123131).
In reference to claim 10, Madia et al. (US 2022/0123131), hereafter “Madia,” discloses a method of forming a structure comprising a threshold voltage tuning layer, the method comprising:
providing a substrate comprising a substrate surface within a reaction chamber;
providing a treatment reactant comprising a carbon-containing treatment precursor to the reaction chamber to form a treated surface on the substrate surface, wherein the carbon-containing treatment precursor comprises a carboxylic acid anhydride, (formic anhydride, acetic anhydride) paragraphs 127 and 130; and
depositing threshold voltage tuning material overlying the treated surface, paragraph 131.
In reference to claim 11, Madia discloses a method of forming a structure comprising a threshold voltage tuning layer, the method comprising:
providing a substrate comprising a substrate surface within a reaction chamber;
providing a treatment reactant comprising a carbon-containing treatment precursor to the reaction chamber to form a treated surface on the substrate surface, wherein the carbon-containing treatment precursor comprises an alcohol, paragraphs 127 and 130; and
depositing threshold voltage tuning material overlying the treated surface, paragraph 131.
In reference to claim 21, Madia discloses a method of forming a structure comprising a threshold voltage tuning layer, the method comprising:
providing a substrate comprising a substrate surface within a reaction chamber;
providing a treatment reactant comprising a carbon-containing treatment precursor to the reaction chamber to form a treated surface on the substrate surface, wherein the carbon-containing treatment precursor comprises a carboxylic acid anhydride, (formic anhydride, acetic anhydride) paragraphs 127 and 130; and
depositing threshold voltage tuning material overlying the treated surface, paragraph 131.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRYAN R. JUNGE whose telephone number is (571)270-5717. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-4:30 CT.
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/BRYAN R JUNGE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2897
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