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
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 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 1, 11, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kidoh et al. (U.S. Patent No. 7,459,741) in view of Wu (U.S. Patent No. 6,700,150).
Regarding to claim 1, Kidoh teaches a method of fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising:
providing a substrate (Fig. 2, element 10);
forming a plurality of first gate trenches and a plurality of second gate trenches extending in a first direction in the substrate, wherein the plurality of first gate trenches and the plurality of second gate trenches are arranged alternatively in a second direction intersecting the first direction (Fig. 2, Fig. 4A);
forming first gate structures in the first gate trenches (Fig. 2) such that each of the first gate structures comprises a first gate line, a second gate line, and a first isolation structure located between the first gate line and the second gate line (Fig. 2, please see the attached figure); and
forming second gate structures in the second gate trenches (Fig. 2) such that each of the second gate structures comprises a third gate line, a fourth gate line, and a second isolation structure located between the third gate line and the fourth gate line (Fig. 2, please see the attached figure),
wherein the first isolation structure and the second isolation structure adjacent to each other in the second direction and are both located on a same side in the first direction (Fig, 2).
Kidoh does not disclose the first isolation structure and the second isolation structure adjacent to each other in the second direction are disposed oppositely.
Wu discloses a first isolation structure and a second isolation structure adjacent to each other in the second direction are disposed oppositely (Fig. 5C, first isolation structure 324/left and second isolation structure 324/right adjacent to each other in the second direction are disposed oppositely). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kidoh in view of Wu to dispose the first isolation structure and the second isolation structure adjacent to each other in the second direction oppositely, in order to simplify the fabrication process.
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Regarding to claim 11, Kidoh teaches a semiconductor device, comprising:
a transistor array comprising a plurality of first gate structures and a plurality of second gate structures extending in a first direction and arranged alternatively in a second direction intersecting the first direction (Figs. 1-2; column 3, lines 23-25),
wherein each of the first gate structures comprises a first gate line, a second gate line, and a first isolation structure located between the first gate line and the second gate line, and each of the second gate structures comprises a third gate line, a fourth gate line, and a second isolation structure located between the third gate line and the fourth gate line (Fig. 2, please see the attached figure); and
wherein the first isolation structure and the second isolation structure adjacent to each other in the second direction, and are both located on a same side in the first direction Fig. 2).
Kidoh does not disclose the first isolation structure and the second isolation structure adjacent to each other in the second direction are disposed oppositely.
Wu discloses a first isolation structure and a second isolation structure adjacent to each other in the second direction are disposed oppositely (Fig. 5C, first isolation structure 324/left and second isolation structure 324/right adjacent to each other in the second direction are disposed oppositely). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kidoh in view of Wu to dispose the first isolation structure and the second isolation structure adjacent to each other in the second direction oppositely, in order to simplify the fabrication process.
Regarding to claim 15, Kidoh teaches a plurality of shielding structures each extending in the first direction and located between the first gate structure and the second gate structure adjacent to each other in the second direction (Fig. 2, element 72).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 16-20 are allowed.
Claims 2-10 and 12-14 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. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding to claim 2, the prior art fails to anticipate or render obvious the claimed limitations including “forming the first gate structure to further comprise a third isolation structure located between the first gate line and the second gate line and on the other side in the first direction; and forming the second gate structure to further comprise a fourth isolation structure located between the third gate line and the fourth gate line and on the other side in the first direction, wherein the third isolation structure and the fourth isolation structure adjacent to each other in the second direction are disposed oppositely” in combination with the limitations recited in claim 1.
Regarding to claim 12, the prior art fails to anticipate or render obvious the claimed limitations including “the first gate structure further comprises a third isolation structure located between the first gate line and the second gate line and on the other side in the first direction; the second gate structure further comprises a fourth isolation structure located between the third gate line and the fourth gate line and on the other side in the first direction; and the third isolation structure and the fourth isolation structure adjacent to each other in the second direction are disposed oppositely” in combination with the limitations recited in claim 11.
Regarding to claim 16, the prior art fails to anticipate or render obvious the claimed limitations including “a second gate line leading-out structure at a second end of the first gate structure in the first direction and connected with the second gate line, and a fourth gate line leading-out structure at a second end of the second gate structure in the first direction and connected with the fourth gate line” in combination with the rest of limitations recited in claim 16. The rest of the limitations are disclosed by the combination of Kidoh et al. (U.S. Patent No. 7,459,741) and Wu (U.S. Patent No. 6,700,150).
Pertinent Art
For the benefits of the Applicant, US-6552382-B1 US-6391705-B1, US-9166034-B2 US-6727539-B2, US-8173506-B2, US-6734485-B2, US-12408324-B2, and US-11770925-B2, are cited on the record as being pertinent to significant disclosure through some but not all claimed features of the defined invention. The references fail to disclose the limitations including “the first isolation structure and the second isolation structure adjacent to each other in the second direction are disposed oppositely, and are both located on a same side in the first direction.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VU A VU whose telephone number is (571)270-7467. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 8:00AM - 5:00PM.
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/VU A VU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2897