DETAILED ACTION
Notice of 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 .
Election
Applicant’s election of claims #9-17 in the reply filed on July 6, 2026 is acknowledged. Because the Applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.03(a)).
IDS
The IDS document(s) filed on June 11, 2024 and October 17, 2025 and December 3, 2025 and March 4, 2026 have been considered. Copies of the PTO-1449 documents are herewith enclosed with this office action.
Specifications
The title is objected to because a more descriptive title is requested.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description: reference number 14 in FIG. 1 and other drawings. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections – 35 U.S.C. § 112(b)
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.
Claims 9-13 are 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.
As to claim 9, it is unclear how “a first metal interconnection on the IMD layer to electrically connect the FeFET and a source/drain region adjacent to the MOS transistor; and a ferroelectric random access memory (FeRAM) on and directly contacting the first metal interconnection, wherein the FeRAM comprises a second FE layer, a thickness of the second FE layer is greater than twice the thickness of the first FE layer, and a width of the FeRAM is less than a width of the first metal interconnection” (emphasis added).
In FIG. 3, a first metal interconnection is necessarily 72 because FeRAM 74 is required to directly contact it. However, a width of the FeRAM at its bottom surface is the same width as that of the first metal interconnection at its top surface, i.e. at the point of contact between the two structures.
In FIG. 6, a first metal interconnection is necessarily 138 because FeRAM 160 is required to directly contact it. However, a width of the FeRAM at its bottom surface is the same width as that of the first metal interconnection at its top surface, i.e. at the point of contact between the two structures. Additionally, the first metal interconnection does not electrically connect the FeFET 132 and a source/drain region 114 adjacent to the MOS transistor 108.
Indication of Allowable Subject Matter
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: claims 14-17 are indicated as being allowable because prior art fails to teach “wherein the FeRAM and the FeFET are on a same level, a bottom surface of the gate structure is even with a bottom surface of the FeRAM, and top surfaces of the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer are coplanar” as recited in claim 14.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SUBERR CHI whose telephone number is (571)270-3955. The examiner can normally be reached 10am to 6pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sue Purvis can be reached on (571) 272-1236. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/SUBERR L CHI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893
Prosecution Insights