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
Election was made traverse in the reply filed on 1/27/2026.
The applicant argues that there is no serious search burden, however the examiner will not examine subject matter that requires search in different classification groups. In this case, methods of manufacturing are categorized and searched using quite different search strategies and would involve review of different documents.
Applicant has provisionally elected Group II, corresponding to claims 1-10. Invention Group I, corresponding to claims 11-20, is withdrawn from further consideration. The examiner deems the restriction election to be final.
Specification
The specification submitted 11/02/2023 has been accepted by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings submitted on 11/02/2023 have been accepted by the examiner.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/02/2023 has been considered by the examiner.
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 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 1-3, 5-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Choi (US # 20240064968).
Regarding Claim 1, Choi teaches a semiconductor structure, comprising:
a patterned material (see structure of Fig. 3 and mapping below) comprising:
a plurality of active areas (100, 103A/103B);
a first conductive material (XP; [0065] may include a variety of conductive materials) on a surface of each of the active areas;
a first metal material (160; [0094]) on a surface of each first conductive materials;
a second conductive material (131; [0055]), a third conductive material (132; [0055]), and a first dielectric material (137; [0056]);
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a first insulative material (102, 120) separating each active area of the active areas, the first conductive material, and the first metal material from each of the second conductive material, the third conductive material, and the first dielectric material (shown);
a curved surface (see annotated figure, circle 1) including a portion of a first side (see recess in the top left side of feature 160) of the first metal material and a portion (especially see the top curved surface of feature 120) of the first insulative material adjacent the first metal material (shown); and
a second insulative material (180) and a second metal material (LP) on the surface of the patterned material, wherein a portion of the second insulative material (shown) is in contact with the curved surface, and wherein the second insulative material is different from the first insulative material ([0103] landing pad separation pattern 180 may include a silicon nitride layer, a silicon oxynitride layer, a silicon oxycarbonitride layer, and/or a silicon carbonitride layer versus [0070] feature 120: spacer liner 121, the first spacer 122, and the second spacer 123 may include the same material, for example, silicon oxide).
Regarding Claim 2, Choi teaches the semiconductor structure of claim 1, comprising an angled surface (see annotated figure, circle 2) formed in each first insulative material on a second side (right side) of the first metal material.
Regarding Claim 3, Choi teaches the semiconductor structure of claim 2, wherein the second metal material is in contact with the angled surface formed in each first insulative material on the second side of the first metal material.
Regarding Claim 5, Choi teaches the semiconductor structure of claim 1, wherein the first metal material is a titanium nitride material ([0094]).
Regarding Claim 6, Choi teaches the semiconductor structure of claim 1, wherein the third conductive material is a digit line material (feature 132 is part of the BL, which is equivalent to a digit line).
Regarding Claim 7, Choi teaches the semiconductor structure of claim 1, wherein the second conductive material serves as an isolation material (feature 131, physically separates, and thus isolates other features).
Regarding Claim 8, Choi teaches the semiconductor structure of claim 1, wherein the first insulative material is a nitride material (spacer liner 121 may include silicon nitride).
Regarding Claim 9, Choi teaches the semiconductor structure of claim 1, wherein the second insulative material is an oxide material ([0103] feature 180 may include a silicon oxide layer).
Regarding Claim 10, Choi teaches the semiconductor structure of claim 1, wherein the active area is a silicon-based material ([0044]).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 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 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi (US # 20240064968).
Regarding Claim 4, Choi does not explicitly disclose that the curved surface has a width greater than 8 nm.
However, the width of the curved region would have been a result-effective variable determined by the etching and deposition processes used to form the structure.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to adjust process parameters to obtain a curved surface having a width greater than 8 nm in order to optimize device reliability and reduce electric field concentration. See In re Peterson, 315 F.3d 1325 (Fed. Cir. 2003).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 20240324182 A1
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER A JOHNSON whose telephone number is (571)272-9475. The examiner can normally be reached normally working Monday to Friday between 9 am and 6 pm Eastern Time.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Brent Fairbanks can be reached on (408) 918-7532. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHRISTOPHER A JOHNSON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2899