DETAILED ACTION
Priority Claim
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
IDS
All references provided in the IDS dated 02/08/2024, 01/28/2025, and 05/15/2025 have been considered.
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.
Claim 7 is 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Regarding Dependent Claim 7,
Regarding claim 7, the phrase “forming a gate oxide film among processes of forming a semiconductor device” renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d). “forming a gate oxide film among processes of forming a semiconductor device” has been interpreted broadly as any stage of the semiconductor process that comes with forming the SiO2 layer.
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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Chen (US 20040147136 A1).
Re: Independent Claim 1, Chen discloses:
A method (Chen, semiconductor device process; Fig. 3, steps 70-86) of forming an oxide film (Chen, silicon dioxide layer; Fig. 3, ¶ [0028]) by using a deposition apparatus (Chen, chamber; Fig. 1A, element 10), the method comprising:
depositing an insulating film (Chen, silicon oxynitride; Fig. 1C, element 40) on a silicon substrate (Chen, silicon substrate; Fig. 1C, element 15, ¶ [0025]); and
forming an SiO2 thin film (Chen, silicon dioxide layer; Fig. 2C, element 65) between the silicon substrate and the insulating film by performing annealing using OH radicals (Chen, hydroxyl radicals; Fig. 2B, element 60) on the insulating film by using the deposition apparatus (Chen, ¶ [0026]).
Re: Dependent Claim 2, Chen disclose(s) all the limitations of claim 1 on which this claim depends. Chen further discloses:
wherein, in the depositing of the insulating film (Chen, silicon oxynitride; Fig. 1C, element 40), the insulating film is deposited based on any one of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and atomic layer deposition (ALD) (Chen, chemical vapor deposition, ¶ [0024]).
Re: Dependent Claim 3, Chen disclose(s) all the limitations of claim 1 on which this claim depends. Chen further discloses:
wherein the insulating film (Chen, silicon oxynitride; Fig. 1C, element 40 is composed of any one of a silicon oxide film and a high-k film (Chen, silicon oxynitride is composed of silicon oxide).
Re: Dependent Claim 4, Chen disclose(s) all the limitations of claim 1 on which this claim depends. Chen further discloses:
wherein, in the forming of the SiO2 thin film (Chen, silicon dioxide layer; Fig. 2C, element 65), the SiO2 thin film is formed as the OH radicals (Chen, hydroxyl radicals; Fig. 2B, element 60) permeate into the insulating film (Chen, silicon oxynitride; Fig. 1C, element 40) and react with silicon included in the silicon substrate (Chen, silicon substrate; Fig. 1C, element 15, ¶ [0025]).
Re: Dependent Claim 7, Chen disclose(s) all the limitations of claim 1 on which this claim depends. Chen further discloses:
wherein the depositing of the insulating film (Chen, silicon oxynitride; Fig. 1C, element 40) and the forming of the SiO2 thin film (Chen, silicon dioxide layer; Fig. 2C, element 65) are included in a process of forming a gate oxide film (Chen, silicon oxynitride, silicon dioxide, silicon substrate; Fig. 2C, elements 40, 65, and 15, respectively can be considered a gate oxide film) among processes of forming a semiconductor device (Chen, semiconductor device process; ¶ [0024]).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of AIA 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 of this title, 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.
Claim(s) 5-6 are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (US 20040147136 A1).
Re: Dependent Claim 5, Chen disclose(s) all the limitations of claim 1 on which this claim depends. Chen further discloses:
wherein, in the forming of the SiO2 thin film (Chen, silicon dioxide layer; Fig. 2C, element 65), the SiO2 thin film between the silicon substrate (Chen, silicon substrate; Fig. 1C, element 15, ¶ [0025]) and the insulating film (Chen, silicon oxynitride; Fig. 1C, element 40) is adjusted by adjusting annealing time (Chen. ¶ [0026]).
Chen discloses a semiconductor fabrication method including the step of forming an SiO2 layer between the silicon substrate and the insulting film during an annealing process. Chen further discloses that the time of the process is adjusted following the different needs of the products (Chen, ¶ [0026]). Chen does not explicitly disclose that a thickness of the SiO2 layer is controlled by adjusting the time. Annealing time is recognized as a result-effective variable that directly influences thin film characteristics such as film growth. It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) before the effective filing date to adjust the annealing process time based on the desired thickness of the SiO2 layer, arriving at the invention as claimed, as Chen recognizes time can be adjusted based on product needs, with reasonable success of controlling oxide layer growth through the annealing time, as such a relationship is predictable and well-understood in the art. a thickness of the SiO2 film is adjusted by adjusting the annealing time
Chen discloses a semiconductor fabrication method including the step of forming an SiO2 layer between the silicon substrate and the insulting film during an annealing process. Chen further discloses that the time of the process is adjusted following the different needs of the products (Chen, ¶ [0026]). Chen does not explicitly disclose that a thickness of the SiO2 layer is controlled by adjusting the time. Annealing time is recognized as a result-effective variable that directly influences thin film characteristics such as film growth. It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) before the effective filing date to adjust the annealing process time based on the desired thickness of the SiO2 layer, arriving at the invention as claimed, as Chen recognizes time can be adjusted based on product needs, with reasonable success of controlling oxide layer growth through the annealing time, as such a relationship is predictable and well-understood in the art.
Re: Dependent Claim 6, Chen disclose(s) all the limitations of claim 1 on which this claim depends. Chen further discloses:
wherein a process of spraying the OH radicals (Chen, hydroxyl radicals; Fig. 2B, element 60, introducing the radicals into the chamber can be considered a spraying process) in the forming of the SiO2 thin film (Chen, silicon dioxide layer; Fig. 2C, element 65) is performed at a process temperature of between 480 Celsius degrees and 730 Celsius degrees (Chen, ¶ [0026] discloses temps of 600C-1200C).
Chen discloses a semiconductor fabrication method including an annealing step performed between 600C-1200C (Chen, ¶ [0026]). Although Chen does not explicitly disclose the lower temperature range (480C-599C), Chen does disclose an overlapping temperature range with the invention as claimed (600C-730C). Annealing temperature is recognized as a result-effective variable with known results of influencing surface and film defects, film thickness, crystallinity...etc. It would have been obvious to a POSITA before the effective filing date to adjust and optimize the annealing temperature as taught by Chen, arriving at the invention as claimed, for the predictable result of managing defects without introducing crystallization (See MPEP 2144.05).
Prior art made of record and not relied upon are considered pertinent to current application disclosure.
Lim (US 20030040196 A1) discloses a method of forming layers in semiconductor devices, including oxide films, deposition speed, interface characteristics, annealing and deposition processes.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NIMARTA KAUR CHOWDHARY whose telephone number is (571)272-7679. The examiner can normally be reached usually Monday - Thursday, 6:45 AM - 4:45 PM (EST).
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/NIMARTA KAUR CHOWDHARY/ Examiner, Art Unit 2898
/Leonard Chang/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2898
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