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 (IDS) submitted on 6.21.2024 is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 9 and 13 are objected to because of the following informalities: “nitride germanide cap” should read –nitridized germanide cap--. 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.
Claims 1-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tung (US 20160104673 A1) in view of Kimura et al. (US 6025620 A).
Regarding claim 1, Tung discloses a device (Fig. 14), comprising:
a substrate (10) having a first device region (20, NMOS) and a second device region (18, PMOS);
a first source/drain feature (44/52/68) disposed over the first device region;
a second source/drain feature (38/50/68) disposed over the second device region;
a silicide layer (70/71, “a silicide layer 70 and/or a germanide layer 71”) over the first source/drain feature; and
a germanide layer (70/71) over the second source/drain feature (Fig. 14. Note: the precursor of silicide/germanide layers 70/71 includes Ti per [0032]).
Tung fails to disclose a nitridized germanide cap over the germanide layer.
Kimura discloses a nitridized silicide cap over a silicide layer (“As shown in FIG. 8d, a treatment of plasma nitriding is conducted, the second RTA is conducted for about 60 seconds under a nitrogen atmosphere and the temperature of 800.degree. C. or more to obtain silicide layers 28 and 29 having nitrogen in the upper layers thereof”. See also, Fig. 9. Note: Ti is a precursor of the silicides per “a refractory metal or a near-noble metal such as a Ti film 14a is formed by a sputtering method.” ).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to include the plasma nitriding of silicides of Kimura to the germanide layer of Tung and arrive at “a nitridized germanide cap over the germanide layer” as claimed because Ti is employed commonly as a precursor of silicides and germanides in Kimura and Tong and so as to “ a good electrical connection without the PN junction between the source/drain region 7 of the p-type impurities region and the bit wire contact” per Kimura and/or “obtain a semiconductor device having a better electrical property than when conductive materials of different conductive types are electrically connected interposing a silicide layer of only TiSi.sub.2 without the barrier layer against impurities” per Kimura.
Regarding claim 2, Tung/Kimura discloses the device of claim 1, wherein the first source/drain feature (44/52/68) comprises silicon and an n-type dopant ([0021], [0023]).
Regarding claim 3, Tung/Kimura discloses the device of claim 1, wherein the second source/drain feature (38/50/68) comprises silicon germanium and a p-type dopant ([0019], [0023]).
Regarding claim 4, Tung/Kimura discloses the device of claim 1, wherein the second source/drain feature (38/50/68) comprises:
a first silicon germanium region (38/50, [0019], [0023]) having a first germanium concentration; and
a second silicon germanium region (68, [0031]) over the first silicon germanium region and having a second germanium concentration,
wherein the second germanium concentration is greater than the first germanium concentration ([0019], [0031] – “38 composed of silicon germanium”, “68 may at least consist of silicon and germanium” and “68 has a germanium concentration in excess of 50 atomic % or even in excess of 90 atomic %”).
Regarding claim 5, Tung/Kimura discloses the device of claim 1, further comprising:
a first oxide layer (60) disposed (indirectly over) on the first source/drain feature (44/52/68); and
a second oxide layer (60) disposed (indirectly over) on the second source/drain feature (38/50/68),
wherein the silicide layer (70/71) extends (partly) through the first oxide layer to interface the first source/drain feature,
wherein the germanide layer (70/71) extends (partly) through the second oxide layer to interface the second source/drain feature (Fig. 14).
Regarding claim 6, Tung/Kimura discloses the device of claim 5, wherein the first oxide layer (60) and the second oxide layer (60) comprise (hafnium) silicon oxide ([0028]).
Regarding claim 7, Tung/Kimura discloses the device of claim 1, wherein the silicide layer and the germanide layer comprise Ti, Er, Y, Yb, Eu, Tb, Lu, Th, Sc, Hf, Zr, Tb, Ta, Ni, Co, Pt, W, or Ru ([0032] “cobalt (Co), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), or nickel platinum alloy (NiPt)”).
Regarding claims 8-9, Tung/Kimura fails to disclose (claim 8) the device of claim 1, wherein the germanide layer comprises a thickness between about 2 nm and about 5 nm and (claim 9) the device of claim 1, wherein the nitride germanide cap comprises a thickness between about 1 nm and about 3 nm.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to arrive at values within the claimed ranges in Tung/Kimura so as to minimize the size of the final device while maintaining the functions of the germanide and the nitride germanide cap layers and/or as a matter of routine experimentation (MPEP 2144.05).
Regarding claim 10, Tung discloses a device structure (Fig. 14), comprising:
a substrate (10) comprising an n-type device region (20) and a p-type device region (18);
an n-type source/drain feature (44/52/68) disposed over the n-type device region;
a p-type source/drain feature (38/50/68) disposed over the p-type device region;
a first oxide layer (60) on (indirectly over) the n-type source/drain feature;
a second oxide layer (60) on (indirectly over) the p-type source/drain feature;
a silicide layer (70/71) extending (partly) through the first oxide layer to interface the n-type source/drain feature;
a germanide layer (70/71) extending (partly) through the second oxide layer to interface the p-type source/drain feature (Fig. 14. Note: the precursor of silicide/germanide layers 70/71 includes Ti per [0032]).
Tung fails to disclose a nitridized germanide cap over the germanide layer.
Kimura discloses a nitridized silicide cap over a silicide layer (“As shown in FIG. 8d, a treatment of plasma nitriding is conducted, the second RTA is conducted for about 60 seconds under a nitrogen atmosphere and the temperature of 800.degree. C. or more to obtain silicide layers 28 and 29 having nitrogen in the upper layers thereof”. See also, Fig. 9. Note: Ti is a precursor of the silicides per “a refractory metal or a near-noble metal such as a Ti film 14a is formed by a sputtering method.” ).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to include the plasma nitriding of silicides of Kimura to the germanide layer of Tung and arrive at “a nitridized germanide cap over the germanide layer” as claimed because Ti is employed commonly as a precursor of silicides and germanides in Kimura and Tong and so as to “ a good electrical connection without the PN junction between the source/drain region 7 of the p-type impurities region and the bit wire contact” per Kimura and/or “obtain a semiconductor device having a better electrical property than when conductive materials of different conductive types are electrically connected interposing a silicide layer of only TiSi.sub.2 without the barrier layer against impurities” per Kimura.
Regarding claim 11, Tung/Kimura discloses the device of claim 10, wherein p-type source/drain feature (38/50/68) comprises:
a first silicon germanium region (38/50, [0019], [0023]) having a first germanium concentration; and
a second silicon germanium region (68, [0031]) over the first silicon germanium region and having a second germanium concentration,
wherein the second germanium concentration is greater than the first germanium concentration ([0019], [0031] – “38 composed of silicon germanium”, “68 may at least consist of silicon and germanium” and “68 has a germanium concentration in excess of 50 atomic % or even in excess of 90 atomic %”).
Regarding claim 12, Tung/Kimura discloses the device structure of claim 11, wherein the second germanium concentration is between about 10 % and about 100% ([0031] – “68 has a germanium concentration in excess of 50 atomic % or even in excess of 90 atomic %”).
Regarding claim 13, Tung/Kimura fails to disclose the device structure of claim 10, wherein the nitride germanide cap comprises a nitrogen concentration between about 15 % and about 40%.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to arrive at a value within the claimed range in Tung/Kimura so as to ensure the nitride germanide cap layer performs its intended functions without increasing contact resistance and/or as a matter of routine experimentation (MPEP 2144.05).
Regarding claim 14, Tung/Kimura discloses the device of claim 10, wherein the first oxide layer (60) and the second oxide layer (60) comprise (hafnium) silicon oxide ([0028]).
Regarding claim 15, Tung/Kimura discloses the device structure of claim 10, further comprising:
a first source/drain contact (72) over and interfacing the silicide layer (70/71); and
a second source/drain contact (72) over and interfacing the nitridized germanide cap (70/71 as modified by Kimura, Fig. 14).
Regarding claim 16, Tung/Kimura discloses the device of claim 10, wherein the silicide layer and the germanide layer comprise Ti, Er, Y, Yb, Eu, Tb, Lu, Th, Sc, Hf, Zr, Tb, Ta, Ni, Co, Pt, W, or Ru ([0032] “cobalt (Co), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), or nickel platinum alloy (NiPt)”).
Regarding claim 17, Tung discloses (Fig. 14) a device structure, comprising:
a substrate (10) comprising a first device region (20) and a second device region (18); a first active region (14) disposed over the first device region;
a second active region (12) disposed over the second active region;
a first gate structure (62) wrapping over the first active region (a finfet is disclosed); a second gate structure (62) wrapping over the second active region (a finfet is disclosed);
a first source/drain feature (44/52/68) adjacent the first gate structure and extending into the first active region;
a second source/drain feature (38/50/68) adjacent the second gate structure and extending into the second active region;
a first oxide layer (60) on (indirectly over) the first source/drain feature;
a second oxide layer (60) on (indirectly over) the second source/drain feature;
a silicide layer (70/71) extending (partially) through the first oxide layer to interface the first source/drain feature;
a germanide layer (70/71) extending (partially) through the second oxide layer to interface the second source/drain feature (Fig. 14. Note: the precursor of silicide/germanide layers 70/71 includes Ti per [0032]).
Tung fails to disclose a nitridized germanide cap over the germanide layer.
Kimura discloses a nitridized silicide cap over a silicide layer (“As shown in FIG. 8d, a treatment of plasma nitriding is conducted, the second RTA is conducted for about 60 seconds under a nitrogen atmosphere and the temperature of 800.degree. C. or more to obtain silicide layers 28 and 29 having nitrogen in the upper layers thereof”. See also, Fig. 9. Note: Ti is a precursor of the silicides per “a refractory metal or a near-noble metal such as a Ti film 14a is formed by a sputtering method.” ).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to include the plasma nitriding of silicides of Kimura to the germanide layer of Tung and arrive at “a nitridized germanide cap over the germanide layer” as claimed because Ti is employed commonly as a precursor of silicides and germanides in Kimura and Tong and so as to “ a good electrical connection without the PN junction between the source/drain region 7 of the p-type impurities region and the bit wire contact” per Kimura and/or “obtain a semiconductor device having a better electrical property than when conductive materials of different conductive types are electrically connected interposing a silicide layer of only TiSi.sub.2 without the barrier layer against impurities” per Kimura.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 18-20 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest (claim 18) an interfacial layer over the second active region; a gate dielectric layer over the interfacial layer; a capping layer over the gate dielectric layer; a p-type work function layer over the capping layer; a fill layer over the p-type work function layer; and a gate cap over the gate dielectric layer, the capping layer, the p-type work function layer, and the fill layer; claims 19-20 depend from claim 18.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 10504794 B1 to Lee et al. discloses silicide/germanide layers (155) over source/drain regions (121/122, Fig. 8)
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/Andres Munoz/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818
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