DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. 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 Amendment
2. This office action is responsive to applicant’s amendment filed on 08/03/2026. Claims 1, 6-11, 13-14, 21-31 are pending. Claims 1, 8 are amended. Claims 2-5, 12-20 are cancelled. Claims 21-31 are new claims.
The applicant’s amendment along with the remark were sufficient to overcome the examiner’s previous objection, rejections under 35 U.S.C 102(a)(1), 102(a)(2) and 103. However, the applicant’s amendment raise new grounds of rejection under 35 U.S.C 103 for claims 1, 6-11, 13-14, 21-26 as discussed below using additional new cited prior arts (Elers et al. (US 2006/0078679 A1).
New claims 27-31 are allowed.
Response to Arguments
3. Regarding to the previous ground for rejections with respect to claim 1, the applicants stated:
“Independent claim 1 has been amended to recite "performing a deposition step
comprising depositing a conductive coating comprising a metal nitride or a metal carbide on both the mask and the dielectric material including sidewalls of the recesses using a reduction reaction that reduces an oxidation state of a metal in a deposition gas with a nitrogen-containing gas or a carbon-containing gas to deposit the metal nitride or the metal carbide, respectively." Neither Kumakura nor Cheng anticipates at least these features of amended claim 1.
In rejecting the claims, the Office notes that, for reactions of Kumakura, "WF6 is reduced to tungsten (W) using reducing gas; or TiCl4 is reduced to titanium using reducing gas." Office Action, p. 4. The reactions discussed by the Office therefore yield elemental tungsten or elemental titanium as the deposited coating, neither of which is a metal nitride or a metal carbide.
Therefore, Kumakura does not disclose a deposition step that includes depositing a
conductive coating comprising a metal nitride or a metal carbide on both a mask and a dielectric material including sidewalls of the recesses using a reduction reaction that reduces an oxidation state of a metal in a deposition gas with a nitrogen-containing gas or a carbon-containing gas to deposit the metal nitride or the metal carbide.
Cheng does nothing to cure this deficiency. Cheng is directed to an atomic layer
deposition (ALD) based process for forming a contact barrier layer for interconnect structures in integrated circuit devices. See, e.g., Cheng, Abstract, col. 11:32-44. The Office points to Cheng's contact barrier layer as the claimed conductive coating. Office Action, p. 6. However, Cheng forms the contact barrier layer through self-limiting adsorption of an organometallic precursor followed by plasma nitridization of the already-adsorbed layer-not through a reduction reaction that reduces an oxidation state of a metal in a deposition gas. See, e.g., Cheng, FIGS. 2-3, col. 9:22-12:18.
Therefore, Cheng does not disclose a deposition step that includes depositing a
conductive coating comprising a metal nitride or a metal carbide on both a mask and a dielectric material including sidewalls of the recesses using a reduction reaction that reduces an oxidation state of a metal in a deposition gas with a nitrogen-containing gas or a carbon-containing gas to deposit the metal nitride or the metal carbide.
Neither Kumakura nor Cheng anticipates all of the features of amended claim 1.
Accordingly, Applicant respectfully requests that the section 102 rejections of independent claim 1 be withdrawn.”
The remaining cited art does nothing to cure the above deficiencies. Therefore, independent claim 1 is allowable over the cited art.”
The applicant’s amendment along with the remark were sufficient to overcome the examiner’s previous ground of rejection with respect to claim 1. However, upon further consideration new ground of rejections under 35 U.S.C 103 are set forth as discussed below using additional cited prior arts Elers (US 2006/0078679) along with some of previous cited prior art.
Regarding the previous ground of rejection with respect to claim 8, the applicants stated:
“Independent claim 8 has been amended to recite "performing a nitrogen treatment step comprising forming an intermediate layer comprising nitrogen at sidewalls of recesses in a dielectric material, the intermediate layer being formed by treating the dielectric material of the sidewalls with a nitrogen-comprising gas" and that "the conductive coating [is] deposited on both the hardmask and the intermediate layer of the sidewalls." Kumakura does not anticipate at least these features of amended claim 8.
The Office itself establishes that Kumakura does not disclose these features. In particular, the Office acknowledges that "Kumakura fails to disclose performing a nitrogen treatment step comprising forming a conformal intermediate layer comprising nitrogen in the openings of the hardmask, wherein the CVD step comprises conformally depositing the conductive coating on the conformal intermediate layer." Office Action, at p. 9.
Therefore, Kumakura also does not disclose performing a nitrogen treatment step that includes forming an intermediate layer comprising nitrogen at sidewalls of recesses in a dielectric material where the intermediate layer is formed by treating the dielectric material of the sidewalls with a nitrogen-comprising gas and where the conductive coating is deposited on both the hardmask and the intermediate layer of the sidewalls.
In view of the above, Kumakura does not anticipate all of the features of independent claim 8. Accordingly, Applicant respectfully requests that the section 102 rejection of independent claim 8 be withdrawn.
Cen does not cure this deficiency. For example, Cen is directed to depositing seam-free and void-free tungsten bulk fill in high aspect ratio openings. See, e.g., Cen, Abstract, [0002]-[0007]. To that end, Cen employs nitrogen in two distinct ways, and neither is analogous to the claimed treatment of the dielectric material to form the intermediate layer.
First, Cen's diffusion barrier layer 505 is a separately deposited film, not a nitride portion of a dielectric material. See, e.g., id. at [0036]. According to Cen, the diffusion barrier layer 505 comprises a titanium-containing material, such as titanium nitride (TiN). See, e.g., id. That layer is deposited onto, rather than formed from, the underlying dielectric. See, e.g., id.
Second, Cen treats the surface of an existing tungsten nucleation layer with a "plasma activated nitrogen containing gas, such as N2, H2, NH3, NH4 or a combination thereof' during a radical treatment. See, e.g., id. at [0041]. That treatment, however, is not applied to a dielectric material. Instead, Cen treats the nucleation layer to inhibit the deposition of tungsten according to an inhibition profile on a field surface of the substrate-the nitrogen there reacts with metallic tungsten, not with the dielectric material. See, e.g., id.
In view of the above, Cen does not teach forming any intermediate layer comprising nitrogen by treating a dielectric material of sidewalls with a nitrogen-comprising gas or depositing a conductive coating on such an intermediate layer of the sidewalls. The remaining cited art does nothing to cure these deficiencies. Therefore, amended claim 8 is patentable over the cited art.”
The applicant’s amendment along with the remark were sufficient to overcome the examiner’s previous ground of rejection with respect to claim 1. However, upon further consideration new ground of rejections under 35 U.S.C 103 are set forth as discussed below using additional cited prior arts Elers (US 2006/0078679) along with some of previous cited prior art.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
4. 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.
5. The following is a quotation of 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, 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
6. Claims 1, 6-9, 11, 13-14, 21-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kumakura et al. (US 2020/0279757 A1) in view of Elers (US 2006/0078679 A1).
Note:
As to claim 1, Kumakura discloses a method of etching a dielectric material, the method comprising cyclically performing a cycle comprising the following steps in situ within an etching chamber:
performing an etch step comprising etching the dielectric material (102 or 102B) through openings of a mask (120 or MA, 120B) using plasma generated from an etch precursor gas to form recesses in the dielectric material (102 or 102B) (See paragraph 0037; 0039, 0055, 0071-0072, 0140; Fig 1, Fig 2A; Fig 19A-19B); and
performing a deposition step comprising depositing a conductive coating (301 or PF) comprising a metal
As to claim 1, Kumakura fails to disclose the conductive coating comprises depositing a conductive coating comprises a metal nitride or a metal carbide using a metal in a deposition gas with a nitrogen-containing gas or a carbon-containing gas to deposit the metal nitride or metal carbide, respectively. However, Kumakura clearly teaches to deposit metal (such as tungsten or TI) using a reduction reaction that reduce an oxidation state of a metal in a deposition gas (WF6) using a reducing gas (see paragraph 0074). Kumakura further discloses the reaction gas include nitrogen-containing gas (paragraph 0083). Elers teaches to deposit a metal film or metal nitride or metal carbide using a reduction reaction that reduce an oxidation state of a metal in a deposition gas with a nitrogen-containing gas or a carbon-containing gas to deposit the metal nitride or the metal carbide, respectively (See paragraph 0033, 0079-0082, 0101, 0107, Example 1-9 in paragraph 0175-0287). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Kumakura in view of Elers by comprises depositing a conductive coating comprises a metal nitride or a metal carbide using a metal in a deposition gas with a nitrogen-containing gas or a carbon-containing gas to deposit the metal nitride or metal carbide, respectively because equivalent and substitution of one for the other would produce an expected result (See MPEP 2143(I)(B)).
As to claim 6, Kumakura discloses wherein depositing the conductive coating during the
deposition step comprises depositing the conductive coating on sidewalls of the mask and the
sidewalls of the recesses so that the conductive coating extends from a top surface of the mask
substantially to bottom surfaces of the recesses (paragraph 0039, Fig 2A-2D). Elers also discloses depositing the conductive coating during the deposition step comprises depositing the conductive coating on sidewalls of the mask and the sidewalls of the recesses so that the conductive coating extends from a top surface of the mask substantially to bottom surfaces of the recesses (See Fig 4, paragraph 0039-0042).
As to claim 7, Kumakura discloses the mask (120) is a conductive (e.g. metal; See paragraph 0130).
As to claim 8, Kumakura discloses a method of high aspect ratio contact (HARC) etching a wafer within a plasma etching chamber using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and reactive -ion etching (RIE), the method comprising:
performing a nitrogen treatment step comprising forming an intermediate layer
performing a CVD step on the wafer in situ within the plasma etching chamber, the CVD step comprising conformally depositing a conductive coating (302) in openings of a hardmask (120) overlying a dielectric material (102) using a deposition gas comprising a metal, the conductive coating comprising the metal and being deposited on both the hardmask and the intermediate layer (paragraph 039, 0071-0072, 0074; 0079, 0092, 0098, 0115, Fig 10, Fig 11A-11E; paragraph 0080-0089; and
performing an RIE step on the wafer in situ within the plasma etching chamber, the RIE step comprising etching the dielectric material through the openings of the hardmask using plasma generated from an etch precursor gas comprising an etchant species to extend recesses into the dielectric material, the plasma comprising reactive ions of the etchant species (paragraph 0162-0164, Fig 15; Fig 10, Fig 11A-11D; paragraph 0080-0089).
As to claim 8, Kumakura fails to disclose the intermediate layer comprising nitrogen. However, Kumakura clearly discloses forming intermediate layer using nitrogen containing gas as reaction gas (paragraph 0080-0083; Fig 10, Fig 11A-11E). Elers discloses forming an intermediate layer comprising nitrogen (1st cycle of the deposition) using nitrogen as a reaction gas (See Fig 4, Fig 5 paragraph 0039-0042, 0079-0097). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Kumakura in view of Elers by having intermediate layer comprising nitrogen because equivalent and substitution of one for the other would produce an expected result (See MPEP 2143(I)(B)).
As to claim 9, Kumakura discloses the dielectric material is an ONO stack comprising a plurality of oxide layers separated by nitride layer (paragraph 0073, silicon oxide/silicon nitride stack).
As to claim 11, Kumakura discloses wherein depositing of conducive coating during the CVD step comprises a reduction reaction (using reducing gas) that reduces an oxidation state of the metal in the deposition gas (WF₆) to deposit the conductive coating (See paragraph 0072, 0074; Note: WF₆ is reduced to tungsten (W) using reducing gas). Elers also teaches to reduce reduces an oxidation state of the metal in the deposition gas to deposit the conductive coating (See example 1-9).
As to claim 13, Kumakura fails to disclose wherein the conductive coating comprises tungsten nitride, and wherein the reduction reaction comprises using a nitrogen-containing gas to reduce the tungsten and deposit the tungsten nitride. However, Kumakura clearly teaches the coating comprises tungsten (paragraph 0072, 0074). Kumakura further discloses the reaction gas comprises nitrogen-containing gas (paragraph 0083). Elers teaches the conductive coating comprises tungsten nitride, and wherein the reduction reaction comprises using a nitrogen-containing gas to reduce the tungsten and deposit the tungsten nitride (paragraph 0033, 0079-0083, 0101, Example 2-3, paragraph 0184-0200). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Kumakura in view of Elers by having wherein the conductive coating comprises tungsten nitride, and wherein the reduction reaction comprises using a nitrogen-containing gas to reduce the tungsten and deposit the tungsten nitride because equivalent and substitution of one for the other would produce an expected result (See MPEP 2143(I)(B)).
As to claim 14, Kumakura fails to disclose the conductive coating comprises tungsten carbide and the reduction reaction comprises using a carbon-containing gas to reduce the tungsten and deposit the tungsten carbide. However, Kumakura clearly teaches to deposit conductive coating comprises tungsten, wherein the deposition step comprises a reduction reaction that reduces the oxidation state of the tungsten in the deposition gas (paragraph 0074). Elers teaches depositing a tungsten carbide using tungsten halide (WF6) gas, wherein the reduction reaction comprises using a carbon-containing gas to reduce tungsten and deposit tungsten carbide (See paragraph 0033, 0079-0082, 0101, Example 2-Example 8, paragraph 0133, 0184-0236). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Kumakura in view of Elers by having the metal of the metal nitride or the metal carbide is tungsten to create tungsten nitride or tungsten carbide because equivalent and substitution of one for the other would produce an expected result (See MPEP 2143(I)(B)).
As to claim 21, Kumakura fails to disclose the conductive is a metal nitride, the reduction reaction using a nitrogen-containing gas to deposit the metal nitride. However, Kumakura clearly discloses using a reaction gas comprising nitrogen-containing gas such as N2, NH3 to form a conductive layer (paragraph 0080-0083). Elers teaches the conductive is a metal or metal nitride, the reduction reaction using a nitrogen-containing gas to deposit the metal nitride (See paragraph 0033, 0079-0082, 0101, 0107, Example 1-9 in paragraph 0175-0287). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Kumakura in view of Elers by having the conductive is a metal nitride, the reduction reaction using a nitrogen-containing gas to deposit the metal nitride because equivalent and substitution of one for the other would produce an expected result (See MPEP 2143(I)(B)).
As to claim 22, Kumakura fails to disclose the conductive coating is a metal carbide, the reducing reaction using a carbon-containing gas to deposit the metal carbide. Kumakura clearly discloses the using a reaction gas comprising carbon such as CO2 to form a conductive layer (paragraph 0080-0083). Elers teaches the conductive is a metal or metal carbide, the reduction reaction using a carbon-containing gas to deposit the metal carbide (See paragraph abstract, 0030, 0033, 0035, 0047, 0079-0082, 0101, 0107, 113-114; Example 4-9 in paragraph 0201-0287). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Kumakura in view of Elers by having the conductive is a metal carbide, the reduction reaction using a carbon-containing gas to deposit the metal carbide because equivalent and substitution of one for the other would produce an expected result (See MPEP 2143(I)(B)).
As to claim 23, Kumakura the deposition gas comprises a tungsten halide (e.g. WF6, See paragraph 0074). Kumakura fails to disclose the metal of the metal nitride or metal carbide is tungsten. Elers discloses to deposit a tungsten or tungsten nitride or tungsten carbide using tungsten halide (WF6) gas (See paragraph 0033, 0079-0082, 0101, Example 2-Example 8, paragraph 0184-0236). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Kumakura in view of Elers by having the metal of the metal nitride or the metal carbide is tungsten to create tungsten nitride or tungsten carbide because equivalent and substitution of one for the other would produce an expected result (See MPEP 2143(I)(B)).
As to claim 24, Kumakura teaches the etch step using an oxygen-free chemistry such as a mixture of fluorine-containing gas and NH3 or a mixed gas of N2 to prevent oxidation of the conductive layer (See paragraph 0122).
As to claim 25, Kumakura discloses the nitrogen-comprising gas comprise nitrogen gas (N2) (See paragraph 0082-0083).
As to claim 26, Kumakura discloses the nitrogen-containing gas comprises ammonia (NH3; See paragraph 0083).
7. Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kumakura (US 2022/0399212 A1) in view of Elers (US 2006/0078679) as applied to claim 8 above, and further in view of Li et al. (US 2023/0397510 A1).
As to claim 10, Kamakura fails to disclose performing a preliminary RIE step in situ within the plasma etching chamber before the CVD step, the preliminary RIE step comprising etching the dielectric material through the openings of the hardmask using plasma generated from the etch precursor gas to extend the recesses into the dielectric material. However, Kamakura clearly teaches to use plasma etching to create recesses (paragraph 0034, 0151). Li teaches performing a preliminary RIE step in situ within the plasma etching chamber before the CVD step, the preliminary RIE step comprising etching the dielectric material through the openings of the hardmask using plasma generated from the etch precursor gas to extend the recesses into the dielectric material (paraph 0034, 0049). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Kamakura and Elers in view of Li by having a preliminary RIE step comprising etching the dielectric material through the openings of the hardmask using plasma generated from the etch precursor gas to extend the recesses into the dielectric material because equivalent and substitution of one for the other would produce an expected result (See MPEP 2143(I)(B)).
Allowable Subject Matter
8. Claims 27-31 are allowed.
9. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The cited prior arts fail to disclose or suggest performing a modification step comprising a silane treatment to incorporate silicon at sidewalls of recesses in openings of a mask overlying the dielectric material; and performing a deposition step comprising depositing a conductive coating on both the mask and the dielectric material using a deposition gas comprising a metal by replacing the silicon at the sidewalls of the recesses with the metal of the deposition gas using a replacement reaction so that the conductive coating comprises the metal in combination with all other limitation in the claim.
Conclusion
10. Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
11. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BINH X TRAN whose telephone number is (571)272-1469. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday.
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BINH X. TRAN
Examiner
Art Unit 1713
/BINH X TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1713
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