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 Objections
Claims 1-3, 7-8, 10, 13-14, and 17 are objected to because of the following informalities: the limitations “semiconductor material, “material in a trench” (lines 2-3) and “conductive material” in line 5 have unclear antecedent basis and should be replaced with a semiconductor material, a material in a trench, and a conductive material.
Claim 2 is objected to because of the following informalities: the limitation “insulative material” in line 1 has unclear antecedent basis and should be replaced with an insulative material.
Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities: the limitation “insulative material” in line 2 has unclear antecedent basis and should be replaced with an insulative material.
Claim 7 is objected to because of the following informalities: material in a trench lacks antecedent basis and should be a material in a trench. The limitation “insulative material” in line 5 has unclear antecedent basis and should be replaced with an insulative material.
Claim 8 is objected to because of the following informalities: the limitation “insulative material” has unclear antecedent basis and should be the insulative material.
Claim 10 is objected to because of the following informalities: the limitation “conductive material” lacks antecedent basis and should be replaced with a conductive material.
Claim 13 is objected to because of the following informalities: the limitations “semiconductor material”, “material in a trench” (lines 2-3), “insulative material” (line 4), “conductive material” (line 5)
lack antecedent basis, and should be replaced with a semiconductor material, a material in a trench, an insulative material, and a conductive material, respectively.
Regarding claim 14, the limitation “insulative material” has unclear antecedent basis, and should be replaced with the insulative material.
Regarding claim 17, the limitation “in additional” in line 2 appears to be a typographical error.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
The application discloses (Fig. 11, par. [0043]) the first material configured as a liner. The application discloses (Fig. 13, par [0054]-[0056]) forming conductive material over the liner to become conductive lines [80] becoming wordlines (par. [0056]). The application, however, is silent about conductive material comprising a portion of the liner.
The application fails to disclose a liner with conductive and insulating material portions, the specification does not disclose conductive portion being a liner. Thus, it does not disclose a second liner having conductive and insulative portions
Therefore, claims 1-17 contain new matter (“conductive material comprising a portion of the liner”, claims 1 and 13, last line). The specification does not disclose conductive material being a portion of the liner.
Claims 2-6, 8-12, and 14-17 are rejected as claims dependent from claims 1, 7, and 13 and containing all of their limitations.
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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 1-7 and 13-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tang et. al., U.S. Pat. Pub. 2006/0043450, hereafter Tang.
Regarding claim 1, Tang discloses (Figs 10,11) an integrated assembly, comprising: a liner [30],[60] between a sidewall surface of a pillar [77],[65] of semiconductor material and a material [40], [45] in a trench [12];
the pillar having an upper segment [77] comprising an upper source/drain region [103] over a lower segment [65] comprising a lower source/drain region; and
a conductive material [60] comprising a portion of the liner [60],[30].
Regarding claim 2, Tang further discloses (Figs 10,11) further comprising an insulative material [30] comprising a portion of the liner below the conductive material [60].
Regarding claim 3, Tang further discloses (Fig. 10,11, see annotated Fig. 10C below and Fig. 2B for the label [45]) wherein the material [40],[45] in the trench [12] comprises an insulative material [45].
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Regarding Claim 4, Tang further discloses (Fig. 10C, see annotated Fig. 10C above) further comprising a channel region (a portion of the pillar [77] next to the world line [95], see annotated Fig. 10C above) between the upper segment and the lower segment of the pillar [77].
Regarding claim 5, Tang further discloses (Figs 10,11) wherein the conductive material [60] terminates before reaching a bottom portion of the liner [60],[30].
Regarding claim 6, Tang discloses (Figs 10,11, the rejection of claim 1 is repeated with a different match [40] for the material in the trench) an integrated assembly, comprising: a liner [30],[60] between a sidewall surface of a pillar [77],[65] of semiconductor material and a material [40] in a trench [12];
the pillar having an upper segment [77] comprising an upper source/drain region [103] over a lower segment [65] comprising a lower source/drain region; and
a conductive material [60] comprising a portion of the liner [60],[30],
wherein the conductive material [60] extends over an upper portion of the material [40] in the trench [12].
Regarding Claim 7, Tang discloses (Figs 10a-10c,11) an integrated assembly, comprising: a first liner [60] between a sidewall surface of a pillar [77], [65] of a semiconductor material and a second liner [30]; the second liner [30] between the first liner [60] and a material (the region above [40] in Fig. 10C is isolation, and [60] is between that region and the pillar [65]) in a trench [12]; the pillar [77],[65] having a middle segment (next to the word line [95] in Fig. 11, see annotated Fig. 10C) comprising a channel region (par. [0071]); and
a bottom portion [30] of the second liner [30] comprising an insulative material (par. [0050]).
Regarding claim 13, Tang discloses (Figs 10A-C, 11, see annotated Fig. 10C above) an integrated assembly, comprising: a liner [30], [60] between a sidewall surface of a pillar [77],[65] of a semiconductor material and a material [40],[45] in a trench;
the semiconductor material [77], [65] comprising a channel region (see annotated Fig. 10C above);
an insulative material [45] comprising the material in the trench [12] (see Fig.2 for labels and annotated Fig. 10C above); and
a conductive material [60] comprising a portion of the liner [60],[30].
Regarding claim 14, Tang further discloses (see annotated Fig. 10C above) wherein the liner [60], [30] comprises an insulative material [30] below the conductive material [60].
Regarding claim 15, Tang further discloses (Figs 10, 11, see annotated Fig. 10C above)
wherein the conductive material [60] of the liner [60], [30] is against an upper portion of the insulative material [45] in the trench [12].
Regarding claim 16, Tang further discloses (see annotated Fig. 10C above) wherein the pillar comprises a source/drain region directly over the channel region.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VICTOR V BARZYKIN whose telephone number is (571)272-0508. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, BRITT HANLEY can be reached at (571)270-3042. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/VICTOR V BARZYKIN/Examiner, Art Unit 2893
/Britt Hanley/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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