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 .
Status of Claims
Claims 1-17 are pending in this application.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I (Claims 1-8 and 10-17) in the reply filed on 7/9/26is acknowledged. Claim 9 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to nonelected inventions, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Group I (Claims 1-8 and 10-17) are examined in this Office action.
Foreign Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
Acknowledgment is made that the information disclosure statement has been received and considered by the examiner. If the applicant is aware of any prior art or any other co-pending applications not already of record, he/she is reminded of his/her duty under 37 CFR 1.56 to disclose the same.
Drawings
There are no objections or rejections to the drawings.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant's cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 5 recites the limitation “wherein the slit extends in a second direction in the first surface”. It is unclear what is meant by wherein the slit extends in a second direction in the first surface because the first surface is part of the third insulating film (see claim 1) not the slit. The limitation does not have well defined boundaries. One of ordinary skill in the relevant art would not know what structures/steps are covered by the limitation. For these reasons, the claim is indefinite.
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 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 pre-AIA 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 1, 2, 4, 8, 10, 11 and 13 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hachisuga et al. (US Patent Application Publication No 2021/0288060) hereinafter referred to as Hachisuga.
Per Claim 1 Hachisuga discloses a semiconductor storage device, comprising (see fig. 1)
a first conductive layer (SL, DSC);
a stacked body (LM) including a plurality of electrode films (WL) and a plurality of first insulating films (OL) alternately stacked in a first direction (as shown in figure 1);
a columnar body (CN) including a semiconductor layer [0022] penetrating the stacked body in the first direction (as shown in figure 1);
a second insulating film (54) disposed on an inner wall of a slit penetrating the stacked body in the first direction (as shown in figure 1);
wiring (21) disposed at an inside of the second insulating film in the slit, electrically separated from the plurality of electrode films using the second insulating film, and electrically connected to the first conductive layer (as shown in figure 1); and
a third insulating film (55) extending in a first (bottom) surface intersecting the first direction in the first conductive layer (SL), [0029]
wherein the third insulating film protrudes from the inner wall of the slit toward the wiring (as shown in figure 1).
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Per Claim 2 Hachisuga discloses the device of claim 1 (see fig. 1) including where a tip end portion of the third insulating film (55) protruding from the inner wall of the slit is in the second insulating film (54) and does not extend to the wiring (21).
Per Claim 4 Hachisuga discloses the device of claim 1 (see fig. 1) including where the slit extends in a second direction in the first (bottom) surface (as shown in figure 1), and a side surface of a bottom portion of the slit is substantially perpendicular to the first surface in a cross section perpendicular to the second direction. (as shown in figure 1)
Per Claim 8 Hachisuga discloses the device of claim 1 (see fig. 1) including where the first conductive layer (SL, DSC) is doped polysilicon. [0018]
Per Claim 10 Hachisuga discloses the device of claim 1 (see fig. 1) including where the plurality of electrode films (WL) are formed by at least one of copper or tungsten. [0019]
Per Claim 11 Hachisuga discloses the device of claim 1 (see fig. 1) including where the first insulating films (OL) are formed by silicon oxide.
Per Claim 13 Hachisuga discloses the device of claim 1 (see fig. 1) including where the wiring (21) is formed of at least copper or tungsten. [0036]
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 6-7 12, and 14-17 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.
Claim 5 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Cited Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Applicants are directed to consider additional pertinent prior art included on the Notice of References Cited (PTOL 892) attached herewith.
Ikeda (US 2022/0310645) is cited for teaching an analogous device that includes many of the features of claim 1.
The Examiner has pointed out particular references contained in the prior art of record within the body of this action for the convenience of the Applicant.
Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMI VALENTINE MILLER whose telephone number is (571)272-9786. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday 7am-5pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eva Montalvo can be reached on (571) 270-3829. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Jami Valentine Miller/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818
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