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 .
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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. carbon
(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 – 8, 11 – 15, and 17 – 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by US Patent Application Publication No. 2020/0266055 to Ivanova et al.
Regarding claim 1, Ivanova et al. teach a method (Fig. 1, for example) of forming a structure comprising a threshold voltage tuning layer, the method comprising:
providing a substrate comprising a substrate surface within a reaction chamber (110);
providing a treatment reactant comprising a metal treatment precursor to the reaction chamber to form a treated surface on the substrate surface (120); and
depositing threshold voltage tuning material (130) overlying the treated surface, wherein the treatment reactant inherently inhibits deposition of the threshold voltage tuning material since it is identical to the material of the claimed invention.
Regarding claim 2, Ivanova et al. teach a method, wherein the metal treatment precursor comprises hafnium (120).
Regarding claim 3, Ivanova et al. teach a method, wherein the metal treatment precursor comprises one of more hafnium chloride (HfCl4), tetrakis (ethylmethylamido) hafnium (TEMAHf), bis(methylcyclopentadienyl) methylmethozy Hf (¶¶ [0034], [0058], [0059]).
Regarding claim 5, Ivanova et al. teach a method, wherein 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; and providing voltage tuning material reactant to the reaction chamber. See Fig. 1.
Regarding claim 6, Ivanova et al. inherently teach a method, wherein the threshold voltage tuning layer material removes a ligand of the treatment reactant on the treated surface since the method and materials used are identical.
Regarding claim 7, Ivanova et al. teach a method (Fig. 1, for example) of forming a structure comprising a threshold voltage tuning layer, the method comprising:
providing a substrate comprising a substrate surface within a reaction chamber (110);
providing a treatment reactant comprising a carbon-containing treatment (120, ¶ [0071]) precursor to the reaction chamber to form a treated surface on the substrate surface; and
depositing threshold voltage tuning material (130) overlying the treated surface.
Regarding claim 8, Ivanova et al. teach a method, wherein the carbon-containing treatment precursor comprises an aminosilane (¶ [0069]).
Regarding claim 11, Ivanova et al. teach a method, wherein the carbon-containing treatment precursor comprises an alcohol (¶ [0075]).
Regarding claim 12, Ivanova et al. teach a method, further comprising 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 (See Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 13, Ivanova et al. teach a method (Fig. 1, for example) of forming a structure comprising a threshold voltage tuning layer, the method comprising:
providing a substrate comprising a substrate surface within a reaction chamber (120); and
using a cyclical deposition process (150), depositing threshold voltage tuning material (130) overlying the substrate surface, wherein the cyclical deposition process comprises:
providing a metal deposition precursor (120) to the reaction chamber;
providing a silicon precursor to the reaction chamber (¶ [0087]); and
providing an oxidant (¶ [0092]) to the reaction chamber.
Regarding claim 14, Ivanova et al. teach a method, wherein the step of providing the metal deposition precursor comprises providing a carbon-free, halogen-containing metal precursor (¶ [0056]).
Regarding claim 15, Ivanova et al. teach a method, wherein the step of providing the silicon precursor comprises providing a carbon-free, halogen-containing silicon precursor (¶ [0087]).
Regarding claims 17 and 18, Ivanova et al. teach a method (Fig. 1) of forming a structure comprising a threshold voltage tuning layer, the method comprising:
providing a substrate comprising a substrate surface within a reaction chamber (120); depositing threshold voltage tuning material overlying the substrate surface (130);
providing an etchant comprising betadiketonate (¶ [0069]) to the reaction chamber to form the threshold voltage tuning layer; and
forming a metal oxide layer over the threshold voltage tuning layer (¶ [0119]).
Regarding claim 19, Ivanova et al. teach a method, further comprising a step of treating the surface of the substrate with a treatment reactant to inhibit growth of the threshold voltage tuning material (¶ [0069], the etchant betadiketonate inhibits growth).
Regarding claim 20, Ivanova et al. teach a method, wherein the threshold voltage tuning layer comprises lanthanum oxide (130).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 9, 10, and 16 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. US Patent No. 10,867,869 to Lee et al. teach a method of forming a structure comprising a threshold voltage tuning layer including providing a metal treatment precursor and depositing a threshold voltage tuning material. Lee et al. do not specifically teach providing the substrate in a reaction chamber, or a silicon precursor.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DOUGLAS W OWENS whose telephone number is (571)272-1662. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 5:30-1:30.
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DOUGLAS W. OWENS, Esq.
Primary Patent Examiner
Art Unit 2897
/DOUGLAS W OWENS/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2897