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 claims in the reply filed on 5/28/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that a search for the subject matter of any one of the groups would encompass a search for the subject matter of the remaining group. This is not found persuasive because further searching would need to be performed in classification symbol H10B41/42 for the method steps of group 1; furthermore, references applied to the claims of group 2 would not apply to group 1 due to the additional distinguishing method steps.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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 13-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ozaki et al (U.S. Pub #2012/0020158).
With respect to claim 13, Ozaki teaches a memory device, comprising:
a substrate (Fig. 3, 100);
a plurality of word lines (Fig. 9, WL) disposed on the substrate, wherein the word lines extend in a first direction (Fig. 9, horizontal across figure) and are arranged in a second direction (Fig. 9, vertical across figure), and wherein the first direction intersects the second direction; and
a first sub-select gate (Fig. 9, SGS or SGD) extending in the first direction and disposed adjacent to and separated from an outermost word line in the second direction, wherein one end of the first sub-select gate (Fig. 9, SGSe or SGDe) has a first width in the second direction, a major portion (Fig. 9 SGSm or SGDm) of the first sub-select gate has a second width in the second direction, and the second width is greater than the first width.
With respect to claim 14, Ozaki teaches that the first sub-select gate comprises a floating gate (Fig. 3, 11 and Paragraph 56) and a control gate (Fig. 3, 13 and Paragraph 56) above the floating gate.
With respect to claim 15, Ozaki teaches a dummy structure (Fig. 9, CLd0) adjacent to and separated from one end of the word lines in the first direction, and the dummy structure is comb-shaped.
With respect to claim 16, Ozaki teaches a plurality of landing pads (Fig. 9, LP) extending along the second direction and respectively connecting to another plurality of word lines.
With respect to claim 17, Ozaki teaches the first sub-select gate is disposed opposite to a second sub-select gate in the second direction, and the first sub-select gate and the second sub-select gate are mirror symmetrical along the first direction (Fig. 15, SGS and SGD).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 18-20 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BENJAMIN P SANDVIK whose telephone number is (571)272-8446. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 10-6.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Davienne Monbleau can be reached at (571)-272-1945. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BENJAMIN P SANDVIK/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812
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