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 statement filed on 07/26/2024 has been considered.
Drawings
The drawings filed on 05/13/2024 are acceptable.
Specification
The abstract of the disclosure and the specification filed on 05/13/2024 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) 1-5, 7, 9, 10, 12-15, 17-20, 22 and 23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by van Schravendijk (US 2017/0323803).
Regarding claim 1, van Schravendijk (US 2017/0323803) discloses:
A method of depositing a film, the method comprising:
exposing a substrate within a chamber to an organic silicon-containing precursor (step 203 and 213a ¶0055 and 0056);
exposing the substrate to a nitrogen-containing reactant (¶0056, ¶0065); and
exposing the substrate to a radical species (Step 205, ¶0085, Nitrogen gas (N2) is disclosed at ¶0087), thereby forming a film comprising silicon nitride.
Regarding claim 2, van Schravendijk further discloses:
wherein the film comprises a doped silicon nitride (¶0100).
Regarding claim 3, van Schravendijk further discloses:
wherein the doped silicon nitride comprises carbon-doped silicon nitride (¶0100).
Regarding claim 4, van Schravendijk further discloses:
wherein the film comprises a conformal film (¶0097).
Regarding claim 5, van Schravendijk further discloses:
wherein the organic silicon-containing precursor comprises a structure of formula (I):Si(R')4, wherein at least one R' includes a carbon atom (¶0056).
Regarding claim 7, van Schravendijk further discloses:
wherein the nitrogen-containing reactant comprises ammonia (NH3), ¶0065)
Regarding claim 9, van Schravendijk further discloses:
wherein said exposing the substrate to a radical species comprises a source gas selected from the group consisting of ammonia (NH3) (¶0087).
Regarding claim 10, van Schravendijk further discloses “wherein the radical species comprises a nitrogen-containing radical in a remote plasma (¶0087).
Regarding claim 12, van Schravendijk further discloses:
repeating said exposing the substrate to the organic silicon-containing precursor, said exposing the substrate to the nitrogen-containing reactant, and said exposing the substrate to the radical species in cycles to form the film (¶0088).
Regarding claim 13, van Schravendijk further discloses:
wherein the method comprises a remote plasma-based atomic layer deposition process (¶0097).
Regarding claim 14, van Schravendijk discloses:
A method of depositing a film, the method comprising:
depositing a carbon- and silicon- containing layer (¶0056 discloses forming a layer from silicon precursor and carbon reactant) on a surface of a substrate, wherein the substrate is provided within a chamber (¶0055);
thermally converting the carbon- and silicon- containing layer in the presence of a nitrogen-containing reactant to form a doped silicon nitride( ¶0087); and
plasma treating the doped silicon nitride in the presence of a source gas (ammonia, ¶0087), thereby forming the film.
Regarding claim 15, van Schravendijk further discloses:
wherein said depositing comprises exposing the surface of the substrate to an organic silicon-containing precursor (¶0056).
Regarding claim 17, van Schravendijk further discloses:
wherein said thermally converting comprises exposing the surface of the substrate to the nitrogen-containing reactant (¶0087).
Regarding claim 18, van Schravendijk further discloses:
wherein the nitrogen-containing reactant comprises ammonia (NH3) (¶0065).
Regarding claim 19, van Schravendijk further discloses:
wherein said plasma treating comprises exposing the substrate to a radical species within the source gas (¶0087, ¶0065).
Regarding claim 20, van Schravendijk further discloses:
wherein the radical species comprises a nitrogen-containing radical; and wherein the source gas is selected from the group consisting of ammonia (NH3) (¶0087, ¶0065).
Regarding claim 22, van Schravendijk further discloses:
repeating said depositing, said thermally converting, and said plasma treating in cycles to form the film (¶0088).
Regarding claim 23, van Schravendijk further discloses:
wherein the film comprises a conformal (¶0097), carbon-doped silicon nitride film (¶0065).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6 and 8 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.
Regarding claim 6, the prior art does not disclose “wherein the organic silicon-containing precursor comprises a structure of formula (II):(R')3Si-[L-Si(R')2]-R', wherein at least one R' includes a carbon atom and L is a linker” in combination with the remaining claimed features.
Regarding claim 8, the prior art does not disclose “wherein said exposing the substrate to the nitrogen-containing reactant comprises providing the nitrogen-containing reactant in the presence of hydrogen (H2)” in combination with the remaining claimed features.
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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