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
Claims 1-10 and 31-36 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected film and apparatus, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 4/28/2026.
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.
Claim(s) 11-14 and 17-30 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al (2021/0013034).
Wu et al disclose a method of making an EUV patternable hardmask wherein the reference teaches the steps as claimed including depositing an organometallic precursor by mixing a vapor stream with the precursor and a counter-reactant (examples use water simultaneously; [0049]; instant claim 14, 20, 21) onto the surface of a semiconductor substrate, , heated, then exposed to EUV and wet or dry-developed, preferably dry ([0038]; instant claims 22, 27, 29) wherein the precursor has the formula below:
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In the formula, which is similar to that of the instant invention, M is a metal, preferably tin, R is alkyl or haloalkyl, and L is a ligand. R may be alkyl in its broadest teaching, preferably at least 3 carbon atoms, and may be fluorinated ([0026]), with preferred haloalkyls being C4 (butyl) groups (see figure 1). Therefore, when the C3 or C4 alkyl group includes fluorine substitution, the method of the reference meets the limitations of the instant claims 11, 12, 18, 20-22, 27, 29, and 30).
The formula of the reference is show above and falls within the scope of the instant claims wherein each of a, b, and c are > 1 as required by the instant claim 12. With respect to the instant claim 13, the reference teaches that a, b, and c are equal to or greater than 1 each, and claim 13, which depends from claim 12 and further defines the formula of the instant invention requires b (R) to be 1 or 2, and the reference formula teaches this limitation (instant claim 13). Claim 24 requires the film in the method to include tin and the C-4 haloaliphatic group to be methyl or ethyl having one to three halogens. The reference prefers alkyl groups having at least 3 carbon atoms, however, the broadest teachings include alkyl generally and one of skill in the art would have been motivated to include a fluorinates methyl or ethyl (wherein at least one fluorine is substituted, [0024], wherein methyl groups are also used (methyl amino) thus the C1-4 aliphatic may include methyl in the broadest teachings).
With respect to the instant claim 26, the reference fails to specifically disclose a doe to gel to the resist film having fluorine substituted as compared to that without, however, this is a property limitation, and given that the reference teaches fluorinated alkyl groups of preferably at least 3 carbon atoms, one of ordinary skill in the art would have expected the film having fluorine substation to inherently possess this property.
The exemplified film in the method includes an organotin compound as set forth by the instant claim 23 (see figure 1) and the film has an M-O-M metal oxide structure, meeting the limitations of the instant claim 25 ([0022], figure 1).
The process is performed in a vacuum environment at a pressure of about 2 Torr ([0049], EUV would have a wavelength of about 10 nm to about 15nm, [0006]; instant claim 28). The reference further teaches that an additional hardmask maybe deposited after patterning of the hardmask discussed above ([0046]; instant claim 19).
Given the teachings of the reference, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the instant invention to prepare the material of Wu et al, choosing as the alkyl a C1 or C2 alkyl, or choose a fluorinated alkyl having 1-4 carbon atoms as taught by the broadest teachings of the reference, with the resultant method and material also meeting the limitations of the instant claims.
Claim(s) 11-18 and 20-29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Meyers et al (2017/0102612).
Meyers et al disclose an organotin EUV patterning film (instant claim 22), comprising a process which includes mixing a reactant in a first vapor precursor and a second vapor precursor (instant claim 18-21), in a vacuum environment ([0082]) exposing to water vapor with heating (sequentially, instant claim 14; [0008]), exposing the film to EUV ([0085]) having a wavelength of 10nm to 121nm, preferably 13.5nm, then developed via wet development (positive or negative tone, instant claims 27-29).
The first precursor has a formula RnSnX4-n falling within the scope of the instant (I) of claim 12, wherein R is 1-31 alkyl or fluoroalkyl (alkenyl or alkynyl; [0080]) with examples having 1-4 carbon atoms, and X is alkylamido. The R group is may be 2 as seen in exemplified compounds, thus falling within the scope of the instant claim 13. The filmin the method would then includes an organotin compound as set forth by the instant claim 23, and the fluorinates film in the method would include tin an a C-4 haloaliphatic group to be methyl or ethyl having one to three halogens given the teachings above (instant claim 24). The method includes a film which includes a metal-oxo network (instant claim 25 ([0083])
The second precursor, which can be the ligan-containing precursor in addition to the water vapor counter-reactant has a MLv, wherein v is 2 to 6, L is a ligand with a hydrolysable M-L bond, and M is Sn, and L may be the same as X or X’ in R”ySnX4-y, falling within the scope of the instant formulas (III) and (IV)of the instant claims 15-17, wherein the compound react to form a precursor which is then exposed to water vapor ([0008]-[0009], claim 15; instant claims 15-17.
With respect to the instant claim 26, the reference fails to specifically disclose a doe to gel to the resist film having fluorine substituted as compared to that without, however, this is a property limitation, and given that the reference teaches fluorinated alkyl groups of preferably at least 3 carbon atoms, one of ordinary skill in the art would have expected the film having fluorine substation to inherently possess this property.
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Given the teachings of the reference, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the instant invention to perform the method of Meyers et al, choosing as the R group a C1-4 aliphatic group (C1-2 alkyl, C2-4 alkenyl or alkynyl) or fluorinated aliphatic group (C1-4 haloalkyl, C2-4 alkenyl, or C2-4 alkynyl as disclosed by the reference wherein the resultant method and material also meets the limitations of the instant claims.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AMANDA C WALKE whose telephone number is (571)272-1337. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Thursday 5:30am to 4pm.
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/AMANDA C. WALKE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1722
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