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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 12/08/2023 and 11/12/2024 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention II (claims 1-14) in the reply filed on 03/16/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 15-17 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 03/16/2026.
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.
(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.
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.
Claims 1-4, 6-7, and 12-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)(a)(2) as being anticipated by Citla et al. (US Publication 20200090946).
Regarding independent claim 1, Citla teaches an atomic layer deposition method (fig. 3, 300) of filling a gap (fig. 4, 408) of a semiconductor structure (450) with a high aspect ratio (paragraph 0067), the method comprising:
a first operation (fig. 3, 302) of putting a substrate in which the gap is formed into a reaction chamber (fig. 1, 100);
a second operation (fig. 3, 304) of injecting a precursor gas (paragraph 0051) into the substrate in which the gap is formed and adsorbing the precursor gas onto the substrate;
a third operation (306) of supplying a process gas (paragraph 0051) to an inside of the chamber, generating plasma in a reaction space above the substrate by applying pulsed or non-pulsed source RF power (fig. 1, 143), and applying pulsed bias RF power (145); and
a fourth operation (fig. 3, 308) of controlling the ON-OFF ratio of the pulsed or non-pulsed source RF power and the pulsed bias RF power (paragraph 0057, see figs. 5A-5C).
Regarding dependent claim 2, Citla teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising an operation of purging the chamber between the second operation and the third operation (paragraph 0031).
Regarding dependent claim 3, Citla teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising, after the fourth operation, an operation of purging the chamber (paragraph 0065).
Regarding dependent claim 4, Citla teaches the method of claim 1, wherein in the fourth operation, the pulsed or non-pulsed source RF power is continuously applied at the same intensity, and the pulsed bias RF power is applied in ON-OFF states (paragraph 0058).
Regarding dependent claim 6, Citla teaches the method of claim 1, wherein in the fourth operation, the pulsed or non-pulsed source RF power is continuously applied at the same intensity, and the pulsed bias RF power is continuously applied and has an adjustable intensity (paragraph 0062).
Regarding dependent claim 7, Citla teaches the method of claim 1, wherein in the fourth operation, the pulsed or non-pulsed source RF power is continuously applied and has an adjustable intensity, and the pulsed bias RF power is continuously applied and has an adjustable intensity (fig. 5C, see also paragraph 0062).
Regarding dependent claim 12, Citla teaches the method of claim 1, wherein in the fourth operation, when a deposit generated by a deposition process gas is filled inside the gap, the application of the pulsed source RF power and the pulsed bias RF power is stopped (paragraph 0064).
Regarding dependent claim 13, Citla teaches the method of claim 1, wherein in the third operation, power is applied by further including an additional power supply other than the bias RF power (fig. 1, 147, see also paragraph 0029).
Regarding dependent claim 14, Citla teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the atomic layer deposition method of filling the gap of the semiconductor structure with the high aspect ratio is performed at a temperature of 0 to 500 °C (paragraph 0054, ranges overlap).
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.
Claims 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Citla in view of Hikawa et al. (US Publication 20220251705).
Regarding dependent claim 8, Citla teaches the method of claim 1.
Citla does not teach wherein in the fourth operation, the pulsed or non-pulsed source RF power is applied in ON-OFF states, and the pulsed bias RF power is applied in ON-OFF states.
Hikawa teaches wherein in the fourth operation, the pulsed or non-pulsed source RF power is applied in ON-OFF states (fig. 7, <FWD>), and the pulsed bias RF power is applied in ON-OFF states (<REF>).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the method of Citla and the pulse duty ratio of in order to generate plasma (Hikawa paragraph 0043).
Regarding dependent claim 9, Citla further teaches the method of claim 8, wherein in the fourth operation, the pulsed or non-pulsed source RF power (fig. 5A, 502) and the pulsed bias RF power (504) are simultaneously applied and simultaneously cut off.
Regarding dependent claim 10, Citla further teaches the method of claim 8, wherein in the fourth operation, when the pulsed or non-pulsed source RF power is applied, the pulsed bias RF power is cut off (fig. 5B, 510 between 514 and 516), and when the pulsed source RF power is cut off, the pulsed bias RF power is applied (512 between 516 and 518).
Claims 5 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Citla in view of Li et al. (US Publication 20220364230).
Regarding dependent claim 5, Citla teaches the method of claim 4.
Citla does not teach wherein when the pulsed bias RF power is turned on or off, a pulse duty ratio is in a range of 1 to 99%.
Li teaches wherein when the pulsed bias RF power is turned on or off, a pulse duty ratio is in a range of 1 to 99% (paragraph 0048, “bias power can be pulsed with a duty cycle of greater than zero and less than 100”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the method of Citla and the pulse duty ratio of Li in order to expose the layer to a plasma (Li paragraph 0046).
Regarding dependent claim 11, Citla teaches the method of claim 1.
Citla does not teach wherein in the third operation, the bias RF power is applied in a range of 5 to 500 W.
Li teaches wherein in the third operation, the bias RF power is applied in a range of 5 to 500 W (paragraph 0048).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the method of Citla and the bias RF power of Li in order to provide a bias power between the target and substrate support (Li paragraph 0033).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GRACE Y CHA whose telephone number is (703)756-5393. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm and every other Friday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jacob Choi can be reached at (469) 295-9060. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GRACE CHA/Examiner, Art Unit 2897
/JACOB Y CHOI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2897
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