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 § 103
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 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.
Claims 2-4, and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yu (US 2018/0096898) in view of Yu’869 (US 2018/0005869).
Regarding claim 2, Yu discloses a method comprising: forming a first protruding fin (Fig. 2A, numeral 214b) and a second protruding fin (214b) over a base structure of a wafer (202), wherein a trench is located between the first protruding fin (214b) and the second protruding fin; (214b) depositing a trench-filling material (Fig.2B, numeral 210) comprising a portion in the trench; performing a local heating process on the trench-filling material ([0025]), wherein during the local heating process, the wafer is heated area-by- area, and the trench-filing material is molten ([0027]); and after the local heating process, allowing the trench-filling material to solidify (Fig.2D, numeral 208).
Yu does not disclose adjusting a temperature of the base structure using a temperature-adjusting unit, wherein temperatures of an entirety of the wafer are adjusted by the temperature-adjusting unit and the local heating is performed after the adjusting the temperature is started.
Yu’869 however discloses adjusting a temperature of the base structure ([0031]) using a temperature-adjusting unit, wherein temperatures of an entirety of the wafer are adjusted by the temperature-adjusting unit ([0031]) and the local heating is performed after the adjusting the temperature is started (Fig., numeral 502).
It would have been therefore obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify Yu with Yu’869 to perform adjusting a temperature of the base structure using a temperature-adjusting unit, wherein temperatures of an entirety of the wafer are adjusted by the temperature-adjusting unit and the local heating is performed after the adjusting the temperature is started for the purpose of obtaining a dense oxide material (Yu’869, [0031]).
Regarding claim 3, Yu discloses wherein the local heating process comprises a laser heating process (Fig.2C, numeral 218; [0025]).
Regarding claim 4, Yu discloses wherein before the local heating process is started, a void exists (Fig.2Cm numeral 212a) in the trench-filling material (210), and the local heating process results in the void to be reduced in size ([0026]).
Regarding claim 11, Yu’869 discloses wherein the adjusting the temperature of the base structure comprises heating ([0031]).
Claim(s) 2, 3, 5-12, 18 and 20-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Krishnan (US 2017/033178) in view of Sato (US 2008/0090388).
Regarding claim 2, Krishan discloses a method comprising: forming a first protruding fin (Fig.1, numeral 32) and a second protruding fin (Fig.1, numeral 32)over a base structure (30) of a wafer, wherein a trench is located between the first protruding fin and the second protruding fin; depositing a trench-filling material (Fig.4, numeral 40) comprising a portion in the trench; performing a local heating process on the trench-filling material (Fig.5, numeral 44; [0024]), wherein during the local heating process, the wafer is heated area-by- area, and the trench-filing material is molten; and after the local heating process, allowing the trench-filling material to solidify ([0025]; [0028]).
Krishan does not disclose adjusting a temperature of the base structure using a temperature-adjusting unit, wherein temperatures of an entirety of the wafer are adjusted by the temperature-adjusting unit; and the local heating is performed after the adjusting the temperature is started.
Sato however discloses adjusting the temperature of the base structure using a temperature-adjusting unit, wherein temperatures of an entirety of the wafer are adjusted by the temperature-adjusting unit ([0050]).
It would have been therefore obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify Krishan with Sato to perform adjusting a temperature of the base structure using a temperature-adjusting unit, wherein temperatures of an entirety of the wafer are adjusted by the temperature-adjusting unit; and the local heating is performed after the adjusting the temperature is started for the purpose of effective controlling the temperature of the wafer (Sato, [0050]).
Regarding claim 3, Krishnan discloses wherein the local heating process comprises a laser heating process ([0024]).
Regarding claim 5, Krishnan discloses wherein during the local heating process, a part of the trench-filling material is molten, and the part is partially molten and comprising solid mixed with liquid ([0023]).
Regarding claim 7, Krishnan discloses wherein before the local heating process is started, a void exists in the trench-filling material (Fig. 4, numeral 42), and the local heating process results in the void to be reduced in size ([0021]).
Regarding claim 8, Krishnan discloses wherein the void still exists at a time after the temperature of the base structure is adjusted by the temperature-adjusting unit (Fig.4, numeral 42).
Regarding claim 9, Krishnan discloses wherein the first protruding fin (32), and the second protruding fin (32) are formed of crystal silicon ([0016]), and the trench-filling material (40) comprises amorphous silicon ([0018]).
Regarding claim 10, Krishnan discloses wherein the first protruding fin and the second protruding fin are formed of crystal silicon ([0016]).
Krishnan does not disclose that the trench-filling material comprises germanium.
Krishan however discloses that the material (40) can include other materials ([0018]).
It would have been therefore obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have the trench filling material comprising germanium because this material is commonly used for fabrication gate stacks.
Regarding claim 11, Sato discloses wherein the adjusting the temperature of the base structure comprises heating ([0050]).
Regarding claim 12, Sato discloses wherein the adjusting the temperature of the base structure comprises cooling ([0050]).
Regarding claim 18, Krishnan discloses a method comprising: depositing a filling material (Fig.4, numeral 40) on a protruding structure (30) and a base layer (30), wherein the protruding structure protrudes higher than the base layer (Fig. 4);, and during the adjusting the temperature, an entirety of the filling material (40) is solid([0021]); at a time after the temperature of the base layer and the protruding structure are adjusted, reflowing the filling material by projecting a radiation on the filling material, wherein during the reflowing, a part of the filling material under a void in the filling material is reflowed; and allowing the filling material to solidify ([0021]).
Krishan does not disclose adjusting a temperature of the base layer and the protruding structure using a temperature-adjusting unit, wherein the temperature-adjusting unit is located under the base layer.
Krishan however discloses keeping the temperature of the base layer below temperature melting point of the filling material ([0222]). And Sato discloses adjusting a temperature of the base layer and the protruding structure using a temperature-adjusting unit, wherein the temperature-adjusting unit is located under the base layer ([0050]).
It would have been therefore obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify Krishan with Sato to perform adjusting a temperature of the base layer and the protruding structure using a temperature-adjusting unit, wherein the temperature-adjusting unit is located under the base layer for the purpose of effective controlling the temperature of the wafer (Sato, [0050]).
Regarding claim 20, Krishan discloses wherein the reflowing the filling material comprises projecting laser on the filling material (Fig.5, numeral 44; [0024]).
Regarding claim 21, Krishnan in view of Sato discloses wherein the adjusting the temperature of the base layer comprises cooling the base layer (Sato, [0050]).
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Krishnan in view of Sato as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of Yu.
Regarding claim 6, Krishnan discloses patterning the trench-filling material, wherein a remaining portion of the trench-filling material forms a part of a gate stack ([0018]);
Krishnan does not disclose forming a source/drain region aside of the gate stack.
Yu however discloses forming a source/drain region aside of the gate stack ([0061]).
It would have been therefore obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify Krishnan with Yu to form a source/drain region aside of the gate stack for the purpose of forming FET structures.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 and 19 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.
Claims 13-17 are allowed.
The search of the prior art does not disclose or reasonably suggest wherein during the local heating process, a top part of the trench-filling material is molten, and a bottom part of the trench-filling material remains as solid as required by claim 4.
The search of the prior art does not disclose or reasonably suggest wherein a bottom portion of the filling material remains as solid when the upper portion is molten s required by claim 13.
The search of the prior art does not disclose or reasonably suggest wherein at the time the part of the filling material is reflowed, a bottom part of the filling material is solid as required by claim 19.
Conclusion
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/JULIA SLUTSKER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2891
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