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 .
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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Elers (US20100099264).
Regarding claim 1, Elers discloses a method for etching a barium containing layer (a barium strontium titanates layer reads on a barium containing layer, claims 1 and 25; paragraph 0030), the method comprising: patterning the barium containing layer (paragraph 0030 and claim 25), the patterning comprising exposing the barium containing layer to a carbon based ligand gas (a b-diketone volatilizing etchant reads on a carbon based ligand gas, paragraph 0062 and claim 14), the carbon based ligand gas reacting with the barium containing layer to form a barium containing product (paragraphs 0062 and 0068), and removing the barium containing product (paragraph 0068 and claim 1).
Regarding claim 2, Elers discloses wherein removing the barium containing product comprises exposing the barium containing layer to an ion bombardment process (claim 6, a plasma process inherently comprises ion bombardment).
Regarding claim 3, Elers discloses wherein removing the barium containing product comprises exposing the barium containing layer to a plasma process (claim 6).
Regarding claim 4, Elers discloses wherein removing the barium containing product comprises annealing the barium containing layer (thermal activation, paragraph 0053).
Regarding claim 5. Elers discloses wherein the barium containing layer comprises titanium (barium strontium titanate, claim 25), wherein the patterning comprising exposing the barium containing layer to a halogen containing gas (claim 15).
Regarding claim 6, Elers discloses wherein the carbon based ligand gas comprises b-diketones (claim 14 and paragraph 0062).
Regarding claim 7, Elers discloses wherein the carbon based ligand gas comprises hexafluoro acetylacetonate (paragraph 0062).
Regarding claim 8, Elers discloses wherein the carbon based ligand gas comprises a b-diketone (paragraph 0062).
Regarding claim 9, Elers discloses exposing the barium containing layer to a halogen based gas while exposing the barium containing layer to the carbon based ligand gas (claims 14-15), the barium containing layer comprising titanium and oxygen (barium strontium titanate, claim 25), the halogen based gas reacting with the barium containing layer to form a titanium containing product (claim 16, BCl3 reacts with barium strontium titanate to form a titanium containing product comprising Ti-Cl bond, as evidenced by S.B. Kim et al, “Etching mechanism of (Ba, Sr)TiO3 films in high density Cl2/BCl3/Ar plasma”, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A, vol. 18, year 2000, pages 1381-1384, Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 10, Elers discloses a method for etching a barium containing layer (a barium strontium titanates layer reads on a barium containing layer, claims 1 and 25; paragraph 0030), the method comprising: performing a cyclic etching process to subtractively etch the barium containing layer (claims 1-2), each cycle of the cyclic etching process comprising: exposing the barium containing layer to a carbon based ligand gas (a b-diketone volatilizing etchant reads on a carbon based ligand gas, paragraph 0062 and claim 1), the carbon based ligand gas reacting with the barium containing layer to form a barium containing product (paragraphs 0062 and 0068); and removing the barium containing product (paragraph 0068 and claim 1).
Regarding claim 11, Elers discloses wherein each cycle further comprises: exposing the barium containing layer to a halogen containing gas (claims 14-15), the barium containing layer comprising titanium (barium strontium titanate, claim 25).
Regarding claim 12, Elers discloses wherein the barium containing layer comprises titanium (barium strontium titanate, claim 25), wherein exposing the barium containing layer to the carbon based ligand gas further forms a titanium containing product (paragraphs 0062 and 0068), the method further comprising: removing the titanium containing product (paragraph 0068 and claim 1).
Regarding claim 13, Elers discloses wherein removing the barium containing product comprises exposing the barium containing layer to a plasma process (claim 6).
Regarding claim 14, Elers discloses wherein the carbon based ligand gas comprises hexafluoro(acac) (paragraph 0062).
Regarding claim 15, Elers discloses wherein the carbon based ligand gas comprises hexafluoro acetylacetonate (hfacac) (paragraph 0062).
Regarding claim 16, Elers discloses wherein the carbon based ligand gas comprises a b-diketone (paragraph 0062).
Regarding claim 17, Elers discloses a method for etching a bi-metal oxide layer (a barium strontium titanates layer reads on a bi-metal oxide layer, claims 1 and 25; paragraph 0030), the method comprising: patterning the bi-metal oxide layer containing an alkaline earth metal and a transition metal (paragraph 0030 and claim 25), the patterning comprising performing a cyclic process (claim 2), each cycle of the cyclic process comprising: exposing the bi-metal oxide layer to a ligand gas to form a first volatile product comprising a ligand from the ligand gas and the alkaline earth metal (claim 14; paragraphs 0062 and 0068); and exposing the bi-metal oxide layer to a reactive gas to form a second volatile product comprising atoms from the reactive gas and the transition metal (claim 16, BCl3 reacts with barium strontium titanate to form a titanium containing product comprising Ti-Cl bond, as evidenced by S.B. Kim et al, “Etching mechanism of (Ba, Sr)TiO3 films in high density Cl2/BCl3/Ar plasma”, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A, vol. 18, year 2000, pages 1381-1384, Fig. 3); and volatilizing the first volatile product and the second volatile product to etch a portion of the bi-metal oxide layer (claim 1 and paragraphs 0067-0068).
Regarding claim 18, Elers discloses wherein exposing the bi-metal oxide layer to the ligand gas and the reactive gas is performed concurrently (claims 14-15).
Regarding claims 19-20, Elers discloses wherein the alkaline earth metal includes barium and the transition metal includes titanium (barium strontium titanate, claim 25), where the ligand gas includes hexafluoro acetylacetonate (paragraph 0062), and wherein the reactive gas includes molecules including chlorine (claim 16).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JIONG-PING LU whose telephone number is (571) 270-1135. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 9:00am – 5:00pm. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Joshua L Allen, can be reached at telephone number (571)270-3176. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JIONG-PING LU/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1713