DETAILED ACTION
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Cross-Reference to Related Applications
2. This application is a DIV of 18/635,407 04/15/2024.
Oath/Declaration
3. The oath/declaration filed on 05/15/2024 is acceptable.
Information Disclosure Statement
4. The office acknowledges receipt of the following items from the applicant:
Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) filed on 06/10/2025 and 11/26/2025.
Specification
5. The specification is objected to for the following reason: The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed (see MPEP 606.01).
A title such as -- METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR STRUCTURE – or is suggested by the applicant.
Note that the claims are directed to a method of making a semiconductor device instead of a semiconductor device.
The specification needs to be updated.
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.
6. Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 9 recites the limitation "the insulating layer" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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 of this title, 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.
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.
7. Claims 1-3 and 5-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over ZHUANG Y (CN-117373918-A) in view of CAI Z (CN-113517290-A).
Regarding claim 1, ZHUANG Y discloses a method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure, comprising:
forming a silicon portion (12), a plurality of dielectric portions (131) and a plurality of oxide portions (51) in a substrate (11);
forming at least one first trench (45, Fig. 24) in the silicon portion (12) of the substrate (11),
forming a word line (521) in the first trench (45);
forming a first dielectric layer (53, Fig. 31) over the substrate (11) and covering the word line (521); and
forming a second dielectric layer (54, Fig. 31) to cover the first dielectric layer (53) (Figs. 23-31 and English Text).
ZHUANG Y discloses the features of the claimed invention as discussed above, but does not disclose wherein the first trench has a W-shaped contour.
CAI Z, however, discloses wherein the first trench (120) has a W-shaped contour (Figs. 7A-7B and English Text).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teaching of ZHUANG Y to provide wherein the first trench has a W-shaped contour as taught by CAI Z for a purpose of reducing the defect density (defect density) and reducing the electric field concentration in the operation period of the element.
ZHUANG Y and CAI Z disclose forming a plurality of first impurity regions (130) and a plurality of second impurity regions (140) in the substrate (110), wherein each of the second impurity regions (140) is disposed between a pair of legs of the word line (174) (Fig. 1 and English Text in CAI Z).
Regarding claim 2, ZHUANG Y and CAI Z (citations to ZHUANG Y unless otherwise noted) discloses wherein the substrate (110) and the first impurity region (130) have a same conductivity type (claim 6 in CAI Z).
Regarding claim 3, ZHUANG Y and CAI Z (citations to ZHUANG Y unless otherwise noted) discloses wherein the second impurity region (140, P-type) and the first impurity region (130, N-type) have different conductivity types (Fig. 1 in CAI Z).
Regarding claim 5, ZHUANG Y and CAI Z (citations to ZHUANG Y unless otherwise noted) discloses wherein the word line (174) further comprises bases (1742) disposed on the legs (1744) of the word line (174) (Fig. 1 in CAI Z).
Regarding claim 6, ZHUANG Y and CAI Z (citations to ZHUANG Y unless otherwise noted) discloses wherein a width of the leg of the word line (174) gradually decreases at positions of increasing distance from a top surface of the substrate (110) (Fig. 1 in CAI Z).
Regarding claim 7, ZHUANG Y and CAI Z (citations to ZHUANG Y unless otherwise noted) discloses wherein a width of the second impurity region (140) gradually increases at positions of increasing distance from the base (1742) of the word line (174) (Fig. 1 in CAI Z).
Regarding claim 8, ZHUANG Y and CAI Z (citations to ZHUANG Y unless otherwise noted) discloses wherein a top surface of the word line (521/522) is at a same level as a designed top surface (Fig. 29).
Regarding claim 9, ZHUANG Y and CAI Z (citations to ZHUANG Y unless otherwise noted) discloses further comprising: forming a plurality of second openings (44) in an insulating layer (141); forming a plurality of second trenches (46) in the substrate (11) through the plurality of second openings; and forming a plurality of contacts (522) in the second trenches (46) (Figs. 26-27).
Regarding claim 10, ZHUANG Y and CAI Z (citations to ZHUANG Y unless otherwise noted) discloses wherein a depth of the second trench (46) is greater than a depth of the first trench (45) (Fig. 23).
Regarding claim 11, ZHUANG Y and CAI Z (citations to ZHUANG Y unless otherwise noted) discloses wherein a height of the contact (522) is greater than a height of the word line (521) (Fig. 29).
8. Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over ZHUANG Y and CAI Z in view of HUANG (U.S. Publication No. 2021/0242211 A1).
Regarding claim 4, ZHUANG Y and CAI Z discloses the features of the claimed invention as discussed above, but does not disclose further comprising, before the formation of the word line: forming an isolation film lining the first trench; and conformally forming a diffusion barrier film on the isolation film, wherein the word line is formed on the diffusion barrier film and fills the first trench.
HUANG, however, discloses further comprising, before the formation of the word line (144): forming an isolation film (124) lining the first trench (112); and conformally forming a diffusion barrier film (134) on the isolation film (124), wherein the word line (144) is formed on the diffusion barrier film (134) and fills the first trench (112) (Fig. 1B and para [0044]-[0045]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teaching of ZHUANG Y and CAI Z to provide further comprising, before the formation of the word line: forming an isolation film lining the first trench; and conformally forming a diffusion barrier film on the isolation film, wherein the word line is formed on the diffusion barrier film and fills the first trench as taught by HUANG for a purpose of preventing the word lines from flaking or spalling from the isolation film.
Cited Prior Arts
9. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure.
CHOI Z (CN-112490181-A) discloses a method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure, comprising the first trench 131 the remaining portion (i.e., the receiving portion 130) filling the conductive material 70, and the second trench 133 filled with conductive material 70, the conductive material 70 also covers the barrier layer 50 away from the surface of the substrate 10 (Fig. 2D and English Text).
Conclusion
10. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Phuc T. Dang whose telephone number is 571-272-1776. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:00 am-5:00 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Jacob Choi can be reached on 469-295-9060. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PHUC T DANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2897
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