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 Objections
Claim 19 is objected to because of the following informalities: In claim 19, line 1, the recitation of “A” should be changed to “An”, for clarity. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Henry et al. (WO 2020/190878, of record) in view of Lee et al. (US 2010/0093187).
Henry et al. discloses, as shown in Figures 5, 11-13 and [0074]-[00779], [0097], [0127]-[0138], a fabrication tool (70) comprising:
a chamber (72);
a pedestal electrode (not shown on the substrate holder 76) and a showerhead electrode (not shown on a showerhead 74) arranged in the chamber;
one or more gas inlets (no shown that is controlled by a system controller 82) into the chamber and associated flow control hardware;
a vacuum pump system (not shown) configured to reduce a pressure within the chamber;
a radiofrequency (RF) power source (80) configured to form an RF plasma between the pedestal electrode and the showerhead electrode; and
coupled operatively to the flow control hardware and to the RF power source, a controller (82) comprising a processor and memory, the memory comprising instructions executable by the processor to:
operate the flow control hardware to introduce a hydrogen-containing reducing agent into the chamber,
operate the flow control hardware to introduce a hydrocarbon gas into the chamber, and
operate the RF power source to form a plasma between the pedestal electrode and the showerhead electrode to fully deposit a carbon plug (414, and amorphous carbon non-conformal material 416) in a recess of a workpiece positioned on a pedestal of the chamber.
Henry et al. does not disclose the carbon plug is formed in a single plasma deposition cycle with no intermediate carbon removal process. However, Henry et al. discloses in paragraphs [0138]-[0142] and Figures 11-13, that a simultaneous etch during deposition allows no or minimal additional steps to be typically required once the amorphous carbon deposition is complete for the plug (414) and the non-conformal material (416), wherein the amorphous carbon of the plug (414) and the material (416) is deposited quickly in relative thick layer. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art at the time the invention was made to form the carbon plug of Henry et al. in a single plasma deposition cycle with no intermediate carbon removal process, such as taught by paragraphs [0138]-[0142], in order to have the desired conformality. Also, Lee et al. discloses a formation of an amorphous carbon layer (202) in cycles or a single step deposition. Note [0067] and Figure 2 of Lee et al. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art at the time the invention was made to form the carbon plug of Henry et al. using a single deposition cycle, such as taught by Lee et al. in order to have the desired conformality.
Regarding claim 2, Henry et al. and Lee et al. disclose the instructions are executable to operate the RF power source to provide RF power at one or more frequencies within a range of five megahertz and higher [0077].
Regarding claim 3, Henry et al. and Lee et al. disclose the instructions are executable to operate the RF power source to provide RF power that excludes frequencies below five megahertz [0077].
Regarding claim 4, Henry et al. and Lee et al. disclose the hydrocarbon gas comprises an alkyne [0137].
Regarding claim 5, Henry et al. and Lee et al. disclose the alkyne comprises acetylene [0137].
Regarding claim 6, Henry et al. and Lee et al. disclose the instructions are executable to operate the flow control hardware to introduce the hydrogen-containing reducing agent and the hydrocarbon gas into the chamber at a molar ratio of 20-35% hydrogen [0137]-[0138].
Regarding claim 7, Henry et al. and Lee et al. disclose the instructions are further executable to further introduce one or more of argon or nitrogen into the chamber as a diluent gas [0139].
Regarding claim 8, Henry et al. and Lee et al. disclose the instructions are further executable to operate the flow control hardware to deposit the carbon plug at a processing gas pressure between 5 and 13 Torr ([0136], Table1).
Regarding claim 9, Henry et al. and Lee et al. disclose the fabrication tool further comprising one or more heaters, and wherein the instructions are executable to operate the one or more heaters to maintain the pedestal electrode at a temperature within 275-660° C. during plug formation [0079].
Regarding claim 10, Henry et al. and Lee et al. disclose the instructions are executable to extinguish the plasma after the workpiece is exposed to the plasma for a duration within a range of 700 to 1800 seconds ([0079], Table 1).
Regarding claim 11, Henry et al. discloses, as shown in [0127]-[0138] and Figures 11-13, an integrated circuit fabrication method comprising:
forming a carbon plug (414 and 416) in a recess (14) of a workpiece in a plasma deposition cycle by exposing the workpiece to a carbon-depositing plasma in a plasma processing chamber (72), the plasma formed from a mixture of gases comprising
a hydrogen-containing reducing agent, and
a hydrocarbon gas.
Henry et al. does not disclose the plasma deposition cycle is in a single plasma deposition cycle. However, Henry et al. discloses in paragraphs [0138]-[0142] and Figures 11-13, that a simultaneous etch during deposition allows no or minimal additional steps to be typically required once the amorphous carbon deposition is complete for the plug (414) and the non-conformal material (416), wherein the amorphous carbon of the plug (414) and the material (416) is deposited quickly in relative thick layer. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art at the time the invention was made to form the carbon plug of Henry et al. in a single plasma deposition cycle with no intermediate carbon removal process, such as taught by paragraphs [0138]-[0142], in order to have the desired conformality. Also, Lee et al. discloses a formation of an amorphous carbon layer (202) in cycles or a single step deposition. Note [0067] and Figure 2 of Lee et al. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art at the time the invention was made to form the carbon plug of Henry et al. using a single deposition cycle, such as taught by Lee et al. in order to have the desired conformality.
Regarding claim 12, Henry et al. and Lee et al. disclose the carbon-depositing plasma comprises a radiofrequency (RF) plasma, the RF plasma comprising one or more frequencies within a range of five megahertz and higher [077]
Regarding claim 13, Henry et al. and Lee et al. disclose the hydrocarbon gas comprises an alkyne [0137].
Regarding claim 14, Henry et al. and Lee et al. disclose the hydrogen-containing reducing agent and the hydrocarbon gas are introduced into the chamber at a molar ratio of 20-35% hydrogen [0137]-[0138].
Regarding claim 15, Henry et al. and Lee et al. disclose the mixture of gases further comprises one or more of argon or nitrogen as a diluent gas [0139].
Regarding claim 16, Henry et al. and Lee et al. disclose the carbon plug is formed at a processing gas pressure between 5 and 13 Torr ([0136], Table 1).
Regarding claim 17, Henry et al. and Lee et al. disclose the fabrication method further comprising planarizing the workpiece after the single plasma deposition cycle, thereby removing carbon deposited outside of the recess ([0144], Figures 12-13).
Regarding claim 18, Henry et al. and Lee et al. disclose the recess comprises a channel of a memory stack structure [0126].
Regarding claim 19, Henry et al. discloses an integrated circuit fabrication method of fabricating a memory stack structure comprising:
supporting a workpiece on a pedestal of a deposition chamber (72), the deposition chamber comprising a pedestal electrode (no shown on the substrate holder 76) separated from a showerhead electrode (not shown on the substrate holder 74) by an interelectrode space (not shown), the workpiece comprising a recess in a first memory deck;
flowing a mixture of gases through the deposition chamber at reduced pressure, the mixture of gases comprising a hydrogen-containing reducing agent, and also comprising a hydrocarbon;
driving RF current through a discharge gap between the pedestal electrode and the showerhead electrode to form a carbon-depositing plasma and deposit a carbon plug ((amorphous carbon plug (414) and an amorphous carbon non-conformal material (416) within the feature (14) n the individual layers (12)) in the recess in the first memory deck;
planarizing the workpiece after forming the carbon plug in the recess in the first memory deck [0048]; and
depositing layers of a second memory deck over the first memory deck and the carbon plug [0048]-[0051].
Henry et al. does not disclose the plasma deposition cycle is in a single plasma deposition cycle. However, Henry et al. discloses in paragraphs [0138]-[0142] and Figures 11-13, that a simultaneous etch during deposition allows no or minimal additional steps to be typically required once the amorphous carbon deposition is complete for the plug (414) and the non-conformal material (416), wherein the amorphous carbon of the plug (414) and the material (416) is deposited quickly in relative thick layer. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art at the time the invention was made to form the carbon plug of Henry et al. in a single plasma deposition cycle with no intermediate carbon removal process, such as taught by paragraphs [0138]-[0142], in order to have the desired conformality. Also, Lee et al. discloses a formation of an amorphous carbon layer (202) in cycles or a single step deposition. Note [0067] and Figure 2 of Lee et al. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art at the time the invention was made to form the carbon plug of Henry et al. using a single deposition cycle, such as taught by Lee et al. in order to have the desired conformality.
Regarding claim 20, Henry et al. and Lee et al. disclose the hydrocarbon comprises an alkyne [0137].
Conclusion
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/HUNG K VU/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2897
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