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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-10 have been considered but are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 4, 9, 10, 21, and 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zang et al. (US 9,847,391; hereinafter “Zang”).
Re claim 1: Zang teaches (e.g. fig. 8) a semiconductor structure, comprising: a first semiconductor layer (semiconductor layer 12, 10; e.g. column 7, lines 7-9) having an upper portion (12) over a lower portion (10), wherein the lower portion (p-type region 10; e.g. column 7, line 7) is more heavily doped with first dopants (p-type) than the upper portion (n-type region 12; e.g. column 7, lines 8-9), the first dopants (p-type) being of a first conductivity-type (p-type); a source/drain feature (N+ region 40; e.g. column 5, lines 5-6) over (40 is above the level of 12) the upper portion (12) of the first semiconductor layer (12, 10), wherein the source/drain feature (40) includes second dopants (n-type) of a second conductivity-type (n-type) opposite to the first conductivity-type (p-type); a second semiconductor layer (16) spaced apart from the upper portion (12) of the first semiconductor layer (12, 10) and abutting the source/drain feature (40); a metal gate structure (42) wrapping around the second semiconductor layer (16); and a first contact structure (N well 21; e.g. column 7, line 10) under the lower portion (10) of the first semiconductor layer (12, 10) and electrically connected to the lower portion (10) of the first semiconductor layer (12, 10).
Re claim 4: Zang teaches the semiconductor structure of claim 1, further comprising: a second contact structure (silicidation, MOL, and BEOL form contacts and wiring for local interconnects; e.g. column 5, lines 46-53) over the source/drain feature (40) and electrically connected to the source/drain feature (40).
Re claim 9: Zang teaches the semiconductor structure of claim 1, wherein the upper portion (12 is a doped n-type) of the first semiconductor layer (12) is substantially free (there is a net n-type conductivity, therefore is substantially free of p-type dopants) of the first dopants (p-type dopants).
Re claim 10: Zang teaches the semiconductor structure of claim 1, wherein the lower portion (10) of the first semiconductor layer (12, 10) includes the first dopants (p-type) at a dopant concentration in a range of 1E19 atoms/cm3 to 1E20 atoms/cm3 (p-type dopants for proper PN junctions 13 are approximately 1x1019 atoms/cm3).
Re claim 21: Zang teaches the semiconductor structure of claim 1, wherein the second semiconductor layer (lowest 16) extends lengthwise in a horizontal direction above the upper portion of the first semiconductor layer (12, 10).
Re claim 22: Zang teaches the semiconductor structure of claim 1, further comprising: a third semiconductor layer (highest 16) stacked above the second semiconductor layer (lowest 16), wherein the metal gate structure (42) wraps around the third semiconductor layer (highest 16).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-20 are allowed.
The prior art of record fails to teach the claimed limitation of “metal gate structure wrapping around each of the semiconductor layers; an epitaxial feature abutting the semiconductor layers; a doped layer under the well, wherein the doped layer and the epitaxial feature include net dopants of opposite conductivity-types; a first contact structure under the doped layer and electrically connected to the doped layer; and a second contact structure over the epitaxial feature and electrically connected to the epitaxial feature.”
Claims 2, 3, 5, and 8 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
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JESSE Y MIYOSHI whose telephone number is (571)270-1629. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 8:30AM-5:00PM.
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/JESSE Y MIYOSHI/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2898