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 .
Election/Restrictions
The restriction requirement mailed on 7/9/2026 has been withdrawn. Currently claims 1-18 are pending.
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.
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Claim(s) 1-3 & 12-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tada (US Pub no. 2007/0257372 A1) in view of Lin US Pub no. 2024/0376598 A1)
Regarding claim 1, Tada et al discloses A method of forming a contact structure on a semiconductor substrate(1[0048])[0054], comprising: depositing a metal silicide layer(2,[0054], fig. 1d) over a surface of a device contact formed on a
surface of a substrate(1[0048][0054]), wherein depositing the metal silicide layer(2,[0048] [0066])comprises: generating a plasma in a processing region of a first processing chamber(13)[0078], and the plasma comprises a titanium containing precursor gas [0081] and depositing a metal capping layer (filler)over the metal silicide layer(2) [0054]but fails to teach wherein depositing the metal capping layer comprises:
depositing a first portion of the metal capping layer on the metal silicide layer by delivering a metal containing precursor at a first mass flow rate to the surface of the substrate that is positioned in a processing region of a second processing chamber while the substrate is maintained at a first processing temperature; and
depositing a second portion of the metal capping layer on the first
portion of the metal capping layer by delivering the metal containing
precursor at a second mass flow rate to the surface of the substrate while
the substrate is maintained at a second processing temperature,
wherein the first mass flow rate is less than the second mass flow rate.
However, Lin et al discloses a bottom up deposition process for a metal fil layer[0047] [0057]comprising the metal capping layer comprises depositing a first portion of the metal capping layer (nucleation layer., [0057][0087]) by delivering a metal containing precursor at a first mass flow rate (reactant gas 1-155) to the surface of the substrate (claim 12)that is positioned in a processing region of a second processing chamber while the substrate is maintained at a first processing temperature[0096][0099]; and depositing a second portion of the metal capping layer (bulk layer, [0057][0087])on the first portion of the metal capping layer by delivering the metal containing precursor at a second mass flow rate(reactant gas 2-155) to the surface of the substrate while the substrate is maintained at a second processing temperature, wherein the first mass flow rate(reactant gas 1-155) is less than the second mass flow rate(reactant gas 2-155) fig. 1b[0041]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Tada et al with the teachings of Lin et al such that wherein depositing the metal capping layer comprises: depositing a first portion of the metal capping layer on the metal
silicide layer by delivering a metal containing precursor at a first mass flow
rate to the surface of the substrate that is positioned in a processing
region of a second processing chamber while the substrate is maintained
at a first processing temperature; and depositing a second portion of the metal capping layer on the first portion of the metal capping layer by delivering the metal containing
precursor at a second mass flow rate to the surface of the substrate while
the substrate is maintained at a second processing temperature,
wherein the first mass flow rate is less than the second mass flow
rate results to optimize the stress in the film and fill characteristics.
Regarding claim 2, Lin et al discloses wherein
depositing the first portion of the metal capping layer (nucleation layer., [0057][0087]) further comprises simultaneously delivering a gas comprising a reducing agent that comprises hydrogen (H₂) and the metal containing precursor to the surface of the substrate, and the metal containing precursor comprises molybdenum and a halogen [0078][0081]
Regarding claim 3, Tada et al discloses wherein the metal silicide layer comprises molybdenum silicide (MoSix)[0174].
Regarding claim 12, Tada et al discloses A processing system, comprising:
a plurality of processing chambers(12-14)[0060]; a controller(200)[0065]; a memory(202) for storing instructions[0065], which, when executed by the controller(202), causes the controller to perform a method of forming a contact structure semiconductor substrate(1[0048])[0054][0065], comprising: depositing a metal silicide layer(2,[0054], fig. 1d) over a surface of a device contact formed on a
surface of a substrate(1[0048][0054]), wherein depositing the metal silicide layer(2,[0048] [0066])comprises: generating a plasma in a processing region of a first processing chamber(13)[0078], and the plasma comprises a titanium containing precursor gas [0081] and depositing a metal capping layer (filler)over the metal silicide layer(2) [0054]but fails to teach wherein depositing the metal capping layer comprises:
depositing a first portion of the metal capping layer on the metal silicide layer by delivering a metal containing precursor at a first mass flow rate to the surface of the
substrate that is positioned in a processing region of a second processing chamber while the substrate is maintained at a first processing temperature; and depositing a second portion of the metal capping layer on the first portion of the metal capping layer by delivering the metal containing precursor at a second mass flow rate to the surface of the substrate while the substrate is maintained at a second processing temperature,
wherein the first mass flow rate is less than the second mass flow rate.
However, Lin et al discloses a bottom up deposition process for a metal fil layer[0047] [0057]comprising the metal capping layer comprises: depositing a first portion of the metal capping layer (nucleation layer., [0057][0087]) by delivering a metal containing precursor at a first mass flow rate (reactant gas 1-155) to the surface of the substrate (claim 12)that is positioned in a processing region of a second processing chamber while the substrate is maintained at a first processing temperature[0096][0099]; and depositing a second portion of the metal capping layer (bulk layer, [0057][0087])on the first portion of the metal capping layer by delivering the metal containing
precursor at a second mass flow rate(reactant gas 2-155) to the surface of the substrate while the substrate is maintained at a second processing temperature[0096][0099],
wherein the first mass flow rate(reactant gas 1-155) is less than the second mass flow
rate(reactant gas 2-155) fig. 1b[0041]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Tada et al with the teachings of Lin et al such that wherein depositing the metal capping layer comprises: depositing a first portion of the metal capping layer on the metal
silicide layer by delivering a metal containing precursor at a first mass flow
rate to the surface of the substrate that is positioned in a processing
region of a second processing chamber while the substrate is maintained
at a first processing temperature; and depositing a second portion of the metal capping layer on the first portion of the metal capping layer by delivering the metal containing
precursor at a second mass flow rate to the surface of the substrate while
the substrate is maintained at a second processing temperature,
wherein the first mass flow rate is less than the second mass flow
rate results to optimize the stress in the film and fill characteristics.
Regarding claim 13, Lin et al discloses wherein the metal containing precursor
essentially comprises molybdenum pentachloride (MoCl₅)[0078].
Regarding claim 14, Tada et al discloses wherein the metal silicide layer comprises molybdenum silicide (MoSix)[0174].
Claim(s) 4 , 10, and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tada (US Pub no. 2007/0257372 A1) in view of Lin US Pub no. 2024/0376598 A1) as applied to claim 1 and 12 and further in view of Mebarki (US Pub no. 2024/038859 A1).
Regarding claim 4, Tada et al as modified by Lin et al disclose all the claim limitations of claim 1 but fails to teach further comprising: exposing the surface of the device contact to a preclean process gas that comprises at least one of hydrogen (H₂), ammonia (NH₃), and hydrofluoric acid (HF), wherein the exposing the surface of a device contact to a preclean process gas is performed before depositing the metal silicide layer over the surface of a device contact, and is performed by use of a non-plasma process.
However, Mebarki et al discloses exposing the surface of the device contact(402) to a preclean process gas that comprises at least one of hydrogen (H₂), ammonia (NH₃), and hydrofluoric acid (HF), wherein the exposing the surface of a device contact to a preclean process gas is performed before depositing the metal silicide layer over the surface of a device contact, and is performed by use of a non-plasma process[0040]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to further modify Tada et al & Lin et al with the teachings of Mebarki et al to remove contaminates trench etching process.
Regarding claim 10, Mebarki et al discloses further comprising exposing the surface of a device contact(402) to a preclean process gas that comprises hydrofluoric acid (HF)[0040], wherein exposing the surface of a device contact to a preclean process gas is performed before depositing the metal silicide layer over the surface of a device contact[0040][0043], and the exposing the surface of the device contact to the preclean process gas, the depositing the metal silicide layer (420)over the surface of a device contact(402), and the depositing the metal capping layer (432)over the metal silicide layer are sequentially performed without exposing the substrate to air[0045].
Regarding claim 15, Tada et al as modified by Lin et al disclose all the claim limitations of claim 12 but fails to teach further comprising: exposing the surface of the device contact to a preclean process gas that comprises at least one of hydrogen (H₂), ammonia (NH₃), and hydrofluoric acid (HF), wherein the exposing the surface of a device contact to a preclean process gas is performed before depositing the metal silicide layer over the surface of a device contact, and is performed by use of a non-plasma process.
However, Mebarki et al discloses exposing the surface of the device contact(402) to a preclean process gas that comprises at least one of hydrogen (H₂), ammonia (NH₃), and hydrofluoric acid (HF), wherein the exposing the surface of a device contact to a preclean process gas is performed before depositing the metal silicide layer over the surface of a device contact, and is performed by use of a non-plasma process[0040]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to further modify Tada et al & Lin et al with the teachings of Mebarki et al to remove contaminates trench etching process.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-9, 11, & 16-18 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LATANYA N CRAWFORD EASON whose telephone number is (571)270-3208. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:30 PM.
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/LATANYA N CRAWFORD EASON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2813
