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 .
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 1-20 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.
Claim 1 recited a plurality of word line trenches that cross the plurality of active area and the plurality of dummy active, but only has an active side bottom surface. It is unclear as to whether only one word line trench has an active side bottom surface, or the plurality of word line trenches has only one common active side bottom surface.
Claim 11 recited a plurality of word line trenches that cross the plurality of fin-type active areas and the plurality of fin-type dummy active areas and have a plurality of bottom surfaces, but only has an upper surface. It is unclear as to whether it is an upper surface of the dummy side saddle portions and an upper surface of the active side saddle portions of one word line trench, or one common upper surface of the dummy side saddle portions and one common upper surface of the active side saddle portions of the plurality of word line trenches.
Claims 18 recited a plurality of word line trenches cross the plurality of active areas and the dummy active areas. It is unclear as to whether only one word line trench has an active bottom surface and a dummy side bottom surface, or the plurality of word line trenches has only one common active side bottom surface and a common dummy side bottom surface.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 11, and 18 would be allowable if rewritten or amended 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Park (US 2024/0147696), Kim et al. (US 2023/0129921), and Lee et al. (US 2019/0221669) disclose similar claimed inventive subject matter.
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/HUNG K VU/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2897
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