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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-12 in the reply filed on 12/05/25 is acknowledged.
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) 1-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hsiao(USPGPUB DOCUMENT: 2023/0352396, hereinafter Hsiao) in view of Fu (USPGPUB DOCUMENT: 2005/0263855, hereinafter Fu).
Re claim 1 Hsiao discloses in Fig 18 a semiconductor device(100) comprising: a metal insulator metal capacitor (MIM capacitor(160)) within back end of line[0020] circuitry of the semiconductor device(100); and an outer plate(174/162) contact opening of an outer plate(174/162) of the MIM capacitor(160), wherein a portion of an inner plate(170) is separate (see Fig 10),
Hsiao does not disclose wherein a portion of an inner plate(170) is removed (see Fig 10), wherein portions of the outer plate(174/162) are removed from corners of the outer plate(174/162) opening.
Fu disclose wherein portions of the outer plate(110)[0023] are removed(patterning)[0023,0035] from corners of the outer plate opening.
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 Fu to the teachings of Hsiao in order to minimize cracking of the chip induced by stress from integrated circuit back-end processing [0002, Fu]. In doing so, wherein a portion of an inner plate(170) is removed[0023,0035 of Fu],
The limitations “wherein a portion of an inner plate(170) is removed, wherein portions of the outer plate(174/162) are removed from corners of the outer plate(174/162) opening” are(is) considered to be process limitations that do not carry weight in a claim drawn to structure. In re Thorpe, 777 F.2d 695, 698, 227 USPQ 964, 966 (Fed. Cir. 1985), MPEP 2113.
Re claim 2 Hsiao and Fu disclose the semiconductor device(100) according to claim 1, further comprising: an inner plate(170) contact opening of an inner plate(170) of the MIM capacitor(160), wherein a portion of the outer plate(174/162) is removed, wherein portions of the inner plate(170) are removed from corners of the inner plate(170) opening.
Re claim 3 Hsiao and Fu disclose the semiconductor device(100) according to claim 1, further comprising: a second outer plate(174/162) contact opening of a second outer plate(174/162) of the MIM capacitor(160) vertically aligned above the outer plate(174/162) contact opening, wherein portions of the second outer plate(174/162) are removed from corners of the second outer plate(174/162) opening.
Re claim 4 Hsiao and Fu disclose the semiconductor device(100) according to claim 2, further comprising: a second inner plate(170) contact opening of a second inner plate(170) of the MIM capacitor(160) vertically aligned above the inner plate(170) contact opening, wherein a portion of the second outer plate(174/162) is removed, wherein portions of the second inner plate(170) are removed from corners of the second inner plate(170) opening.
Re claim 5 Hsiao and Fu disclose the semiconductor device(100) according to claim 1, further comprising: a first via connected to and through the outer plate(174/162) contact opening is connected to a first Mx-1 metal line and is connected to a first Mx metal line.
Re claim 6 Hsiao and Fu disclose the semiconductor device(100) according to claim 2, further comprising: a second via connected to and through the inner plate(170) contact opening is connected to a second Mx-1 metal line and is connected to a second Mx metal line.
Re claim 7 Hsiao discloses in Fig 18 a semiconductor device(100) comprising: a metal insulator metal capacitor (MIM capacitor(160)) within back end of line[0020] circuitry of the semiconductor device(100);
Hsiao does not disclose a non-rectangular contact opening of an outer plate(174/162) of the MIM capacitor(160).
Fu disclose in Fig 5 a non-rectangular contact opening of an outer plate(110)[0023]
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 Fu to the teachings of Hsiao in order to minimize cracking of the chip induced by stress from integrated circuit back-end processing [0002, Fu]. In doing so, a non-rectangular contact opening of an outer plate(110)[0023 of Fu] of the MIM capacitor(160).
Re claim 8 Hsiao and Fu disclose the semiconductor device(100) according to claim 7, further comprising: a non-rectangular contact opening of an inner plate(170) of the MIM capacitor(160).
Re claim 9 Hsiao and Fu disclose the semiconductor device(100) according to claim 7, wherein the non-rectangular contact opening of the outer plate(174/162) of the MIM capacitor(160) is circular shaped from a top view.
Re claim 10 Hsiao and Fu disclose the semiconductor device(100) according to claim 7, wherein the non-rectangular contact opening of the outer plate(174/162) of the MIM capacitor(160) is octagon shaped from a top view.
Re claim 11 Hsiao and Fu disclose the semiconductor device(100) according to claim 7, wherein the non-rectangular contact of a contact opening of the MIM capacitor(160) is cross shaped from a top view.
Re claim 12 Hsiao and Fu disclose the semiconductor device(100) according to claim 11, further comprising: a first via connected to and through the non-rectangular contact opening of the outer plate(174/162) of the MIM capacitor(160) is connected to a first Mx-1 metal line and is connected to a first Mx metal line.
Conclusion
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/PATRICIA D VALENZUELA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812