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 Group I, Species I, Modification I and claim 1 in the reply filed on 4/6/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim 2 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 4/6/2026.
Information Disclosure Statement
Acknowledgement is made of Applicant's Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) from PTO-1449. The IDS has been considered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hsu et al. (US 2020/0152502 A1).
Re Claim 1, Hsu teaches a word line staircase structure (Fig. 7F), comprising:
a plurality of word line layers (word lines “WL”, Fig. 7F, para [0098]) alternately deposited with a plurality of insulating layers (insulating layers 701, Figs. 7E-7F, para [0098]) to form a stack;
a first word line stairstep (marked “1st WL step” in annotated Fig. 7F below) that includes all the layers of the stack (see Fig. 7F);
one or more additional word line stairsteps (marked “2nd and 3rd WL steps” in annotated Fig. 7F below), wherein each successive additional word line stairstep is formed to include less layers of the stack than a preceding word line stairstep to form the word line staircase structure (see Fig. 7F); and
multiple contact holes (contact holes 710, Figs. 7E-7F, paras [0102] – [0103]) formed in each word line stairstep to contact multiple word line layers within that word line stairstep (see Figs. 7E-7F, paras [0102] – [0103]).
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Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PINAKI DAS whose telephone number is (703)756-5641. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5 EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, JULIO MALDONADO can be reached at (571)272-1864. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/P.D./Examiner, Art Unit 2898 /JULIO J MALDONADO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2898
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