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 .
This is a Non-Final office action based on application 18/796,804 filed August 7, 2024. Claims 1-20 are currently pending and have been considered below.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Korea on August 7, 2023. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the KR10-2023-013154 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
Claim(s) 1-5, 10-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shin (Pre-Grant Publication 2023/0130702).
Regarding claim 1, Shin disclose an interconnect structure comprising:
a substrate (Fig, 11a, 120);
a metal layer (340; Paragraph [0062 & 0140]) on the substrate; and
a passivation layer (350/355) comprising a topological compound and in contact with the metal layer.
Regarding claim 2, Shin further discloses:
the passivation layer is disposed on an upper surface, a bottom surface, or both of the metal layer (Fig. 11a).
Regarding claim 3, Shin further discloses:
the metal layer comprises a metal, a metal alloy, or a combination thereof (Paragraph [0062])
Regarding claim 4, Shin further discloses:
the metal comprises a transition metal, a Group 13 metal, or a combination thereof (Paragraph [0062]).
Regarding claim 5, Shin further discloses:
the metal layer comprises a metal selected from copper (Cu), ruthenium (Ru), aluminum (Al), cobalt (Co), tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo), titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta), nickel (Ni), platinum (Pt), chromium (Cr), rhodium (Rh), iridium (Ir), palladium (Pd), or osmium (Os), an alloy thereof, or a combination thereof (Paragraph [0062]).
Regarding claim 10, Shin further discloses:
a barrier layer (330) between the substrate and the metal layer or between the substrate and the passivation layer.
Regarding claim 11, Shin further discloses:
the substrate comprises a dielectric layer (Paragraph [0055]) defining a trench (120a) structure therein, the metal layer (340) fills an inside of the trench structure, and the passivation layer (350) is located on an upper surface of the metal layer.
Regarding claim 12, Shin further discloses:
the substrate comprises a dielectric layer (Paragraph [0055) defining a trench (120a) structure therein, the metal layer (340) fills an inside of the trench structure, and the passivation layer (355) is located on a lower surface and side surfaces of the metal layer.
Regarding claim 13, Shin further discloses:
the substrate comprises a dielectric layer (Paragraph [0055) defining a trench (120a) structure therein, the metal layer (340) fills an inside of the trench structure, and the passivation layer (350 & 355) surrounds entire surfaces of the metal layer.
Regarding claim 14, Shin further discloses:
a barrier layer (330) on at least one inner surface of the trench structure.
Regarding claim 15, Shin further discloses:
the barrier layer comprises a metal, a metal alloy, metal oxide, metal nitride, or a combination thereof (Paragraph [0137]).
Regarding claim 16, Shin further discloses:
the metal of the barrier layer is selected from magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), scandium (Sc), titanium (Ti), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn), gallium (Ga), zirconium (Zr), niobium (Nb), molybdenum (Mo), lead (Pd), silver (Ag), cadmium (Cd), indium (In), tin (Sn), lanthanum (La), hafnium (Hf), tantalum (Ta), tungsten (W), iridium (Ir), platinum (Pt), gold (Au), bismuth (Bi), cobalt (Co), ruthenium (Ru), or a combination thereof (Paragraph [0137]).
Regarding claim 17, Shin further discloses:
the metal oxide of the barrier layer is a compound represented by Chemical Formula 2: [Chemical Formula 2]
MxOy,
wherein, in Chemical Formula 2, M is one or more selected from Mn, Al, Ti, Zr, Hf, Mg, silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), yttrium (Y), lutetium (Lu), La, Ta, and strontium (Sr), 0 < x ≤ 2, and 0 < y ≤ 3 (Paragraph [0137]).
Regarding claim 18, Shin further discloses:
the metal nitride of the barrier layer comprises tantalum nitride (TaN), titanium nitride (TiN), ruthenium nitride (RuN), tungsten nitride (WN), aluminum nitride (AlN), iridium tantalum nitride (IrTaN), titanium silicon nitride (TiSiN), or a combination thereof (Paragraph [0137])
Regarding claim 19 & 20, Shin further discloses:
An electronic device (Fig. 16b, 805) comprising the interconnect structure (300) of claim 1 wherein the electronic device comprises a transistor, a capacitor, a diode, or a resistor (Paragraph [0167]).
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.
Claim(s) 6, 8-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shin (Pre-Grant Publication 2023/0130702) in view of Chen (US Patent 9,269,612).
Regarding claim 6, 8-9, Shin disclose all of the limitations of claim 1 (addressed above). Shin does not explicitly disclose the passivation layer comprises a compound represented by Chemical Formula 1: [Chemical Formula 1] MyX, wherein, in Chemical Formula 1, M is copper (Cu), ruthenium (Ru), aluminum (Al), cobalt (Co), tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo), titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta), nickel (Ni), platinum (Pt), chromium (Cr), rhodium (Rh), iridium (Ir), palladium (Pd), osmium (Os), or a combination thereof, X is phosphorus (P), arsenic (As), antimony (Sb), sulfur (S), selenium (Se), tellurium (Te), or a combination thereof, and 0 < y ≤ 10, the metal layer has a thickness of greater than or equal to about 0.1 nanometers (nm) and less than or equal to about 10 nm, and the passivation layer has a thickness of greater than or equal to about 0.1 nm and less than or equal to about 10 nm, or a thickness ratio of the metal layer and the passivation layer ranges from about 1:0.01 to about 1:2. However Chen discloses a interconnect structure comprising:
An interconnect (Fig. 2k, 30) formed in a trench of a dielectric layer (20) and a capping layer/passivation layer (50) formed on the interconnect wherein the capping layer can include materials such as cobalt, nickel, tungsten, molybdenum, silicon, zinc, chrome, ruthenium, manganese, boron, phosphorus, nitrogen, and combinations thereof (Col. 5, Lines 4-21).
Chen further disclose the interconnect 30 can have a thickness of T (Fig. 2d) of about 10nm (Col. 4, Lines 19-25) and the capping layer can have a thickness of about 0.5-20m (Col. 5, 18-20), therefore a thickness ratio of the metal layer and the capping layer can be within the range from about 1:0.01 to about 1:2.
It would have been obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to form the capping layer to include material disclose by Chen and the metal layer having a thickness of about 10nm and the capping layer having a thickness of 0.5-20nm because it will serve to form an interconnect structure having better electrical and reliability performance (Col. 6, Lines 25-35).
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shin (Pre-Grant Publication 2023/0130702) in view of Meng (Chinese Publication CN 112447661).
Regarding claim 7, Shin disclose all of the limitations of claim 1 (addressed above). Shin does not explicitly disclose the topological compound has a hexagonal close packed lattice structure. However Meng discloses an interconnect structure comprising:
An interconnect layer (Fig. 3, 30) formed in a substrate wherein a capping layer/passivation layer (40) is formed on the interconnect and can have a hexagonal close packed lattice structure (Paragraph [0058]).
It would have been obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to form the capping/passivation layer having a hexagonal close packed lattice structure because it will restrict electromigration and provide stress migration of the interconnect thereby I proving device reliability (Paragraph [0057 & 0059]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Liang (Pre-Grant Publication 2023/0095976) disclose an interconnect structure including a capping layer for liner-free conductive structures.
More (Pre-Grant Publication 2022/0216102) disclose an interconnect structure comprising reduced galvanic corrosion and voids.
Murray (Pre-Grant Publication 2021/0183699) disclose an interconnect structure with reduced via resistance.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRANDON C FOX whose telephone number is (571)270-5016. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00AM-6:00PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jeff W Natalini can be reached at 571-272-2266. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/BRANDON C FOX/Examiner, Art Unit 2818
/DAVID VU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818
Prosecution Insights