DETAILED ACTION
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
This Office Action is in response to the communications dated 09/17/2026.
Claims 16-33 are pending in this application.
Applicant made a provisional election without traverse to prosecute the
invention of Group I, comprising original claims 16-21, and new claims 22-33, is acknowledged.
Claims 1-15 have been cancelled.
Applicant has the right to file a divisional application covering the subject matter of the non-elected claims.
Acknowledges
2. Receipt is acknowledged of the following items from the Applicant.
Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) filed on 07/18/2024. The references cited on the PTOL 1449 form have been considered.
Applicant is requested to cite any relevant prior art if being aware on form PTO-1449 in accordance with the guidelines set for in M.P.E.P. 609.
Foreign Priority
3. Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been placed of record in the file.
Specification
4. The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
5. 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
6. Claims 22, 29, and 30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CHOI (US 2021/0134821)
Regarding claim 22, Choi discloses a memory device comprising:
a first conductive layer CP2 (above layer CP1, see Fig. 3A) including a side surface having a concave section (concave section formed by circle or ellipse sidewalls of through holes in which contact plugs, support pillars, etc. are located; see Fig. 3A, and para. [0046]: The gate contact plugs GCT, the first support pillars SP1, the second support pillars SP2 and the first contact plugs PCT1 may have various cross-sectional shapes such as a circle, an ellipse, a polygon and a square.);
a second conductive layer CP3/CPk/CPn disposed above the first conductive layer in a first direction (upward);
a first contact plug GCT contacting the concave section of the first conductive layer CP2 and extending in a second direction (downward) opposite to the first direction; and
a gap-fill insulating layer 68 extending from the first contact plug GCT in the first direction and penetrating the second conductive layer.
Regarding claim 29, Choi discloses the memory device according to claim 22, wherein the first contact plug fills the concave section of the first conductive layer. See Fig. 3A.
Regarding claim 30, Choi discloses the memory device according to claim 22, wherein the first contact plug does not protrude beyond the first conductive layer in a third direction non-parallel to the first direction. See Fig. 3A.
7. Claims 22, 29, and 32 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (US 2024/0170048)
Regarding claim 22, Kim discloses a memory device comprising:
a first conductive layer GSL (see Fig. 18) including a side surface having a concave section (cylindrical sidewalls of through holes penetrating through the conductive layers GSL/WLn, in which conductive pillar PL and/or contacts THCn are located; see Fig. 6, Fig. 14, Fig. 18, and paras. 0075-0077 );
a second conductive layer WL1 - WLn disposed above the first conductive layer GSL in a first direction HD1 (Fig. 18);
a first contact plug CHCS contacting the concave section of the first conductive layer GLS and extending in a second direction VD opposite to the first direction HD1; and
a gap-fill insulating layer IL2 & ISR extending from the first contact plug in the first direction and penetrating the second conductive layer WL1-WLn.
Regarding claim 29, Kim discloses the memory device according to claim 22, wherein the first contact plug fills the concave section of the first conductive layer. See Fig. 6, Fig. 18.
Regarding claim 32, Kim discloses the memory device according to claim 22, wherein a length of the second conductive layer in a third direction non-parallel to the first direction is longer than a length of the first conductive layer in the third direction. See fig. 18.
Allowable Subject Matter
8. Claims 23-28, 31, and 33 are allowable.
Claims 23-28, 31, and 33 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, since the prior art of record and considered pertinent to the applicant’s disclosure does not teach or suggest the claimed memory device (in addition to the other limitations in the claim) comprising:
Claims 23-28:
The memory device wherein the first contact plug comprises a first side surface having a convex shape and contacting the concave section, and a second side surface that is flat.
Claims 31, 33:
the memory device, further comprising:
wherein a height of the first contact plug in the second direction is shorter than a height of the second contact plug in the second direction.
Allowance / Reasons for Allowance
9. Claims 16-21 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reason for allowance:
None of the references of record teaches or suggests the claimed memory device (in combination set forth in the claim) comprising:
wherein a first conductive layer among the plurality of conductive layers contacts a first contact plug among the plurality of contact plugs, the first conductive layer is penetrated by a gap-fill insulating layer disposed in the first direction from a second contact plug among the plurality of contact plugs, and the second contact plug is shorter than the first contact plug in the first direction.
Conclusion
10. A shortened statutory period for response to this action is set to expire 3 (three) months and 0 (zero) day from the day of this letter. Failure to respond within the period for response will cause the application to become abandoned (see M.P.E.P 710.02(b)).
A shortened time for reply may be extended up to the maximum six-month period (35 U.S.C. 133). An extension of time fee is normally required to be paid if the reply period is extended. The amount of the fee is dependent upon the length of the extension. Extensions of time are generally not available after an application has been allowed.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Dao H. Nguyen whose telephone number is (571)272-1791. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steven Loke, can be reached on (571)272-1657. The fax numbers for all communication(s) is 571-273-8300.
Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application or proceeding should be directed to the receptionist whose telephone number is (571)272-1633.
/DAO H NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818 September 30, 2026
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