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Applicant’s election without traverse of Embodiment 2 (Claims 1-3, 5-16, 18-20 readable thereon with claims 4, 17 withdrawn) in the reply filed on July 13, 2026 is acknowledged.
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-3, 5-16, 18-20 are 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding Claim 1, Claim 1 contains the phrase, “(d) after (c), supplying a reactant, which reacts with the deposited layer, to the substrate.” This phrase is seen as indefinite as it could read as “(d) starting (c)”, or “(d) after ending (c)”. In the interest of compact prosecution and as a courtesy, the application will be examined as the former. Claims 2-3, 5-16, 18 are dependent upon Claim 1, and inherit the above deficiencies. Appropriate correction is required.
Regarding Claim 19, Claim 19 contains the phrase, “(d) after (c), supplying a reactant, which reacts with the deposited layer, to the substrate.” This phrase is seen as indefinite as it could read as “(d) starting (c)”, or “(d) after ending (c)”. In the interest of compact prosecution and as a courtesy, the application will be examined as the former. Appropriate correction is required.
Regarding Claim 20, Claim 20 contains the phrase, “(d) after (c), supplying a reactant, which reacts with the deposited layer, to the substrate.” This phrase is seen as indefinite as it could read as “(d) starting (c)”, or “(d) after ending (c)”. In the interest of compact prosecution and as a courtesy, the application will be examined as the former. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-16, 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al (USPGPUB 20100167554, hereinafter “Lee”) in view of Wang et al (USPGPUB 20230126516, hereinafter “Wang”).
Regarding Claim 1, A method of processing a substrate, comprising: forming a film (Fig. 13, a film is seen formed on an inner surface of a recess) containing a predetermined element ([0117], “the isolation layer 302 may be formed on the substrate 300 using an oxide such as silicon oxide by a thermal oxidation process or a shallow trench isolation (STI) process.”) over an inner surface of a recess formed on a surface of the substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times ([0092], “when the target layer 140 having the predetermined thickness is formed by repeated application of the unit cycle, the introduction quantity of the first precursor 120 may be appropriately adjusted per the unit cycle to maintain the atomic number ratio”), the cycle including performing: (a) supplying a first modifying agent (Fig. 2B, 30) containing a first halogen element ([0053], “, the first ligand 34 may include a halogen atom such as fluoro (F), chloro (Cl), bromo (Br), iodo (I), etc., a hydroxyl (OH) group, ammine (NH.sub.3)”) to the substrate; (b) supplying a second modifying agent (Fig. 6D, 230) containing a second halogen element ([0112],“ the second central atom 232 may include the silicon atom. Here, when the reactant includes oxygen or ozone, the target layer 240 may include hafnium silicate”; [0065], “The second ligand 54 may include a halogen atom such as fluoro, chloro, bromo, iodo, etc., a hydroxyl group, amine, an amine group having a carbon atom of about 1 to 10”), which is different in molecular structure from the first modifying agent, to the substrate (a possible embodiment would be for the second modifying agent to be a fluorosilane gas, which would be different than an embodiment of a pure halogen gas such as a pure bromine gas, which is an obvious embodiment for the first modifying agent);
Lee is silent with regards to (c) after starting (a) and (b), forming a deposited layer containing the predetermined element by supplying a precursor containing the predetermined element, which is different in molecular structure from the first modifying agent and the second modifying agent, to the substrate.
Wang teaches after starting (a) and (b), forming a deposited layer containing the predetermined element by supplying a precursor containing the predetermined element, which is different in molecular structure from the first modifying agent and the second modifying agent, to the substrate ([0040], “the halogenated precursor includes a halogenated silane compound that can be represented by the formula H.sub.2n+2-ySi.sub.nX.sub.y”; A halogen silane gas, such as hexachlorodisilane can be used as a precursor to make way for the reactant step in the formation of the film).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, absent unexpected results, before the date of effective filing, to incorporate the halogen silane gas precursor step of Wang into the method of Lee in order to arrive at the expected result of creating a fabrication method with the a gas compatible with the instant process, while also having the known benefit of the ease of purification associated with a volatile halogen silane gas with reasonable expectation of success.
Lee in view of Wang teaches (d) after (c), supplying a reactant, which reacts with the deposited layer, to the substrate (Lee [0068], “the reactant may include a compound having an oxygen atom and/or nitrogen atom. For example, the reactant may include ozone (O.sub.3), oxygen (O.sub.2), water vapor (H.sub.2O), an oxygen plasma, an ozone plasma, ammonia (NH.sub.3)”).
Regarding Claim 2, Lee in view of Wang teaches the method of Claim 1, wherein the first modifying agent does not contain the predetermined element, and the second modifying agent contains the predetermined element (as described above, one of the embodiments taught by Lee in view of Wang is one where the first modifying agent contains a halogen, but not silicon, the predetermined element, and the second modifying agent contains silicon, being a fluorosilane).
Regarding Claim 3, Lee in view of Wang teaches the method of Claim 1, wherein the first modifying agent is lower in a rate of adsorption on the inner surface of the recess than the second modifying agent (a fluorosilane has a higher rate of surface adsorption than that of a standard halogen-hafnium gas).
Regarding Claim 5, Lee in view of Wang teaches the method of Claim 1, wherein in (a), a first termination terminated with the first halogen element is formed on the inner surface of the recess (Lee Fig. 2B, an active termination group of the first halogen, represented as a Ligand L1, is seen formed on the surface).
Regarding Claim 6, Lee in view of Wang teaches the method of Claim 5, wherein in (b), a second termination terminated with the second halogen element is formed on the inner surface of the recess (Lee Fig. , an active termination group of the second halogen, which would be Fluorine as a portion of the fluorosilane, represented as a Ligand L2, is seen formed on the surface).
Regarding Claim 7, Lee in view of Wang teaches the method of Claim 6, wherein the first termination is greater in adsorption-suppressing effect on the precursor than the second termination (the adsorption of fluorosilane is known to have a greater adsorption-suppressing effect than that of a halogen-hafnium gas).
Regarding Claim 8, Lee in view of Wang teaches the method of Claim 6, wherein in (b), the second termination is formed such that at least a portion of a region on the inner surface where the second termination is formed overlaps a region on the inner surface where the first termination is formed (Fig. 5B, the first and second terminations, found at the first and second reaction sites, are the result of a “partial transformation”, wherein those 2 reaction sites would be seen at least partially localized in the same areas).
Regarding Claim 9, Lee in view of Wang teaches the method of Claim 6, wherein the second modifying agent is a modifying agent (Fluorosilane) that contains the predetermined element (silicon), and wherein in (b), the second termination containing the predetermined element is formed on the inner surface of the recess (as seen in Figs. 12-14 of Lee, the first and second termination reactions are seen occurring on a recess).
Regarding Claim 10, Lee in view of Wang teaches the method of Claim 6, wherein in (b), the formation of the second termination is more suppressed in a region where the first termination is formed than in a region on the inner surface of the recess where the first termination is not formed (the first termination, that of a halogen-hafnium compound, would suppress the formation of a termination group of a fluorosilane, which is that of the second termination).
Regarding Claim 11, Lee in view of Wang teaches the method of Claim 6, wherein in (c), the first halogen element constituting the first termination and the second halogen element constituting the second termination are desorbed by reacting with atoms of the predetermined element containing a dangling bond generated from the precursor ([0026], “purging steps can also be utilized during and/or between cycles to remove excess precursor from the process chamber and/or remove excess reactant and/or reaction byproducts from the process chamber”; ).
Regarding Claim 12, Lee in view of Wang teaches the method of Claim 6, wherein in (c), adsorption of the predetermined element (silicon) is more suppressed on a region of the inner surface of the recess where at least one selected from the group of the first termination and the second termination is formed than on a region of the inner surface of the recess where both the first termination and the second termination are not formed (the adsorption of silicon would be suppressed by the presence of halogen hafnium compounds and fluorosilanes).
Regarding Claim 13, Lee in view of Wang teaches the method of Claim 1, wherein the second modifying agent is a gas that contains the predetermined element (silicon) and does not contain a bond between the predetermined elements in one molecule (fluorosilanes do not contain multiple silicon atoms bonded within a single molecule), and the precursor is a gas that contains the bond between the predetermined elements (bonds between 2 silicon atoms in one molecule) in one molecule (a fluorosilane, that which is the second modifying agent, is a gas with only one silicon element, whereas a precursor of hexachlorodisilane contains a bond between two silicon atoms in each molecule).
Regarding Claim 14, Lee in view of Wang teaches the method of Claim 1, wherein the precursor is a gas that contains a third halogen element (a precursor of hexachlorodisilane contains the halogen chlorine).
Regarding Claim 15, Lee in view of Wang teaches the method of Claim 1, wherein in the cycle, (a) is started before (b) (Lee Fig. 3, the process flow shows step (a) occurring and then step (b) occurring afterwards ).
Regarding Claim 16 Lee in view of Wang teaches the method of Claim 1, wherein in the cycle, (a) and (b) are performed such that periods of (a) and (b) overlap at least partially (Fig. 5 of Lee, processes S200 S210 and S220 describe a process flow where the presence of introducing the first modifying agent and the second modifying agent can occur prior to completing the processes of surface termination formation).
Regarding Claim 18, Lee in view of Wang teaches a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the method of Claim 1 (Lee Fig. 13, the semiconductor device being manufactured is seen).
Claim(s) 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kihara et al (USPGPUB 20190214246, hereinafter “Kihara”) in view of Lee and in further view of Wang.
Regarding Claim 19, Kihara teaches a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program that causes, by a computer, a substrate processing apparatus to perform a process ([0079], “the controller Cnt operates in accordance with a computer program (a program based on an input recipe) for controlling each unit of the plasma processing apparatus 10 in each step of method MT illustrated in FIG. 1, and sends out a control signal. Each unit of the plasma processing apparatus 10 is controlled by the control signal from the controller Cnt.”).
Kihara is silent with regards to that process comprising: forming a film containing a predetermined element over an inner surface of a recess formed on a surface of a substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times, the cycle including performing: (a) supplying a first modifying agent containing a first halogen element to the substrate; (b) supplying a second modifying agent containing a second halogen element, which is different in molecular structure from the first modifying agent, to the substrate; (c) after starting (a) and (b), forming a deposited layer containing the predetermined element by supplying a precursor containing the predetermined element, which is different in molecular structure from the first modifying agent and the second modifying agent, to the substrate; and (d) after (c), supplying a reactant, which reacts with the deposited layer, to the substrate.
Lee teaches a process comprising: forming a film (Fig. 13, a film is seen formed on an inner surface of a recess) containing a predetermined element ([0117], “the isolation layer 302 may be formed on the substrate 300 using an oxide such as silicon oxide by a thermal oxidation process or a shallow trench isolation (STI) process.”) over an inner surface of a recess formed on a surface of the substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times ([0092], “when the target layer 140 having the predetermined thickness is formed by repeated application of the unit cycle, the introduction quantity of the first precursor 120 may be appropriately adjusted per the unit cycle to maintain the atomic number ratio”), the cycle including performing: (a) supplying a first modifying agent (Fig. 2B, 30) containing a first halogen element ([0053], “, the first ligand 34 may include a halogen atom such as fluoro (F), chloro (Cl), bromo (Br), iodo (I), etc., a hydroxyl (OH) group, ammine (NH.sub.3)”) to the substrate; (b) supplying a second modifying agent (Fig. 6D, 230) containing a second halogen element ([0112],“ the second central atom 232 may include the silicon atom. Here, when the reactant includes oxygen or ozone, the target layer 240 may include hafnium silicate”; [0065], “The second ligand 54 may include a halogen atom such as fluoro, chloro, bromo, iodo, etc., a hydroxyl group, amine, an amine group having a carbon atom of about 1 to 10”), which is different in molecular structure from the first modifying agent, to the substrate (a possible embodiment would be for the second modifying agent to be a fluorosilane gas, which would be different than an embodiment of a pure halogen gas such as a pure bromine gas, which is an obvious embodiment for the first modifying agent);
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, absent unexpected results, before the date of effective filing, to incorporate the process of Lee into the program of Kihara in order to arrive at the expected result of using the program to perform a process with the benefit of improved control over the composition ratios of the processed substrate (see [0031] of Lee) with reasonable expectation of success.
Kihara in view of Lee is silent with regards to (c) after starting (a) and (b), forming a deposited layer containing the predetermined element by supplying a precursor containing the predetermined element, which is different in molecular structure from the first modifying agent and the second modifying agent, to the substrate.
Wang teaches after starting (a) and (b), forming a deposited layer containing the predetermined element by supplying a precursor containing the predetermined element, which is different in molecular structure from the first modifying agent and the second modifying agent, to the substrate ([0040], “the halogenated precursor includes a halogenated silane compound that can be represented by the formula H.sub.2n+2-ySi.sub.nX.sub.y”; A halogen silane gas, such as hexachlorodisilane can be used as a precursor to make way for the reactant step in the formation of the film).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, absent unexpected results, before the date of effective filing, to incorporate the halogen silane gas precursor step of Wang into the method of Kihara in view of Lee in order to arrive at the expected result of creating a fabrication method with the a gas compatible with the instant process, while also having the known benefit of the ease of purification associated with a volatile halogen silane gas with reasonable expectation of success.
Kihara in view of Lee and in further view of Wang teaches (d) after (c), supplying a reactant, which reacts with the deposited layer, to the substrate (Lee [0068], “the reactant may include a compound having an oxygen atom and/or nitrogen atom. For example, the reactant may include ozone (O.sub.3), oxygen (O.sub.2), water vapor (H.sub.2O), an oxygen plasma, an ozone plasma, ammonia (NH.sub.3)”).
Regarding Claim 20, Kihara teaches A substrate processing apparatus, but is silent with regards to that apparatus comprising: a first modifying agent supply system configured to supply a first modifying agent containing a first halogen element to a substrate including a recess formed on a surface of the substrate; a second modifying agent supply system configured to supply a second modifying agent containing a second halogen element, which is different in molecular structure from the first modifying agent, to the substrate; a precursor supply system configured to supply a precursor containing a predetermined element, which is different in molecular structure from a first modifying agent and the second modifying agent, to the substrate; a reactant supply system configured to supply a reactant to the substrate; and a controller configured to be capable of controlling the first modifying agent supply system, the second modifying agent supply system, the precursor supply system, and the reactant supply system to perform a process including: forming a film containing the predetermined element over an inner surface of the recess by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times, the cycle including performing: (a) supplying the first modifying agent to the substrate; (b) supplying the second modifying agent to the substrate; (c) after starting (a) and (b), forming a deposited layer containing the predetermined element by supplying the precursor to the substrate; and (d) after (c), supplying the reactant, which reacts with the deposited layer, to the substrate.
Lee teaches apparatus comprising: a first modifying agent supply system configured to supply a first modifying agent (Fig. 2B, 30) containing a first halogen element ([0053], “, the first ligand 34 may include a halogen atom such as fluoro (F), chloro (Cl), bromo (Br), iodo (I), etc., a hydroxyl (OH) group, ammine (NH.sub.3)”) to a substrate including a recess formed on a surface of the substrate (Fig. 13, a film is seen formed on an inner surface of a recess); a second modifying agent supply system configured to supply a second modifying agent (Fig. 6D, 230) containing a second halogen element ([0112],“ the second central atom 232 may include the silicon atom. Here, when the reactant includes oxygen or ozone, the target layer 240 may include hafnium silicate”; [0065], “The second ligand 54 may include a halogen atom such as fluoro, chloro, bromo, iodo, etc., a hydroxyl group, amine, an amine group having a carbon atom of about 1 to 10”), which is different in molecular structure from the first modifying agent, to the substrate; a precursor supply system configured to supply a precursor containing a predetermined element([0117], “the isolation layer 302 may be formed on the substrate 300 using an oxide such as silicon oxide by a thermal oxidation process or a shallow trench isolation (STI) process.”), which is different in molecular structure from a first modifying agent and the second modifying agent, to the substrate (a possible embodiment would be for the second modifying agent to be a fluorosilane gas, which would be different than an embodiment of a pure halogen gas such as a pure bromine gas, which is an obvious embodiment for the first modifying agent); a reactant supply system configured to supply a reactant to the substrate (it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that a controller within the apparatus of Kihara would be motivated to configure a first and second modifying agent); and a controller configured to be capable of controlling the first modifying agent supply system, the second modifying agent supply system, to perform a process including: forming a film forming a film (Fig. 13, a film is seen formed on an inner surface of a recess) containing the predetermined element over an inner surface of the recess by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times ([0092], “when the target layer 140 having the predetermined thickness is formed by repeated application of the unit cycle, the introduction quantity of the first precursor 120 may be appropriately adjusted per the unit cycle to maintain the atomic number ratio”), the cycle including performing: (a) supplying a first modifying agent (Fig. 2B, 30) to the substrate; (b) supplying a second modifying agent (Fig. 6D, 230) to the substrate.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, absent unexpected results, before the date of effective filing, to undertake the substrate processing method of Wang using the apparatus of Khara in order to arrive at the expected result of fine-tuning substrate processing using a process with the benefit of improved control over the composition ratios of the processed substrate (see [0031] of Lee) with reasonable expectation of success.
Kihara in view of Lee is silent with regards to (c) after starting (a) and (b), forming a deposited layer containing the predetermined element by supplying the precursor to the substrate via a precursor supply system.
Wang teaches (c) after starting (a) and (b), forming a deposited layer containing the predetermined element by supplying the precursor to the substrate via a precursor supply system ([0040], “the halogenated precursor includes a halogenated silane compound that can be represented by the formula H.sub.2n+2-ySi.sub.nX.sub.y”; A halogen silane gas, such as hexachlorodisilane can be used as a precursor to make way for the reactant step in the formation of the film).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, absent unexpected results, before the date of effective filing, to incorporate the halogen silane gas precursor step of Wang into the method of Kihara in view of Lee in order to arrive at the expected result of creating a fabrication method with the a gas compatible with the instant process, while also having the known benefit of the ease of purification associated with a volatile halogen silane gas with reasonable expectation of success.
Kihara in view of Lee and Wang teaches a reactant supply system to (d) after (c), supplying the reactant, which reacts with the deposited layer, to the substrate (Lee [0068], “the reactant may include a compound having an oxygen atom and/or nitrogen atom. For example, the reactant may include ozone (O.sub.3), oxygen (O.sub.2), water vapor (H.sub.2O), an oxygen plasma, an ozone plasma, ammonia (NH.sub.3)”).
Conclusion
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/V.J.L./Examiner, Art Unit 2898
/JESSICA S MANNO/SPE, Art Unit 2898
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