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 .
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) 1-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bhuyan(USPGPUB DOCUMENT: 2021/0277516, hereinafter Bhuyan) in view of Kim (USPGPUB DOCUMENT: 2019/0035635, hereinafter Kim).
Re claim 1 Bhuyan discloses a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
exposing a semiconductor substrate[0017] in a semiconductor processing
chamber[0031,0032] to a carbon-containing precursor[0051,0085] to deposit a carbon hardmask layer[0035].
Bhuyan does not discloses a carbon-containing precursor[0051,0085] selected from one of more of the following compounds (malononitrile), (fumaronitrile), (trichloroacetonitrile), (cyanuric chloride), or (tetracyanoethylene).
Kim discloses discloses a carbon-containing precursor selected from one of more of the following compounds (malononitrile), (fumaronitrile), (trichloroacetonitrile), (cyanuric chloride), or (tetracyanoethylene)[0227]
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the inventions to use the material of Kim to replace the material of Bhuyen’s device because such material replacement is art recognized suitability for an intended purpose. See MPEP 2144.07.
Re claim 2 Bhuyan and Kim disclose the method of claim 1, further comprising pre-treating the semiconductor substrate[0017] to prior to depositing the carbon hardmask layer[0035].
Re claim 3 Bhuyan and Kim disclose the method of claim 2, wherein pre-treating the semiconductor substrate[0017] includes
exposing the semiconductor substrate[0017] to a plasma comprising one or more of
hydrogen (H₂), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), argon (Ar), helium
(He), diborane (B₂H₆), nitrogen (N₂), ammonia (NH₃)[0054], or a gaseous hydrocarbon.
Re claim 4 Bhuyan and Kim disclose the method of claim 2, wherein pre-treating the semiconductor substrate[0017] includes
depositing a seed layer directly on the semiconductor substrate[0017].
Re claim 5 Bhuyan and Kim disclose the method of claim 1, wherein the carbon hardmask layer[0035] is deposited by a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD[0003]) process.
Re claim 6 Bhuyan and Kim disclose the method of claim 5, wherein the PECVD[0003] process is carried out with an inert gas[0057].
Re claim 7 Bhuyan and Kim disclose the method of claim 6, wherein the PECVD[0003] process further comprises a plasma of one or more of hydrogen (H₂)[0057], carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂),
diborane (B₂H₆), nitrogen (N₂), ammonia (NH₃)[0054], or a gaseous hydrocarbon.
Re claim 8 Bhuyan and Kim disclose the method of claim 1, wherein the carbon hardmask layer[0035] is deposited at a temperature[0047] in a range of from 100 °C to 500 °C.
Re claim 9 Bhuyan and Kim disclose the method of claim 1, wherein the carbon hardmask layer[0035] is deposited at a pressure[0052] in a range of from 0.1 Torr to 20 Torr.
Re claim 10 Bhuyan and Kim disclose the method of claim 1, wherein the carbon hardmask layer[0035] is substantially free of hydrogen atoms.
Re claim 11 Bhuyan and Kim disclose the method of claim 1, further comprising treating the carbon hardmask layer[0035].
Re claim 12 Bhuyan and Kim disclose the method of claim 11, wherein treating the carbon hardmask layer[0035] comprises
exposing the carbon hardmask layer[0035] to a plasma comprising one or more of
hydrogen (H₂), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), argon (Ar), helium
(He), diborane (B₂H₆), nitrogen (N₂), ammonia (NH₃)[0054], or a gaseous hydrocarbon.
Re claim 13 Bhuyan and Kim disclose the method of claim 11, wherein treating the carbon hardmask layer[0035] comprises performing an annealing process[0064].
Re claim 14 Bhuyan and Kim disclose the method of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor device is a logic device or a memory device[0078].
Claim(s) 15-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bhuyan(USPGPUB DOCUMENT: 2021/0277516, hereinafter Bhuyan) in view of Kim (USPGPUB DOCUMENT: 2019/0035635, hereinafter Kim) and Yeh (USPGPUB DOCUMENT: 2007/0072422, hereinafter Yeh).
Re claim 15 Bhuyan discloses a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
pre-treating(claim 12) a semiconductor substrate[0017];
depositing a carbon hardmask layer[0035]
on the semiconductor substrate[0017] by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor
deposition (PECVD[0003]), depositing the carbon hardmask layer[0035] comprising exposing the semiconductor substrate[0017] in a semiconductor processing chamber[0031,0032] to a carbon-containing precursor [0051] at a temperature[0047] in a range of from 100 °C to 500 °C and a pressure[0052] in a range of from 0.1 Torr to 20 Torr; and treating the carbon hardmask layer[0035].
Bhuyan does not discloses depositing a carbon hardmask layer[0035] that is substantially free of hydrogen atoms; a carbon-containing precursor selected from one of more of the following compounds (malononitrile), (fumaronitrile), (trichloroacetonitrile), (cyanuric chloride), or (tetracyanoethylene)
Kim discloses a carbon-containing precursor selected from one of more of the following compounds (malononitrile), (fumaronitrile), (trichloroacetonitrile), (cyanuric chloride), or (tetracyanoethylene) [0227]
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the inventions to use the material of Kim to replace the material of Bhuyen’s device because such material replacement is art recognized suitability for an intended purpose. See MPEP 2144.07.
Bhuyan and Kim does not discloses depositing a carbon hardmask layer[0035] that is substantially free of hydrogen atoms;
Yeh discloses depositing a carbon hardmask layer[0026] that is substantially free of hydrogen atoms[0021,0029];
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 Yeh to the teachings of Bhuyan in order to enhance surface conditions for successful process steps for advanced device fabrication [0003, Yeh].
Re claim 16 Bhuyan, Kim and Yeh disclose the method of claim 15, wherein the PECVD[0003] process is carried out in an inert gas[0057].
Re claim 17 Bhuyan, Kim and Yeh disclose the method of claim 16, wherein the PECVD[0003] process further comprises a plasma of one or more of hydrogen (H₂), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂),
diborane (B₂H₆), nitrogen (N₂), ammonia (NH₃)[0054], or a gaseous hydrocarbon.
Re claim 18 Bhuyan, Kim and Yeh disclose the method of claim 15, wherein treating the carbon hardmask layer[0035] comprises exposing the carbon hardmask layer[0035] to a plasma comprising one or more of hydrogen (H₂), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), argon (Ar), helium(He), diborane (B₂H₆), nitrogen (N₂), ammonia (NH₃)[0054], or a gaseous hydrocarbon.
Re claim 19 Bhuyan, Kim and Yeh disclose the method of claim 15, wherein treating the carbon hardmask layer[0035] comprises performing an annealing process[0064].
Re claim 20 Bhuyan, Kim and Yeh disclose the method of claim 15, wherein the semiconductor device is a logic device or a memory device[0078].
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-20 have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to any of the references being used in the current rejection.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/PATRICIA D VALENZUELA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812
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