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 § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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.
Claim(s) 1-7, 12-15, and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by WO ‘648 (WO 2023/114648).
Claim 1 – WO ‘648 teaches a method of forming a molybdenum silicide layer on a surface of a substrate (e.g. Page 2 Lines 29-37), the method comprising:
seating a substrate within a reaction chamber (Page 2 Lines 30-31);
depositing a molybdenum metal layer on a surface of the substrate (Page 2 Lines 35-36); and
contacting the molybdenum metal layer with a silicon-containing gas to convert at least a portion of the molybdenum metal layer to a molybdenum silicide layer (Page 2 Lines 36-37).
Claim 2 – WO ‘648 teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the step of depositing the molybdenum metal layer comprises a chemical vapor deposition process (Page 31 Lines 5-6; Page 33 Lines 9-20).
Claim 3 – WO ‘648 teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the step of depositing the molybdenum metal layer comprises a thermal cyclical deposition process (Page 31 Lines 5-6; Page 33 Lines 9-20, ALD).
Claim 4 – WO ‘648 teaches the method of claim 3, wherein the thermal cyclical deposition process comprises an atomic layer deposition process (Page 31 Lines 5-6; Page 33 Lines 9-20, ALD), each deposition cycle of the atomic layer deposition process comprising:
providing a molybdenum precursor to form an absorbed molybdenum species on the surface of substrate (Page 33 Lines 25-27); and
providing a reactant to react with the molybdenum species to form the molybdenum metal layer on the surface of the substrate (Page 33 Lines 25-27).
Claim 5 – WO ‘648 teaches the method of claim 4, wherein the molybdenum precursor comprises an oxygen-free molybdenum precursor (Page 86 Lines 36-37, e.g. bis(ethylbenzene)molybdenum).
Claim 6 – WO ‘648 teaches the method of claim 5, wherein the oxygen-free molybdenum precursor comprises a molybdenum atom and a bis(ethyl benzene) ligand (Page 86 Lines 36-37, e.g. bis(ethylbenzene)molybdenum).
Claim 7 – WO ‘648 teaches the method of claim 6, wherein the oxygen-free molybdenum precursor comprises Mo(EtBz)2 (Page 86 Lines 36-37, e.g. bis(ethylbenzene)molybdenum).
Claim 12 – WO ‘648 teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the step of depositing the molybdenum metal layer is performed at a substrate temperature between 1500C and 4000C (Page 110 Lines 9-28, 400 degrees C).
Claim 13 – WO ‘648 teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the silicon-containing gas has a general formula RaSiXb or RcXdSi-SiRcXd, where each X can be independently selected from H, a halogen, or other ligand, wherein each R can be a C1-C12 organic group, and where a is 0, 1, 2 or 3, b is 4-a, c is 0, 1 or 2, and d is 3-c (Page 110 Line 11, silane specifically; Page 37 Line 25 – Page 38 Line 10 for broad teaching of halogenated and alkylated monosilanes and disilanes).
Claim 14 – WO ‘648 teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the step of contacting the molybdenum metal layer with the silicon-containing gas is performed at a substrate temperature between 400oC and 700oC (Page 110 Lines 9-28, 400 degrees C).
Claim 15 – WO ‘648 teaches the method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of depositing an additional molybdenum metal layer on the molybdenum silicide layer (Page 110 Lines 9-28, 200 cycles where molybdenum is deposited after silane; each cycle after the first deposits molybdenum on a molybdenum silicide layer).
Claim 18 – WO ‘648 teaches the method semiconductor device structure formed according to the method of claim 1 (Page 110 Lines 9-28; Page 7 Lines 27-34).
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.
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(s) 8-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WO ‘648 as applied to claim 4 above, and further in view of WO ‘263 (WO 2024/081263).
Claim 8 – WO ‘648 teaches the method according to claim 4, but does not fairly teach or suggest wherein the reactant comprises a compound consisting of a halogen atom and a hydrocarbon group. WO ‘263 is drawn to formation of molybdenum silicide (PG 0129) by ALD methods (PG 0197) and disclose iodobenzene and 1-iodobutane as suitable reactants for forming a molybdenum metal film (PG 0264-0265). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made or filed to have modified the invention of WO ‘648 to use iodobenzene of 1-iodobutane as an ALD reactant for depositing molybdenum metal as disclosed in WO ‘263; selection of a material demonstrated to be suitable for a claimed purpose is held as prima facie obvious in the absence of critical or unexpected results derived from the selection
Claim 9 – WO ‘648 / WO ‘263 teaches the method of claim 8, wherein the halogen atom is iodine or bromine (WO ‘263 PG 0264, e.g. bromoiodomethane).
Claim 10 – WO ‘648 / WO ‘263 teaches the method of claim 9, wherein the reactant comprises iodobenzene or 1-iodobutane (WO ‘263 PG 0264, iodobenzene and 1-iodobutane expressly listed).
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WO ‘648 / WO ‘640 as applied to claim 9 above, and further in view of WO ‘640 (WO 2023114648).
Claim 11 – WO ‘648 / WO ‘263 teaches the method of claim 9, but does not fairly teach or suggest wherein the reactant comprises bromobenzene or 1-bromobutane. The cited references do not cite the claimed compounds. WO ‘640 is drawn to ALD deposition of e.g. molybdenum silicide (Page 5 Lines 29-31, Page 41 Lines 26-28) and discloses 1-halobutane and halobenzene broadly at Page 29 Lines 24 and 29 respectively, with specific recitations of 1-iodobutane and 1-bromobutane at Page 36 Line 10. Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made or filed to have modified the invention of WO ‘648 / WO ‘243 to use e.g. 1-bromobutane as suggested by WO ‘640; WO ‘243 discloses 1-iodobutane as a suitable reactant and WO ‘640 discloses 1-iodobutane and 1-bromobutane as known alternatives for each other.
Claim(s) 16-17 and 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WO ‘648 as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of US ‘623 (US PGPub 2009/0061623).
Claim 16 – WO ‘648 teaches the method according to claim 1, but does not fairly teach or suggest the method further comprising a step of cleaning the surface of the substrate prior to the step of depositing the molybdenum metal layer. US ‘623 discloses formation of molybdenum silicide over conductor layers at PG 0025 and discloses that it is known in the art to clean contact regions prior to deposition using fluorine-containing plasma and hydrogen-containing plasma (e.g. PG 0009-0010). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made or filed to have modified the invention of WO ‘648 to include the cleaning step suggested by US ‘623 to enhance the contact between the contact surface and the dielectric layer.
Claim 17 – WO ‘648 / US ‘632 teaches the method of claim 16, wherein the step of cleaning the surface of the substrate comprises contacting the surface of the substrate with a first activated species formed using a fluorine-containing gas and a second activated species formed using a hydrogen-containing or NH3-containing gas (US ‘623 PG 0009-0010, fluorine and hydrogen plasmas present; fluorine and hydrogen containing gases are necessarily present to provide said ions).
Claim 19 – WO ‘648 teaches a method of forming a molybdenum silicide layer on a surface of a substrate (e.g. Page 2 Lines 29-37), the method comprising:
seating a substrate within a reaction chamber (Page 2 Lines 30-31),
depositing a molybdenum metal layer on the substrate surface by a cyclical deposition process (Page 31 Lines 5-6; Page 33 Lines 9-20, ALD) comprising:
heating the substrate to a substrate temperature between 150oC and 400oC (Page 110 Lines 9-28, 400 degrees C);
providing an oxygen-free molybdenum precursor to the reaction chamber (Page 86 Lines 36-37, e.g. bis(ethylbenzene)molybdenum);
providing a reactant to the reaction chamber (Page 33 Lines 25-27);
contacting the molybdenum metal layer with a silicon-containing gas thereby converting at least a portion of the molybdenum metal layer to a molybdenum silicide layer (Page 2 Lines 36-37); and
depositing an additional molybdenum metal layer directly on the molybdenum silicide layer (Page 110 Lines 9-28, 200 cycles where molybdenum is deposited after silane; each cycle after the first deposits molybdenum on a molybdenum silicide layer).
WO ‘648 does not expressly teach or suggest the following limitations of Claim 19:
Wherein the substrate includes a contact region of a semiconductor device structure.
Wherein the method includes cleaning a surface of the contact region using a first activated species formed using a fluorine-containing gas and a second activated species formed using a hydrogen-containing or NH3-containing gas to form a cleaned contact surface.
Wherein the molybdenum silicide is formed on the cleaned contact surface.
US ‘623 discloses formation of molybdenum silicide over conductor layers at PG 0025 and discloses that it is known in the art to clean contact regions prior to deposition using fluorine-containing plasma and hydrogen-containing plasma (e.g. PG 0009-0010). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made or filed to have modified the invention of WO ‘648 to use the semiconductor substrates of US ‘623 and to include the cleaning step suggested by US ‘623 to enhance the contact between the contact surface and the dielectric layer, as both references want to deposit molybdenum silicide on semiconductor substrates and US ‘623 teaches specific semiconductor structures and methods which are applicable to the methods of WO ‘648.
Claim 20 – WO ‘648 / US ‘623 teaches the method of claim 19, wherein the step of contacting the molybdenum metal layer with the silicon-containing gas is performed at a substrate temperature between 400oC and 700oC (Page 110 Lines 9-28, 400 degrees C).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL G MILLER whose telephone number is (571)270-1861. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00-5:30 EST.
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/MICHAEL G MILLER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1712
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