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
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 16, 17, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Liao et al (U.S. Pub #2018/0033626).
With respect to claim 16, Liao teaches a semiconductor structure, comprising:
a first fin and a second fin (Fig. 14A, fins 132) on a semiconductor substrate (Fig. 14A, 20);
an epitaxial structure (Fig. 14A, 72 and Paragraph 39) on the first fin and the second fin;
first spacers (Fig. 14A, outer portions of 36, 50, and/or 68) on opposite sides of the epitaxial structure; and
a second spacer under the epitaxial structure and between the first fin and the second fin, wherein the second spacer comprises a first spacer layer (Fig. 14, residual portion of layer 36 between the fins 132) and a second spacer layer (Fig. 14A, residual portions of 50) over the first spacer layer,
wherein the first spacer layer has a first horizontal portion (Fig. 14A, portion 36 along bottom surface of trench between fins 132) and first vertical portions connecting the first horizontal portion, and
the second spacer layer (Fig. 14A, residual portions of 50) exposes a portion of the first horizontal portion of the first spacer layer (Fig. 14A, portion of 36 is exposed due to the formation of void 74).
With respect to claim 17, Liao teaches that a bottom surface of the epitaxial structure is separated from the second spacer by a void (Fig. 14A, 74).
With respect to claim 20, Liao teaches the second spacer layer has a non-uniform lateral width.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-15 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: the best prior art of record does not teach or fairly suggest, along with the other limitations
in claim 1:
wherein the second spacer comprises a first spacer layer and a second spacer layer over the first spacer layer, wherein a void is enclosed by a bottom surface of the epitaxial structure, top surfaces of the first spacer layer and the second spacer layer and a U-shape profile of the second spacer layer.
in claim 8:
wherein a bottommost surface of the second spacer layer is higher than a bottommost surface of the first spacer layer, and a bottommost surface of the fourth spacer layer is substantially level with a bottommost surface of the third spacer layer.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Claims 18-19 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BENJAMIN P SANDVIK whose telephone number is (571)272-8446. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 10-6.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Davienne Monbleau can be reached at (571)-272-1945. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BENJAMIN P SANDVIK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812
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