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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d).
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed on 06/11/2024 has been considered.
Drawings
The drawings filed on 06/11/2024 are acceptable.
Specification
The abstract of the disclosure and the specification filed on 06/11/2024 are acceptable.
Claim Objections
Claim 15 objected to because of the following informalities: claim 15 recites “…wherein the gate structure overlaps the isolation structure, and the gate structure partially overlaps the isolation structure the third well”. It appears that there is a typo. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
(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, 2, 4, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Lin (US 2015/0187933).
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Regarding claim 1, Lin (US 2015/0187933) discloses:
A semiconductor structure, comprising:
a substrate (302, ¶0025);
a first well (330, ¶0027) in the substrate (302) and having a first side surface;
a second well (340, ¶0027) in the substrate and having a second side surface;
a third well (344, ¶0027) in the substrate (302), wherein the second well (340) is between the first well (330) and the third well (344);
an isolation structure (310, ¶0026) in the substrate (302) and between the first well (330) and the second well (340);
a drain region (332, ¶0027) in the first well (330);
a source region (342, ¶0027) in the third well (344); and
a gate structure (320, 322, 324, ¶0026) on the substrate, wherein the first side surface of the first well (330) faces the second side surface of the second well (340), and the first side surface of the first well (330) is apart from the second side surface of the second well (340).
Regarding claim 2, Lin further discloses:
wherein the first well (330) has a first conductivity type (¶0027), the second well (340) has the first conductivity type, and the third well has a second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type (¶0027).
Regarding claim 4, Lin further discloses:
wherein the isolation structure (310) has a first sidewall and a second sidewall opposite to the first sidewall, and a distance between the second sidewall and the second side surface of the second well (340) is greater than zero.
Regarding claim 10, Lin further discloses:
wherein at least a portion of a lower surface of the isolation structure (310) is not covered by the first well (330) and the second well (340).
Regarding claim 11, Lin further discloses:
wherein at least a portion of a lower surface of the isolation structure (310) directly contacts the substrate.
Regarding claim 13, Lin further discloses:
wherein current flows from the source region to the drain region through the third well, the second well, the substrate and the first well.
Regarding claim 14, Lin further discloses:
wherein a lower surface of the isolation structure (310) is higher than a lower surface of the first well (330) and a lower surface of the second well (340).
Regarding claim 16, Lin further discloses:
wherein the second well adjoins (340) the third well (344).
Regarding claim 20, Lin further discloses:
wherein the first side surface of the first well (330) and the second side surface of the second well (340) are covered by the substrate (302).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 5-9, 12, 15 and 17-19 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 3, the prior art does not disclose “wherein the isolation structure comprises a first portion overlapping the first well in a longitudinal direction and a second portion overlapping the second well in the longitudinal direction” in combination with the remaining claimed features.
Regarding claim 5, the prior art does not disclose “wherein the first sidewall of the isolation structure is covered by the first well, and the second sidewall of the isolation structure is covered by the second well” in combination with the remaining claimed features.
Regarding claim 7, the prior art does not disclose “wherein the isolation structure has a first sidewall and a second sidewall opposite to the first sidewall, a distance between the first sidewall and the first side surface of the first well is equal to zero, and a distance between the second sidewall and the second side surface of the second well is equal to zero” in combination with the remaining claimed features.
Regarding claim 9, the prior art does not disclose “wherein the isolation structure has a first sidewall and a second sidewall opposite to the first sidewall, the first side surface of the first well is aligned with the first sidewall of the isolation structure in a longitudinal direction, and/or the second side surface of the second well is aligned with the second sidewall of the isolation structure in the longitudinal direction” in combination with the remaining claimed features.
Regarding claim 12, the prior art does not disclose “, wherein the isolation structure has a first sidewall and a second sidewall opposite to the first sidewall, a distance between the first sidewall and the first side surface of the first well is equal to a distance between the second sidewall and the second side surface of the second well” in combination with the remaining claimed features.
Regarding claim 17, Lin does not disclose “a doping region and another isolation structure in the third well, wherein the doping region and the source region are separated by the another isolation structure” 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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