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 .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 1-15, 17-18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hattori et al. (US20220115239).
Regarding claim 1, Hattori discloses a semiconductor processing method (abstract) comprising: providing a catalyst precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber, wherein a substrate is disposed within the processing region, and wherein the substrate comprises a silicon-and-oxygen-containing material and one or more silicon-containing materials (alcohol reads on a catalyst, silicon oxide film reads on a silicon-and-oxygen-containing material, silicon nitride reads on a silicon-containing material, paragraphs 0030 and 0034; and Fig. 1); contacting the substrate with the catalyst precursor, wherein the contacting adsorbs the catalyst precursor on the silicon-and-oxygen-containing material and/or the one or more silicon-containing materials (paragraph 0035); providing an etchant precursor to the processing region (hydrogen fluoride reads on an etchant precursor, paragraphs 0030 and 0034); and contacting the substrate with the etchant precursor, wherein the contacting selectively removes the silicon-and-oxygen-containing material (paragraph 0066 and Fig. 2B).
Regarding claim 2, Hattori discloses wherein the catalyst precursor comprises an alcohol (paragraph 0030).
Regarding claim 3, Hattori discloses wherein the catalyst precursor is characterized by a vapor pressure of less than or about 100 Torr at a temperature between about 0° C. and about 30° C (isopropanol satisfies the vapor pressure characteristics, paragraphs 0030 and 0092).
Regarding claim 4, Hattori discloses wherein the catalyst precursor comprises isopropanol (paragraph 0092).
Regarding claim 5, Hattori discloses wherein the catalyst precursor is metal-free (formulae 1-2, paragraph 0030).
Regarding claim 6, Hattori discloses wherein the silicon-containing materials comprise silicon-and-nitrogen-containing material (silicon nitride, paragraph 0030).
Regarding claim 7, Hattori discloses wherein the substrate comprises a plurality of layers of the silicon-and-oxygen-containing material in alternation with a plurality of layers of the one or more silicon-containing materials (paragraph 0063 and Fig. 2A).
Regarding claim 8, Hattori discloses wherein the etchant precursor comprises a halogen-containing precursor (hydrogen fluoride, paragraph 0030).
Regarding claim 9, Hattori discloses wherein the etchant precursor comprises hydrogen fluoride (paragraph 0030).
Regarding claim 10, Hattori discloses removing the silicon-and-oxygen-containing material is solid byproduct-free (Formula 2, paragraph 0030).
Regarding claim 11, Hattori discloses wherein contacting the substrate with the etchant precursor removes the silicon-and-oxygen-containing material relative to the one or more silicon-containing materials at a selectivity of greater than or about 3:1 (paragraph 0069 and Fig. 2B).
Regarding claim 12, Hattori discloses repeatedly contacting the substrate with the catalyst precursor and the etchant precursor to remove the silicon-and-oxygen-containing material on a layer-by-layer basis (claim 4).
Regarding claim 13, Hattori discloses wherein a temperature within the processing region is maintained at less than 150° C (claim 1).
Regarding claim 14, Hattori discloses a semiconductor processing method (abstract) comprising: providing a catalyst precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber, wherein a substrate is disposed within the processing region, wherein the substrate comprises a plurality of layers of silicon-and-oxygen-containing material in alternation with a plurality of layers of one or more silicon-containing materials, and wherein the plurality of layers of silicon-and-oxygen-containing material and the plurality of layers of one or more silicon-containing materials define one or more features (alcohol reads on a catalyst, silicon oxide film reads on a silicon-and-oxygen-containing material, silicon nitride reads on a silicon-containing material, paragraphs 0030, 0034 and 0063; and Figs. 1 and 2A); contacting the substrate with the catalyst precursor, wherein the contacting adsorbs the catalyst precursor on the plurality of layers of silicon-and-oxygen-containing material and the plurality of layers of one or more silicon-containing materials (paragraphs 0035 and 0063); providing an etchant precursor to the processing region (hydrogen fluoride reads on an etchant precursor, paragraphs 0030 and 0034); and contacting the substrate with the etchant precursor, wherein the contacting selectively removes the plurality of layers of silicon-and-oxygen-containing material uniformly along a length of the one or more features (paragraph 0066 and Fig. 2B).
Regarding claim 15, Hattori discloses wherein the catalyst precursor is characterized by a vapor pressure of less than or about 100 Torr at a temperature between about 0° C. and about 30° C (isopropanol satisfies the vapor pressure characteristics, paragraphs 0030 and 0092).
Regarding claim 17, Hattori discloses wherein a temperature within the processing region is maintained at less than 100° C (claim 1).
Regarding claim 18, Hattori discloses a semiconductor processing method (abstract) comprising: providing a metal-free catalyst precursor comprising at least one hydrogen-containing functional group to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber, wherein a substrate is disposed within the processing region, wherein the substrate comprises a plurality of layers of silicon-and-oxygen-containing material in alternation with a plurality of layers of one or more silicon-containing materials, and wherein the plurality of layers of silicon-and-oxygen-containing material and the plurality of layers of one or more silicon-containing materials define one or more features (alcohol reads on metal-free catalyst precursor, silicon oxide film reads on a silicon-and-oxygen-containing material, silicon nitride reads on a silicon-containing material, paragraphs 0030, 0034 and 0063; and Figs. 1 and 2A); contacting the substrate with the metal-free catalyst precursor, wherein the contacting adsorbs the metal-free catalyst precursor on the plurality of layers of silicon-and-oxygen-containing material and the plurality of layers of one or more silicon-containing materials (paragraphs 0035 and 0063); halting a flow of the metal-free catalyst precursor (paragraph 0090); providing a halogen-containing precursor to the processing region (hydrogen fluoride reads on halogen-containing precursor, paragraphs 0030 and 0034); contacting the substrate with the halogen-containing precursor, wherein the contacting selectively removes the plurality of layers of silicon-and-oxygen-containing material uniformly along a length of the one or more features (paragraph 0066 and Fig. 2B); and repeatedly contacting the substrate with the metal-free catalyst precursor and the halogen-containing precursor for a number of cycles to remove the plurality of layers of silicon-and-oxygen-containing material on a layer-by-layer basis (claim 4).
Regarding claim 20, the limitation recited in the “wherein” clause in the method claim simply expresses the intended result of the recited process; therefore, it is not accorded patentability weight. See MPEP 2111.04.
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 of this title, 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Hattori et al. (US20220115239) as applied to claim 14 above.
Regarding claim 16, Hattori discloses wherein the thickness of each silicon oxide or silicon nitride film is from several nm to 100nm, and the number of the stacked films in film structure is in a range of several tens to several hundreds (paragraph 0065). Therefore, the depth range of the feature shown in Fig. 2A disclosed by Hattori overlaps with the range recited in the instant claim. In the case where the claimed ranges “overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art” a prima facie case of obviousness exists. In re Wertheim, 541 F.2d 257, 191 USPQ 90 (CCPA 1976); In re Woodruff, 919 F.2d 1575, 16 USPQ2d 1934 (Fed. Cir. 1990). MPEP 2144.05(I).
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Hattori et al. (US20220115239) as applied to claim 18 above.
Regarding claim 19, Hattori discloses wherein the thickness of each silicon oxide or silicon nitride film is from several nm to 100nm, the number of the stacked films in film structure is in a range of several tens to several hundreds, and a width of the opening 104 has a value in the rnage of several tens of nm to several hundreds of nm (paragraph 0065). Therefore, the aspect ratio range of the feature shown in Fig. 2A disclosed by Hattori overlaps with the range recited in the instant claim.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JIONG-PING LU whose telephone number is (571) 270-1135. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 9:00am – 5:00pm. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Joshua L Allen, can be reached at telephone number (571)270-3176. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JIONG-PING LU/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1713
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