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 § 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) 26 and 30 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tak et al. (US 2017/0110554).
Regarding claim 26 Tak et al. discloses, as shown in Figures 2A-29D, a method comprising:
etching a cavity (T1) into a fin structure (FA) including at least one semiconductor nanosheet (NS) overlying a sacrificial layer (106S) (Figs. 7B, 27);
recessing the sacrificial layer to a recessed surface (106R) (Figs. 14, 28);
depositing a first inner spacer material layer (142A) on the recessed surface of the sacrificial layer (Fig. 15B, 29B);
depositing a second inner spacer material (144A) on the first inner spacer material layer, wherein depositing the second inner spacer material layer comprises trapping an air pocket (AS1) within the second inner spacer material layer (Figs. 15B, 29B); and
growing epitaxial material (162A, [0084]) in the cavity to form a source/drain region (Figs. 1B, 31, etc.)
Regarding claim 30, Tak et al. discloses the method further comprising removing the second inner spacer material layer (144A) from an end of the semiconductor nanosheet, wherein a remaining portion of the first inner spacer material layer and a remaining portion of the second inner spacer material layer together form the inner spacer, wherein the air pocket (AS1) is encapsulated by the remaining portion of the second inner spacer material layer [Figs. 16B, 30B].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 27-29 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.
Claims 1-15 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Applicant' s claims 1-15 and 27-29 are allowable over the references of record because none of these references disclose or can be combined to yield the claimed method comprising growing a semiconductor material on an end of the semiconductor nanosheet, depositing inner spacer material adjacent to the semiconductor material and on the recessed surface, removing the semiconductor material from the end of the semiconductor nanosheet, and growing epitaxial material in the cavity to form a source/drain region, in combination with the remaining claimed limitation of claim 1; method comprising growing semiconductor material on the semiconductor nanosheet, depositing a second inner spacer layer adjacent to the semiconductor material and to the remaining portion of the first inner spacer layer, removing the second inner spacer layer from the semiconductor material, wherein a remaining portion of the second inner spacer layer remains on the remaining portion of the first spacer layer, and removing the semiconductor material from the semiconductor nanosheet, in combination with the remaining claimed limitation of claim 8; growing a semiconductor material on an end of the semiconductor nanosheet prior to depositing the second inner spacer material layer, wherein the second inner spacer material layer is deposited adjacent to the semiconductor material, and removing the semiconductor material from the end of the semiconductor nanosheet, as recited in claim 27; growing a semiconductor material on an end of the semiconductor nanosheet, and prior to growing the semiconductor material, removing the first inner spacer material layer from the end of the semiconductor nanosheet, wherein a remaining portion of the first inner spacer material layer remains on the recessed surface, as recited in claim 29.
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 HUNG K VU whose telephone number is (571)272-1666. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday: 7am - 5pm.
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/HUNG K VU/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2897
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