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 II, claims 17-36, in the reply filed on March 23, 2026 is acknowledged.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on September 5, 2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being 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 (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.
Claim(s) 17, 28, 29, 34, and 35 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Young et al (US Pub 2021/0226066).
In re claim 17, Young et al discloses a manufacturing method for a semiconductor device, comprising: forming a first active structure on a substrate (i.e. 100), wherein the first active structure comprises a plurality of first active channel sheets (i.e. 116) and a plurality of first metal gate structures (i.e. 154) vertically stacked to each other (i.e. see at least Figure 23); forming a plurality of first inner spacers (i.e. 232), wherein each of the first inner spacers is formed on a lateral surface of a corresponding first metal gate structure of the first metal gate structures (i.e. see at least Figure 23); forming a first helmet (i.e. 144) above the first inner spacers; and forming a conductive portion (i.e. 140) to be connected with a topmost first active channel sheet of the first active channel sheets, wherein the first helmet covers a lateral surface of the conductive portion (i.e. see at least Figure 23).
In re claim 28, Young et al discloses a manufacturing method for a semiconductor device, comprising: forming a first active structure on a substrate (i.e. 100), wherein the first active structure comprises a plurality of first active channel sheets (i.e. 116) and a plurality of first metal gate structures (i.e. 154) vertically stacked to each other; forming a plurality of first inner spacers (i.e. 232), wherein each of the first inner spacers is formed on a lateral surface of a corresponding first metal gate structure of the first metal gate structures (i.e. see at least Figure 23); forming a first helmet (i.e. 144) above a topmost first inner spacer of the first inner spacers and a topmost first metal gate structure of the first metal gate structures (i.e. see at least Figure 23).
In re claim 29, Young et al discloses further comprising: forming a conductive portion (i.e. 140) to be connected with a topmost first active channel sheet of the first active channel sheets, wherein the first helmet covers a lateral surface of the conductive portion (i.e. see at least Figure 23).
In re claim 34, Young et al discloses a manufacturing method for a semiconductor device, comprising: forming a first active structure on a substrate (i.e. 100), wherein the first active structure comprises a plurality of first active channel sheets (i.e. 116) and a plurality of first metal gate structures (i.e. 154) vertically stacked to each other (i.e. see at least Figure 23); forming a plurality of first inner spacers (i.e. 232), wherein each of the first inner spacers is formed on a lateral surface of a corresponding first metal gate structure of the first metal gate structures (i.e. see at least Figure 23); forming a first helmet (i.e. 144) above a topmost first inner spacer of the first inner spacers and a topmost first metal gate structure of the first metal gate structures (i.e. see at least Figure 23), wherein the first inner spacers are formed of a material the same as that of the first helmet (i.e. in this case, both the inner spacers and the first helmet are made of dielectric material – see at least paragraphs 0038 and 0042).
In re claim 35, Young et al discloses comprising: forming a conductive portion (i.e. 140) to be connected with a topmost first active channel sheet of the first active channel sheets, wherein the first helmet covers a lateral surface of the conductive portion (i.e. see at least Figure 23).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 18-27, 30-33, and 36 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
a. Wei et al (US Patent 12,148,751)
b. Lan et al (US Pub 2025/0132217)
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/ANTHONY HO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2817
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