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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements filed on 00/18/2024 and 07/29/2024 have been considered.
Drawings
The drawings filed on 04/30/2024 are acceptable.
Specification
The abstract of the disclosure and the specification filed on 04/30/2024 are acceptable.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Roberts (US 2018/0323199).
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Regarding claim 1, Roberts (US 2018/0323199) discloses a method of forming a 3-dimensional memory device, the method comprising:
forming a plurality of layers stacked in a first direction, the plurality of layers comprising:
a gate layer (27, ¶0062) formed over a first oxide layer (16, ¶0060); and
a source/drain (S/D) layer (22, ¶0061) between a set of gate oxide layers (28, ¶0062), wherein the set of gate oxide layers (28) are formed over the gate layer (27), and wherein the S/D layer comprises a source and a drain on opposite sides of a body (¶0061); and
forming a doped layer (58, ¶0067) over the source (22).
Regarding claim 6, Roberts further discloses:
forming a spacer layer (47, ¶0068) between the first oxide layer (16) and a second oxide layer (16).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-5, 7 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.
Regarding claim 2, the prior art does not disclose “forming the source to a first thickness in the first direction, wherein the first thickness is less than a second thickness of the body in the first direction” in combination with the remaining claimed features.
Regarding claim 3, the prior art does not disclose “wherein forming the doped layer over the source comprises epitaxially growing the doped layer along the source” in combination with the remaining claimed features.
Regarding claim 7, the prior art does not disclose “thermally treating the plurality of layers to activate and drive-in dopants of the doped layer into the source” in combination with the remaining claimed features.
Claims 9-20 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 9, the prior art does not disclose “etching the source and the drain to form thinned portions each having a first thickness, wherein the first thickness, in the first direction, is less than a second thickness of the body in the first direction; and forming a doped layer over the thinned portions of the source and the drain” in combination with the remaining claimed features.
Regarding claim 15, the prior art does not disclose “wherein the S/D layer comprises a source and a drain on opposite sides of a body, and wherein a first thickness of each of the source and the drain, in the first direction, is less than a second thickness of the body in the first direction; and a doped layer formed over the source and over the drain” in combination with the remaining claimed features..
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM A HARRISTON whose telephone number is (571)270-3897. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri, 9AM-5PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Brent Fairbanks can be reached at (408) 918-7532. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WILLIAM A HARRISTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2899
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