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 I (claims 1-17) in the reply filed on 01/13/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 18-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 01/13/2026.
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.
(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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 8-10, 12, and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Frank (US 2019/0148390).
Regarding claim 1, Frank discloses a method for manufacturing a capacitive memory structure, the method comprising: forming a first electrode (Fig.1, numeral 120) of the capacitive memory structure ([0030]), forming a second electrode (Fig.3, numeral 140) of the capacitive memory structure ([0059]), and forming a spontaneously polarizable memory layer (130) of the capacitive memory structure ([0044]), wherein the spontaneously polarizable memory layer (130) is at least partially disposed between the first electrode (120) and the second electrode (140) (Fig.3); wherein forming the spontaneously polarizable memory layer (130) comprises: depositing one or more transition-metal-oxides by vapor deposition ([0045]), and crystallizing the deposited one or more transition-metal-oxides ([0045]); wherein at least one of forming the first electrode (120) and/or forming the spontaneously polarizable memory layer (130) is configured such that the spontaneously polarizable memory layer is formed with at least one of a predefined crystallographic texture and a defect density in a predefined range ([0019]; [0045]; [0070]; note “ a predefined range” is a broad term, and because memory layer (130) has a predefined crystallographic texture it also has a predefined “defect density”).
Regarding claim 2, Frank discloses wherein forming the spontaneously polarizable memory layer comprises a surface treatment of the first electrode prior to depositing the one or more transition-metal-oxides such that the spontaneously polarizable memory layer is formed with the predefined crystallographic texture and/or the defect density in the predefined range ([0039]; [0041]).
Regarding claim 3, Frank wherein forming the spontaneously polarizable memory layer comprises doping the one or more transition-metal-oxides with a trivalent dopant prior to crystallizing the deposited one or more transition-metal-oxides such that the spontaneously polarizable memory layer is formed with the predefined crystallographic texture and/or the defect density in the predefined range ([0053]).
Regarding claim 4, Frank discloses wherein the trivalent dopant comprises at least one element of the following group of elements: gadolinium, lanthanum, yttrium, scandium, and/or ytterbium ([0053]).
Regarding claim 8, Frank discloses wherein forming the first electrode comprises forming a platinum layer and forming a first electrode layer in direct physical contact with the platinum layer such that the spontaneously polarizable memory layer is formed with the predefined crystallographic texture and/or the defect density in the predefined range ([0031]).
Regarding claim 9, Frank discloses wherein the vapor deposition comprises an atomic layer deposition ([0045]).
Regarding claim 10, Frank discloses wherein the one or more transition-metal-oxides comprise zirconium oxide, hafnium oxide, or hafnium zirconium oxide ([0044]).
Regarding claim 12, Frank discloses wherein the first electrode layer comprises an oxidation resistant metal and wherein the second electrode layer comprises the oxidation resistant metal, the oxidation resistant metal comprising an electronegativity greater than 1.85 on the Pauling scale and a melting temperature greater than 1450°C ([0031]).
Regarding claim 13, Frank discloses wherein the oxidation resistant metal comprises tungsten, platinum, iridium, ruthenium, palladium, osmium, rhodium, molybdenum, cobalt, rhenium, or nickel ([0031]).
Claim(s) 1, 5, and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Yoon (US 2007/0032013).
Regarding claim 1, Yoon discloses a method for manufacturing a capacitive memory structure, the method comprising: forming a first electrode (Fig.3I, numeral 56) of the capacitive memory structure (Fig.3I, numeral 62), forming a second electrode (60) of the capacitive memory structure, and forming a spontaneously polarizable memory layer (58) of the capacitive memory structure, wherein the spontaneously polarizable memory layer is at least partially disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode ([0078]); wherein forming the spontaneously polarizable memory layer comprises: depositing one or more transition-metal-oxides by vapor deposition ([0034]), and crystallizing the deposited one or more transition-metal-oxides ([0045]); wherein at least one of forming the first electrode and/or forming the spontaneously polarizable memory layer is configured such that the spontaneously polarizable memory layer is formed with at least one of a predefined crystallographic texture and a defect density in a predefined range ([0059]; [0076]; note: “a predefined crystallographic texture and a defect density in a predefined range” are broad terms).
Regarding claim 5, Yoon discloses wherein depositing the one or more transition-metal-oxides comprises depositing a first transition-metal-oxide layer (Fig.2, numeral 20a) , depositing a second transition-metal-oxide layer (20b), and forming an insulating layer (22) at least partially disposed between the first transition-metal- oxide layer and the second transition-metal-oxide layer such that the spontaneously polarizable memory layer is formed with the predefined crystallographic texture and/or the defect density in the predefined range ([0078]).
Regarding claim 11, Yoon discloses herein the first electrode comprises a metal nitride and wherein the second electrode comprises the metal nitride, preferably, the metal nitride comprising titanium nitride and/or tantalum nitride ([0070]).
Claim(s) 1, 14, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Yoon’567 (US 2003/0203567).
Regarding claim 1, Yoo’567 discloses a method for manufacturing a capacitive memory structure, the method comprising: forming a first electrode (Fig.2A, numeral 24) of the capacitive memory structure, forming a second electrode (26) of the capacitive memory structure, and forming a spontaneously polarizable memory layer (25) ([0026])of the capacitive memory structure, wherein the spontaneously polarizable memory layer is at least partially disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode; wherein forming the spontaneously polarizable memory layer comprises: depositing one or more transition-metal-oxides by vapor deposition ([0026]), and crystallizing the deposited one or more transition-metal-oxides ([0027]); wherein at least one of forming the first electrode and/or forming the spontaneously polarizable memory layer is configured such that the spontaneously polarizable memory layer is formed with at least one of a predefined crystallographic texture and a defect density in a predefined range ([0018]-[0035].
Regarding claim 14, Yoon’567 discloses wherein the first electrode comprises a metal oxide and wherein the second electrode comprises the metal oxide, preferably, the metal oxide comprising at least one of the following: iridium oxide, ruthenium oxide, osmium oxide, molybdenum oxide, indium tin oxide, strontium ruthenium oxide, strontium titanate, and/or lanthanum strontium manganite ([0023]).
Regarding claim 15, Yoon’567 discloses wherein crystallizing the deposited one or more transition-metal-oxides comprises annealing the deposited one or more transition-metal-oxides in an atmosphere an oxygen containing atmosphere ([0027]).
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.
Claim 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Frank as applied to claim 1 and further in view of Kijima (US 2004/0241973).
Regarding claim 6, Frank does not disclose wherein forming the first electrode comprises forming a plurality of crystalline electrode islands and forming a first electrode layer in direct physical contact with the plurality of crystalline electrode islands such that the spontaneously polarizable memory layer is formed with the predefined crystallographic texture and/or the defect density in the predefined range, wherein a material of the crystalline electrode islands corresponds to a material of the first electrode layer.
Frank however discloses forming a crystalline electrode layer ([0035]). And Kijima discloses forming the first electrode comprises forming a plurality of crystalline electrode islands (Fig. 3, numeral 20) and forming a first electrode layer (40) in direct physical contact with the plurality of crystalline electrode islands (20) ([0078]).
It would have been therefore obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify Frank with Kijima to form a plurality of crystalline electrode islands and forming a first electrode layer in direct physical contact with the plurality of crystalline electrode islands such that the spontaneously polarizable memory layer is formed with the predefined crystallographic texture and/or the defect density in the predefined range, wherein a material of the crystalline electrode islands corresponds to a material of the first electrode layer for the purpose of forming crystalline electrode layer (Kijima, [0078]).
Claim(s) 7 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Frank as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Nie (Nie et al., “Growth mode evolution of hafnium oxide by atomic layer deposition, “J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 32, 01A109 (2014)).
Regarding claim 7, Frank discloses that the spontaneously polarizable memory layer is formed with the predefined crystallographic texture and/or the defect density in the predefined range ([0019]; [0045]; [0070]).
Frank does not disclose wherein forming the spontaneously polarizable memory layer comprises depositing a plurality of transition-metal-oxide islands by vapor deposition and crystallizing the deposited plurality of transition-metal-oxide islands prior to depositing the one or more transition-metal-oxides, the plurality of transition-metal-oxide islands comprising the one or more transition-metal-oxides
Nie however discloses forming the spontaneously polarizable memory layer comprises depositing a plurality of transition-metal-oxide islands by vapor deposition and crystallizing the deposited plurality of transition-metal-oxide islands prior to depositing the one or more transition-metal-oxides (page 2, section IV, paragraph 1-page 3, column 1, paragraph 1; Fig.5). It would have been therefore obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify Frank with Nie to form the spontaneously polarizable memory layer by depositing a plurality of transition-metal-oxide islands by vapor deposition and crystallizing the deposited plurality of transition-metal-oxide islands prior to depositing the one or more transition-metal-oxides, the plurality of transition-metal-oxide islands comprising the one or more transition-metal-oxides because this is typical growth mechanism of ALD deposited transition-metal-oxides (Nie, Abstract).
Regarding claim 17, Nie discloses forming the spontaneously polarizable memory layer comprises forming a plurality of sublayers of the spontaneously polarizable memory layer by a plurality of sublayer processes, each sublayer process comprising: depositing the one or more transition-metal-oxides by vapor deposition to form a sublayer, and, subsequently, crystallizing the deposited one or more transition-metal-oxides comprised in the sublayer (Abstract).
Claim(s) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Frank as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Cho (US 2021/0217897).
Regarding claim 16, Frank discloses wherein crystallizing the deposited one or more transition-metal-oxides comprises and annealing ([0057]).
Frank does not disclose a laser annealing and/or a flash-lamp annealing of the deposited one or more transition- metal-oxides. Cho however discloses a laser annealing of the deposited one or more transition- metal-oxides ([0134]).
It would have been therefore obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was field to modify Frank with Cho to have a laser annealing of the deposited one or more transition- metal-oxides for the purpose of effective crystalizing the transition metal oxide film (Cho, [0134]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JULIA SLUTSKER whose telephone number is (571)270-3849. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9 am-6 pm.
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/JULIA SLUTSKER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2891