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 § 103
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.
Claim(s) 1-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Weyers(USPGPUB DOCUMENT: 2018/0269296, hereinafter Weyers) in view of Bao (USPGPUB DOCUMENT: 2016/0163641, hereinafter Bao).
Re claim 1 Weyers discloses a semiconductor device, comprising: a first strip-like contact(top/bottom 620a) and a second strip-like contact(middle 620a), separated from each other by a non-zero distance, extending through the second dielectric layer(410/220) and the stop/bottom layer, and electrically connected to the conductive layer[0036]; a first auxiliary contact(top/bottom 620b) and a second auxiliary contact(top/bottom 610), sandwiching the first strip-like contact(top/bottom 620a) therebetween, extending through the second dielectric layer(410/220), and electrically connected to the conductive layer[0036]; and a third auxiliary contact(middle 620b) and a fourth auxiliary fourth auxiliary contact(middle 610), sandwiching the second strip-like contact(middle 620a) therebetween, extending through the second dielectric layer(410/220) and electrically connected to the conductive layer[0036], wherein the first strip-like contact(top/bottom 620a), the second strip-like contact(middle 620a), the conductive layer[0036] disposed between the first strip-like contact(top/bottom 620a) and the second strip-like contact(middle 620a), the first auxiliary contact(top/bottom 620b), the second auxiliary contact(top/bottom 610), the third auxiliary contact(middle 620b) and the fourth auxiliary fourth auxiliary contact(middle 610) together form a resistor(310).
Weyers does not discloses a semiconductor device, comprising: a first dielectric layer(410/220); a conductive layer[0036], disposed on the first dielectric layer(410/220); a stop/bottom layer, disposed on the conductive layer[0036]; a second dielectric layer(410/220), disposed on the stop/bottom layer;
Bao discloses a semiconductor device, comprising: a first dielectric layer(305/203); a conductive layer(205), disposed on the first dielectric layer(410/220); a stop/bottom layer[0058], disposed on the conductive layer; a second dielectric layer(305/203), disposed on the stop/bottom layer;
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to apply the teachings of Bao to the teachings of Weyers in order to have the advantages including low cost, easy integration, low noise and low power consumption, etc. [0003, Bao].
Re claim 2 Weyers and Bao disclose the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the stop/bottom layer comprises a nitride dielectric material, the conductive layer[0036] comprises a metal, an alloy, a metal nitride material or a combination thereof.
Re claim 3 Weyers and Bao disclose the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the stop/bottom layer comprises silicon nitride, and the conductive layer[0036] comprises TiN, SiCr, SiCCr, TaN, NiCr, AlNiCr, TiNiCr or a combination thereof.
Re claim 4 Weyers and Bao disclose the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein each of the first auxiliary contact(top/bottom 620b), the second auxiliary contact(top/bottom 610), the third auxiliary contact(middle 620b) and the fourth auxiliary fourth auxiliary contact(middle 610) has a strip-like shape, a square shape, a circular shape or a combination thereof.
Re claim 5 Weyers and Bao disclose the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first strip-like contact(top/bottom 620a), the first auxiliary contact(top/bottom 620b), and the second auxiliary contact(top/bottom 610) have the same shape, dimension or a combination thereof.
Re claim 6 Weyers and Bao disclose the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the second strip- like contact, the third auxiliary contact(middle 620b) and the fourth auxiliary fourth auxiliary contact(middle 610) have the same shape, dimension or a combination thereof.
Re claim 7 Weyers and Bao disclose the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the second strip- like contact, the first auxiliary contact(top/bottom 620b) and the second auxiliary contact(top/bottom 610) have different shapes, dimensions or combinations thereof.
Re claim 8 Weyers and Bao disclose the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the second strip- like contact, the third auxiliary contact(middle 620b) and the fourth auxiliary fourth auxiliary contact(middle 610) have different shapes, dimensions or combinations thereof.
Re claim 9 Weyers and Bao disclose the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first strip-like contact(top/bottom 620a), the first auxiliary contact(top/bottom 620b), the second auxiliary contact(top/bottom 610), the second strip-like contact(middle 620a), the third auxiliary contact(middle 620b) and the fourth auxiliary fourth auxiliary contact(middle 610) are landed on the conductive layer[0036].
Re claim 10 Weyers and Bao disclose the semiconductor device according to claim 9, further comprising atransistor disposed right below the conductive layer[0036].
1Re claim 11 Weyers and Bao disclose the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first strip-like contact(top/bottom 620a), the first auxiliary contact(top/bottom 620b), the second auxiliary contact(top/bottom 610), the second strip-like contact(middle 620a), the third auxiliary contact(middle 620b) and the fourth auxiliary fourth auxiliary contact(middle 610) extend through a bottom surface of the conductive layer[0036].
Re claim 12 Weyers and Bao disclose the semiconductor device according to claim 11, wherein no transistor is provided right below the conductive layer[0036].
Re claim 13 Weyers and Bao disclose the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first auxiliary contact(top/bottom 620b), the second auxiliary contact(top/bottom 610), the third auxiliary contact(middle 620b) and the fourth auxiliary fourth auxiliary contact(middle 610) have strip-like shapes, respectively.
Re claim 14 Weyers and Bao disclose the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein length extension directions of the first auxiliary contact(top/bottom 620b), the second auxiliary contact(top/bottom 610), the third auxiliary contact(middle 620b) and the fourth auxiliary fourth auxiliary contact(middle 610) are the same as a length extension direction of the conductive layer[0036].
Re claim 15 Weyers and Bao disclose the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein length extension directions of the first auxiliary contact(top/bottom 620b), the second auxiliary contact(top/bottom 610), the third auxiliary contact(middle 620b) and the fourth auxiliary fourth auxiliary contact(middle 610) are different from a length extension direction of the conductive layer[0036].
Re claim 16 Weyers and Bao disclose the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first auxiliary contact(top/bottom 620b), the second auxiliary contact(top/bottom 610), the third auxiliary contact(middle 620b) or the fourth auxiliary fourth auxiliary contact(middle 610) comprise a group of sub-contacts.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-16 have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to any of the references being used in the current rejection.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PATRICIA D VALENZUELA whose telephone number is (571)272-9242. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10am-6pm EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, William Partridge can be reached at 571-270-1402. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/PATRICIA D VALENZUELA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812
Prosecution Insights