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
Claims 8, 12, and 20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on April 30th, 2026.
Applicant's election with traverse of species 2 and 4 in the reply filed on April 30th, 2026, is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the office action attempts to identify species solely by reference to applicant’s claims, rather than by reference to applicant’s figures. This is not found persuasive because species 2 and species 4 are represented by the transition from figure 3N to figure 3O and paragraph [0058] of applicant’s filed specification. Similarly, species 1 and species 3 are represented by figure 4 and paragraph [0064] of applicant’s filed specification.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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 16-17 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.
Claim 16 recites the limitation “a terminal functional group” in line 5. It is unclear if this limitation refers to the terminal functional group defined in line 7 of Claim 10 or a second, different terminal functional group. For the purpose of examination, the limitation will be interpreted as “the terminal functional group”.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-7, 9-11, and 13-19 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance. None of the cited references, either singly or in combination, teach or render obvious the limitations presented in Claim 1 wherein “forming a dummy layer having a top surface that is below the second channel structure; selectively depositing a hard mask over the second gate dielectric, wherein deposition parameters of the selectively depositing and a composition of the dummy layer are configured to inhibit deposition of the hard mask on the top surface of the dummy layer; selectively removing the dummy layer; and selectively removing the hard mask after selectively removing the dummy layer”, in Claim 10 wherein “performing a spin-on deposition process to form a dummy layer that wraps the channel stack, wherein the dummy layer includes silicon, oxygen, and a terminal functional group that inhibits formation of metal nitride on the dummy layer; recessing the dummy layer below the first channel layer; selectively depositing a metal nitride mask over the first high-k dielectric layer; and after selectively removing the dummy layer, selectively removing the metal nitride mask”, and in Claim 18 wherein “forming a dummy layer that covers a first portion of the dipole dopant source layer and exposes a second portion of the dipole dopant source layer, wherein the first portion of the dipole dopant source layer is over the first gate dielectric, the second portion of the dipole dopant source layer is over the second gate dielectric, and the dummy layer includes silicon, oxygen, and a terminal functional group that inhibits formation of metal nitride on the dummy layer; removing the second portion of the dipole dopant source layer to expose the second gate dielectric around the second channel layer; forming a metal nitride mask over the exposed second gate dielectric, wherein the metal nitride mask wraps the second channel layer; after removing the dummy layer, removing the metal nitride mask”.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Ge et al. (2021/0005604 A1) discloses masking lower channels in a stacked channel transistor.
Cho et al. (2025/0218782 A1) discloses using reaction inhibition layers in forming a stacked channel transistor.
Lin et al. (2022/0344354 A1) discloses using dipole layers to form multiple threshold voltages in a stack channel transistor.
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/A.H./Examiner, Art Unit 2817
/Kretelia Graham/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2817
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