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 .
Detailed Action
This office action is in response to applicant’s communication filed on 11/13/23. Claims 11-20 are pending in this application.
Claim Rejections Under 35 U.S.C. §102
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.
Claims 11-13, and 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. §102(a)(1)(2) as being unpatentable over Kim (US 20140038311 A1).
Regarding claim 11, Kim discloses a method for manufacturing an asymmetric SOT-
MRAM memory element (see figs 2-4 disclosing memory element), the memory element comprising a conductor track (304) and a pad (314), which is arranged on the conductor track (314 is arranged on 304, see fig 3a and 3b reproduced below) and comprises at least one first magnetic region that has free magnetization(see para [0031], disclosing 306/310, where 306 is modified by 310), the method
being characterized in that it comprises the steps consisting in (see figures 2 and 3a-3c):
a) creating a stack of a plurality of extended layers (see figs 2-4), comprising at least one first magnetic extended layer (306);
b) depositing a mask (310, where 310 acts as a mask, see fig 3b) on an upper surface of the stack (see paragraph [0032] and fig 4, i.e. where 310 is exposed as an upper surface); and
c) delimiting the first magnetic region in the first magnetic extended layer by means of ion irradiation (see para [0042] disclosing ion implantation of 322) of the upper surface of the stack bearing the mask (310), the parameters of the ion irradiation being suitable for modifying the magnetic properties of the material that makes up the first magnetic layer (see para [0042] disclosing ion implantation of 322).
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Regarding claim 12, Kim discloses the method according to claim 11, wherein the ion irradiation allows for modifying the magnetic properties of a zone of the first magnetic layer exposed during the ion irradiation (see figs 3,b, 3C, and 3D disclosing ionization with masking exposed), while retaining the magnetic properties of a zone of the first magnetic layer not exposed during the ion irradiation because of the presence of the mask(see fig 3e and 4 disclosing remaining magnetic layers 306, 310).
Regarding claim 13, Kim discloses the method according to claim 11l, wherein the ion irradiation delimitation step includes, during an irradiation duration, relative displacement of an ion source with respect to the upper surface of the stack carrying the mask (see figs 3,b, 3C, and 3D disclosing ionization with masking exposed), the irradiation parameters being adapted to remove the magnetic properties of a zone exposed during the whole irradiation duration but being insufficient to remove the magnetic properties of a zone exposed only during a fraction of the irradiation duration (see fig 3e and 4 disclosing remaining magnetic layers 306, 310).
Regarding claim 16, Kim discloses the method according to claim 11, wherein ion irradiation implements light ions, preferably He+, of low energy, preferably between 10 and 100 keV, still more preferably equal to 30 keV, and with an intensity between 1014 and 107 ions/cm2, preferably equal to 1016 ions/cm2.(see paras [0025] and [0026] disclosing about 10kev and about, 1016 ions/cm2).
Regarding claim 17, Kim discloses the method according to claim 11, including, after the step of depositing a mask and before the ion irradiation delimitation step, an etching step consisting in etching the upper layers of the stack around the mask deposited so that the ion flow used during ion irradiation can reach the first magnetic layer (see fig 3b-3d, disclosing etching then ion implantation on stack).
Regarding claim 18, Kim discloses the method according to claim 11, wherein making a stack of a plurality of extended layers consists in superimposing, on a semiconductor substrate, a conductive layer, a first magnetic layer, an intermediate layer, a second magnetic layer and an electrode layer (see layers 302-312).
Regarding claim 19, Kim discloses the method according to claim 11, including, after the ion irradiation delimitation step, a step of finishing the memory point consisting in removing the mask, etching the stack to expose a conductive track on either side of the pad, and making electrodes at each of the ends of the conductive layer, as well as on the pad (see figs 3c-3e disclosing that 323 mask layer, is removed in fig 3e).
Regarding claim 20, Kim discloses an asymmetric SOT-MRAM memory point obtained by implementing the fabrication method according to claim 11 (see fig 4).
Claim Rejections Under 35 U.S.C. §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.
Claims 14 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. §103 as being unpatentable over Kim and further in view of Pinarbasi (US 20220238601 A1).
Regarding claim 14, Kim discloses the features of claim 11 and Pinarbasi further discloses wherein the ion irradiation delimitation step includes a first irradiation along a first direction of irradiation (see claim 1 disclosing first ion beam), followed by a second irradiation along a second direction of irradiation the parameters of the first irradiation and the second irradiation being chosen to be sufficient to remove the magnetic properties of a zone exposed during both the first irradiation and the irradiation (see para [0047] disclosing removing of magnetic layer), but insufficient to remove the magnetic properties of a zone exposed only during the first irradiation or only in the second irradiation (see para [0041] and [0042] disclosing transfer of device image.).
Kim and Pinarbasi are in the same or similar fields of endeavor. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at a time prior to the effective filing date of the present application to combine Kim with Pinarbasi. Kim and Pinarbasi may be combined by forming the device patterns of Kim in accordance with Pinarbasi in order to create precise patterns.
Regarding claim 15, Kim and Pinarbasi discloses the method according to claim 14, including, between the first ion irradiation and the second ion irradiation, a step of modifying the mask (see para [0041] disclosing mask modification and second ion implantation).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EDWARD CHIN whose telephone number is (571)270-1827. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9AM-5PM.
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/EDWARD CHIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893