DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. 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
2. Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I (claims 1-12) in the reply filed on 02/18/2026 is acknowledged.
3. Claims 13-18 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 02/18/2026.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and/or 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Lee et al. (US 2023/0070776 A1).
As to claim 1, Lee discloses a polishing composition comprising:
abrasive grains (paragraph 0010-0013);
an alkylamine compound having at least one linear or branched alkyl group having 2 or more and 15 or less carbon atoms (paragraph 0057);
wherein a pH is less than 7 (paragraph 0046);
and a zeta potential of the abrasive grains in the polishing composition is negative (paragraph 0011).
As to claim 2, Lee discloses the alkylamine compound is a monoalklylamine compound having only one alkyl group (i.e. hexylamine, octylamine, dodecylamine; See paragraph 0057).
As to claim 3, Lee discloses the number of caron atoms of the alkyl group is 2 or more and 7 or less (i.e. hexylamine (6 carbon); See paragraph 0057).
As to claim 4, Lee discloses the alkylamine compound is at least one monoalkylamine compound includes n-hexylamine (paragraph 0057; Note n-hexylamine is also known as hexylamine; See evidence reference: Wikipedia, “Hexylamine” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexylamine )
As to claim 5, Lee discloses the abrasive grains are anionically modified colloidal silica (paragraph 0012-0013, 0016, 0035).
As to claim 6, Lee discloses the composition further comprises a pH adjusting agent (paragraph 0047, 0105).
As to claim 7, Lee discloses the composition further comprises an electrical conductivity adjusting agent (i.e. anionic polymer or cationic polymer; See abstract, 0018, 0025, 0034-0035).
As to claim 8, Lee discloses the composition further comprises a dispersing medium (i.e. liquid carrier; See abstract; paragraph 0006; 0010; 0060, 0093).
As to claim 9, Lee discloses the zeta potential of the abrasive grains in the polishing composition is -20 mV or –25 mV or -15 mV to about -50 mV (paragraph 0011, within applicant’s range of “-45 mV or more and -15 mV or less”).
7. Claims 1-6, 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and/or 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ishiguro (US 2021/0292600 A1)
As to claim 1, Ishiguro discloses a polishing composition comprising:
abrasive grains (paragraph 0018-0027);
an alkylamine compound having at least one linear or branched alkyl group having 2 or more and 15 or less carbon atoms (Table 1-2);
wherein a pH is less than 5 (abstract; paragraph 0010; within applicant’s range of “less than 7”);
and a zeta potential of the abrasive grains in the polishing composition is negative (paragraph 0018).
As to claim 2, Ishiguro discloses the alkylamine compound is a monoalkylamine compound having only one alkyl group (i.e. ethylamine; See Table 2).
As to claim 3, Ishiguro discloses the number of caron atoms of the alkyl group is 2 or more and 7 or less (i.e. ethylamine; See Table 2).
As to claim 4, Ishiguro discloses the alkylamine compound is at least one monoalkylamine compound includes ethylamine (See Table 2).
As to claim 5, Ishiguro discloses the abrasive grains are anionically modified colloidal silica (i.e. negative modified colloidal silica; See paragraph 0025-0026).
As to claim 6, Ishiguro discloses the composition further comprises a pH adjusting agent (abstract, paragraph 0007; 0053-0060).
As to claim 8, Ishiguro discloses the composition further comprises a dispersing medium (abstract, paragraph 0061).
As to claim 9, Ishiguro discloses the zeta potential of the abrasive grains in the polishing composition is -45 mV or more and -15 mV or less; including example of -27.8 mV (paragraph 0018, 0025, Table 1-2).
As to claim 10, Ishiguro discloses the polishing composition is used for polishing an object to be polished containing low-k material (i.e. silicon oxide) and silicon nitride (paragraph 0003, 0015).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
8. 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.
9. This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
10. Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ishiguro (US 2021/0292600 A1) as applied to claims 1-6, 8-10 above, and further in view of Mae et al. (US 2021/0079264 A1).
As to claim 11, Ishiguro fails to disclose the low-k material is SiOC. However, Ishiguro clearly discloses the polishing composition is used for polishing a low-k material such as silicon oxide (paragraph 0015). Mae discloses the polishing composition is used for polishing a low-k material such as silicon oxide or SiOC (paragraph 0024-0025). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Ishiguro in view of Mae by having SiOC as low-k material because equivalent and substitution of one for the other would produce an expected result (See MPEP 2143(I)(B)).
11. Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ishiguro (US 2021/0292600 A1) as applied to claims 1-6, 8-10 above, and further in view of Chien (US 2020/0332150 A1).
As to claim 12, Ishiguro fails to disclose a ratio of a polishing removal rate of the Low-k material to a polishing removal rate of the silicon nitride is 1.0 or more and 2.0 or less. However, Ishiguro clearly teaches to remove low-k material (i.e. silicon oxide) and silicon nitride (paragraph 0015). Chien teaches to remove silicon oxide and silicon nitride, wherein the silicon oxide is TEOS (See paragraph 0064-0065). Chien further discloses the silicon oxide (TEOS) removal rate is 116 Å/min or 156 Å/min or 227 Å/min or 155 Å/min or 201 Å/min and silicon nitride removal rate is 113 Å/min or 139 Å/min or 164 Å/min or 156 Å/min or 188 Å/min (See Table 3 in paragraph 0119). Any person having ordinary skill in the art would be able to calculate a ratio of a polishing removal rate of the Low-k material to a polishing removal rate of the silicon nitride as shown below:
SiO or TEO polishing rate SiN polish rate Polishing Ratio of SiO/silicon nitride
116 113 116/113 = 1.026
156 139 156/139= 1.122
227 164 227/164 = 1.384
155 156 155/156 = 0.9936
201 188 201/188 = 1.069
Therefore, Chien discloses a ratio of a polishing removal rate of the Low-k material to a polishing removal rate of the silicon nitride is 1.026, or 1.1222, or 1.384, or 1.069 (read on applicant’s limitation “more than 1 and less than 2”). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Ishiguro in view of Chien by having a ratio of polishing removal rate of the low-k material to polishing removal rate of silicon nitride more than 1 and less than 2 because in the case where the claimed ranges "overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art" a prima facie case of obviousness exists (See MPEP 2144.05(I)).
Conclusion
12. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BINH X TRAN whose telephone number is (571)272-1469. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday.
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BINH X. TRAN
Examiner
Art Unit 1713
/BINH X TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1713