CTNF 18/568,799 CTNF 101438 Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia 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 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim 1 and 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Arkles(Understanding ALD, MLD and SAMs as they enter the fab), Verghese(Atomic layer deposition goes mainstream in 22nm logic technologies) and in further view of Yamamoto(US9441294B2) . With respect to Claim 1 , Arkles teaches in Fig 1 , method for forming a barrier layer, which forms a barrier plasma, layer on a substrate by generating comprising: injecting gas to be adsorbed onto the substrate (Fig 1(a); ¶ [5]) ; primarily purging of injecting a purge gas toward the substrate after the injecting of gas is stopped (Fig 2(b); ¶ [5]) ; injecting a gas toward the substrate to form a TiN thin-film on the substrate (Fig 1(d); ¶ [5]) ; and secondarily purging of injecting a purge gas toward the substrate after the injecting of the gas is stopped (Fig 1(d); ¶ [5]) ; wherein the method form one process cycle of sequentially performing the injecting of the gas (Fig 1(a);¶ [5]) , the primarily purging (Fig 2(b); ¶ [5]) , the injecting of the gas (Fig 1(d); ¶ [5]) , and the secondarily purging (Fig 1(d); ¶ [5]) . Arkles does not teach injecting a NH 3 -containing gas; injecting a Ti-containing gas; generating plasma by using a H 2 gas; Verghese teaches in ¶ [7] , injecting a NH 3 -containing gas (¶ [7]) ; Injecting a Ti-containing gas (¶ [7]) ; It would be obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine the invention of Arkles, the generic steps of an atomic layer deposition (ALD) cycle that can be repeated and the invention of Verghese, teaching titanium chloride and ammonia are used in ALD of titanium nitride. This combination produces a method to fabricate a titanium nitride layer used in a variety of applications in logic devices (Verghese ¶ [7]) . Yamamoto teaches in Column 10 , generating plasma by using a H 2 gas (Column 10 Lin 39-46) It would be obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine the inventions of Arkles, and Verghese, and modify them with the invention of Yamamto teaching modifying the surface of the titanium nitride layer with H2 plasma while the two precursor chemicals react form the titanium nitride film. Active species of H2 react with Cl atoms (chloro group) serving as residues to become HCl and are desorbed from the titanium nitride film Yamamoto(Column 19 Line 1-7) . With respect to Claim 2 , Arkle teaches in Fig 1 , wherein the process cycle is repeatedly performed (Fig 1; ¶ [5]) . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-12-aia AIA (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. 07-15-03-aia AIA Claim 3-6 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Chen(US20210050186A1) . With respect to Claim 3 , Fig. 3 displays A method for forming a barrier layer, comprising: injecting a Ti-containing gas to a process space in which a substrate is disposed (Fig.3; 430; ¶ [0042]) ; depositing a TiN thin-film on the substrate by injecting a NH 3 -containing gas (Fig. 3; 440; ¶ [0052]) into the process space and generating plasma by using the NH 3 -containing gas (Fig.3; ¶ [0062]) ; and removing impurities on the TiN thin-film by injecting a H 2 gas into the process space and generating plasma by using the H 2 gas (Fig.3; 450; ¶ [0057] ¶ [0062] ¶ [0063]) . (¶ [0050]; purge may not be necessary) With respect to Claim 4 , ¶ [0057] discloses , the method of Claim 3 , wherein the generating of the plasma in each of the depositing of the TiN thin-film and the removing of the impurities comprises applying a RF power (¶ [0059]) to an injection unit configured to inject the NH 3 -containing gas and the H 2 -containing gas into the process space (¶ [0057}) , wherein the RF power is consecutively applied to the injection unit from the depositing of the TiN thin-film (¶ [0061]) to the removing of the impurities (¶ [0061]) . With respect to Claim 5 , Fig. 3 displays, the method of Claim 4 , further comprising injecting a purge gas into the process space between the depositing of the TiN thin-film and the removing of the impurities. (Fig. 3; 445; ¶ [0056]) With respect to Claim 6 , ¶ [0057] discloses, the method of claim 5, wherein plasma is generated using the purge gas by applying a RF power to the injection unit when the purge gas is injected. (¶ [0057]) With respect to Claim 8 , ¶ [0048] discloses, the method of any one of Claims 3 , further comprising adjusting a temperature of each of the process space and a support configured to support the substrate in the process space to be equal to or greater than 300°C and less than 350°C (¶ [0048]) . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-21-aia AIA Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen(US20210050186A1) and Toyoda(US20030164143A1) . With respect to Claim 7 , Chen teaches injecting a purge gas into the process space (¶ [0035]). Chen does not teach further comprising pre-processing that is performed before the injecting of the Ti-containing gas, wherein the pre-processing comprises: injecting a NH 3 -containing gas into the process space so that the NH 3 -containing gas is adsorbed onto the substrate; generating plasma by using a H 2 gas Toyoda teaches in (¶ [0102]) further comprising pre-processing that is performed before the injecting of the Ti-containing gas, wherein the pre-processing comprises: injecting a NH 3 -containing gas into the process space so that the NH 3 -containing gas is adsorbed onto the substrate (¶ [0102]) ; generating plasma by using a H 2 gas (¶ [0102]) . It would be obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine the invention of Chen, teaching to purge a chamber with inert gas between chemical exposure steps in an ALD experiment and the invention of Toyoda, teaching a preparation treatment for a substrate surface with NH 3 -containing gas and H 2 plasma. This combination would produce a method to nitride the surface of the substrate before a deposition process to increase hardness (Toyoda ¶ [0102]) . Conclusion 07-96 AIA The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure : Hara(US20200312632A1): This reference teaches a technique to process a substrate uniformly. Ponnekanti(US11282676B2): This reference teaches an apparatus with a plurality of processing stations to modify the surface of a silicon wafer. 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If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /B.Q.R./Examiner, Art Unit 2817 /RATISHA MEHTA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2817 Application/Control Number: 18/568,799 Page 2 Art Unit: 2817 Application/Control Number: 18/568,799 Page 3 Art Unit: 2817 Application/Control Number: 18/568,799 Page 4 Art Unit: 2817 Application/Control Number: 18/568,799 Page 5 Art Unit: 2817 Application/Control Number: 18/568,799 Page 6 Art Unit: 2817 Application/Control Number: 18/568,799 Page 7 Art Unit: 2817 Application/Control Number: 18/568,799 Page 8 Art Unit: 2817