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 Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 10 and 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 10 recites the limitation "the precursor" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
For the purposes of compact prosecution, the Examiner has interpreted claim 10 to mean:
10. The method of claim 2, wherein [[the]] a precursor is used to form the silicon oxide insulating layer, wherein the precursor is selected from the group consisting of SiH4, Diisoprophylamino Silane (DIPAS), Bis-Diethylamino Silane (BDEAS), Tris(dimethylamino)silane (TDMAS), Bis(t-butylamino)silane (BTBAS), and a combination thereof.
Claim 13 recites “wherein the silicon oxide insulating layer includes a first region and a second region in which the silicon oxide insulating layer is selectively formed such that, in the second region, the silicon oxide insulating layer is formed, and in the first region, no silicon oxide insulating layer is formed” in lines 5-9 (emphases added).
The highlighted text above includes two requirements of the claimed first region which contradict each other. The first requirement is that the silicon oxide insulating layer includes a first region, and the second requirement is that no silicon oxide insulating layer is formed in the first region. As understood by the Examiner, if the silicon oxide insulating layer includes a first region, then the silicon oxide insulating layer must be formed in the first region. Alternatively, if a silicon oxide insulating layer is not formed in a first region, then the silicon oxide insulating layer must not include the first region. Therefore, the scope of claim 13 as currently presented is indefinite.
For the purposes of compact prosecution, the Examiner has interpreted claim 13 to mean:
13. A semiconductor device comprising:
a substrate including two or more different types of dielectric layer regions; and
a silicon oxide insulating layer formed on the substrate,
wherein
wherein a thickness difference between the silicon oxide insulating layer formed on the first region and the second region is 0.8 nm or more.
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.
Claims 1-4 and 6-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Saly et al. (PG Pub. No. US 2020/0234950 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Saly teaches a method for forming an insulating layer pattern, comprising:
providing a substrate (fig. 1: composite substrate including elements 10, 20, and 30) comprising two or more different types of dielectric layer regions (¶¶ 0021-0022: 20, 30); and
selectively forming a blocking layer (¶ 0027: 23) on the substrate to include a first region where the blocking layer is formed and a second region where no blocking layer is formed or the blocking layer is formed less than in the first region (fig. 1: 23 selectively formed on region 20 and not on region 30),
wherein a difference in water contact angle between the first region and the second region is within a range of 7 to 50 degrees (fig. 2: in at least one embodiment, difference in water contact angle between regions 20 and 30 is about 20 degrees).
Regarding claim 2, Saly teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising:
forming a silicon oxide insulating layer (¶ 0022: 30 comprises silicon oxide) on the second region (fig. 1: 30 formed in second region of 10).
Regarding claim 3, Saly teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising:
pre-treating the substrate (¶ 0013: 10 subjected to at least one pre-treatment process) before selectively forming the blocking layer (fig. 1: pre-treatment performed on 10 before selectively forming 23).
Regarding claim 4, Saly teaches the method of claim 3, wherein the difference in water contact angle between the first region and the second region is within a range of 22 to 40 degrees after the step of pre-treating the substrate (¶ 0035 & fig. 2).
Regarding claim 6, Saly teaches the method of claim 3, wherein the step of pre-treating the substrate comprises thermal annealing or plasma treating of the substrate in a gas atmosphere of N2, H2, ammonia, hydrazine, or a mixture thereof (¶ 0018).
Regarding claim 7, Saly teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the surfaces of the dielectric layer of the substrate include an amine-terminated silicon region and a hydroxy-terminated silicon region (¶¶ 0020, 0022).
Regarding claim 8, Saly teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the dielectric layer of the substrate includes a silicon nitride layer region and silicon oxide layer region (¶¶ 0018, 0022: nitrogen-terminated silicon, silicon oxide).
Regarding claim 9, Saly teaches the method of claim 2, wherein the step of forming a silicon oxide insulating layer is performed by using sputtering, Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), or Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) (¶ 0019).
Claims 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gasvoda et al. ("Selective Gas-Phase Functionalization of SiO2 and SiNx Surfaces with Hydrocarbons," Langmuir, March 17, 2021, 37(13), 3960-69).
Regarding claim 11, Gasvoda teaches a precursor (table 2: TMH) used to selectively form a blocking layer on a substrate with two or more different types of dielectric layer regions (p. 3965, col. 1, line 47 through p. 3965, col. 2 line 3 & fig. 4b), wherein the precursor is represented by the chemical formula 1 or chemical formula 2:
PNG
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404
550
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Greyscale
wherein, in Formula 1,
R is a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C30 alkyl group (table 2, row 1), a substituted or unsubstituted C2-C30 alkenyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C30 alkoxy group, a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C30 sulfide group, a substituted or unsubstituted C6-C50 aryl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C7-C50 aralkyl group, or a substituted or unsubstituted C2-C50 heteroaryl group, wherein, when the alkyl group contains 10 or more carbon atoms, one or more hydrogens of the alkyl group are substituted with halogen, and
L is a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C30 alkylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted C2-C30 alkenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C30 alkyleneoxy group, or a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C30 sulfide group, a substituted or unsubstituted C3-C50 cycloalkylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted C6-C50 arylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted C2-C50 heteroarylene group, or a combination thereof (Examiner’s note: not given patentable weight, as L is included in formula 2 which is an optional feature).
Regarding claim 12, Gasvoda teaches precursor of claim 11, wherein the substituent is at least one selected from the group consisting of deuterium, halogen, amino group, cyano group, nitrile group, nitro group, nitroso group, sulfamoyl group, isothiocyanate group, thiocyanate group, carboxyl group, C1-C30 alkyl group (Table 2, row 1), C1-C30 alkylsulfinyl group, C1-C30 alkylsulfonyl group, C1-C30 alkylsulfanyl group, C1-C12 fluoroalkyl group, C2-C30 alkenyl group, C1-C30 alkoxy group, C1-C12 N-alkylamino group, C2-C20 N,N-dialkylamino group, substituted or unsubstituted C1-C30 sulfide group, C1-C6 N-alkylsulfamoyl group, C2-C12 N,N-dialkylsulfamoyl group, C3-C30 silyl group, C3-C20 cycloalkyl group, C3-C20 heterocycloalkyl group, C6-C50 aryl group, and C2-C50 heteroaryl group.
Claims 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (PG Pub. No. US 2022/0235461 A1).
Regarding claim 13, Kim teaches a semiconductor device comprising:
a substrate (¶ 0059) including two or more different types of dielectric layer regions (200, 300); and
a silicon oxide insulating layer (¶ 0065: 250) formed on the substrate (fig. 1D: 250 formed on at least one substrate region),
wherein
Regarding claim 14, Kim teaches the semiconductor device of claim 13, wherein the thickness difference between the silicon oxide insulating layer formed on the first region and the second region is 2.2 nm or more (fig. 9: in at least one embodiment, difference in thickness of 250 between SIO2 region 200 and Si3N4 region 300 is 2.6nm).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Saly as applied to claim 3 above, and further in view of Suzuki et al. (PG Pub. No. US 2008/0026251 A1).
Regarding claim 5, Saly teaches the method of claim 3, wherein the step of pre-treating the substrate comprises dipping in an HF solution or thermal annealing in a gas atmosphere (¶ 0018).
Saly fails to teach the gas atmosphere comprises HF.
Suzuki teaches a method including step of pre-treating a substrate including performing thermal annealing in a HF gas atmosphere (¶¶ 0065-0066: Hf-containing gas supplied to heated substrate chamber).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to configure the thermal annealing of Saly with the HF atmosphere of Suzuki, as a means to provide an insulating film with a good thickness uniformity as well as a good film composition uniformity (Suzuki, ¶ 0008).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Saly as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of Gu et al. (PG Pub. No. US 2016/0005598 A1).
Regarding claim 10, Saly teaches the method of claim 2, including forming a silicon oxide insulating layer (¶0022).
Saly fails to teach wherein the precursor used to form the silicon oxide insulating layer is selected from the group consisting of SiH4, Diisoprophylamino Silane (DIPAS), Bis-Diethylamino Silane (BDEAS), Tris(dimethylamino)silane (TDMAS), Bis(t-butylamino)silane (BTBAS), and a combination thereof.
Gu teaches a method of forming a silicon oxide insulating layer with SiH4 precursor (¶ 0042).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to configure the silicon oxide formation of Saly with the precursor of Gu, as a means to provide the silicon oxide with an inhibiting property (Gu, ¶ 0042).
Conclusion
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/BRIAN TURNER/Examiner, Art Unit 2818
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