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, 7,8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by Nagatsuka et al., (Nagatsuka) US 2022/0108985.
Regarding claim 1. Yamazaki shows in FIG. 8-13, a semiconductor device comprising: a first conductor (640b)[0191-0194]; a second conductor (640c)); a first insulator (622); a first transistor (600) over the first insulator (622); and a second insulator (682) over the first transistor (600) [0191-0194];, wherein the first transistor comprises: a first metal oxide (630) [0191-0194];; a third conductor (657) and a fourth conductor (700) each of which is electrically connected to the first metal oxide; a third insulator (672) over the first metal oxide (630); and a fifth conductor (660) over the third insulator, wherein a top surface of the fifth conductor is in contact with the second insulator (682), wherein the first conductor (640b) comprises a portion in a first opening in the first insulator (622), a portion in contact with a side surface of the third conductor, and a portion in a second opening in the second insulator (see FIG. 8), wherein the second conductor (640c) comprises a portion in contact with a top surface of the fourth conductor (700) [0191-0196]; and a portion in a third opening in the second insulator, and wherein a top surface of the first conductor (640b) and a top surface of the second conductor (640c) are level or substantially level with each other.
Regarding claim 7, Yamazaki shows in FIG. 8-13, a semiconductor device according wherein in a cross-sectional view in a channel length direction, a width of the first conductor (640b) in the portion in contact with the side surface of the third conductor (657) is smaller than a width of the first conductor in the portion in the second opening in the second insulator.
Regarding claim 8, Yamazaki shows in FIG. 8-13, a semiconductor device wherein each of the first metal oxide and the second metal oxide comprises indium, zinc, and one or more selected from gallium, aluminum, and tin [0215].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 is 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 3-6,9-12 are allowed.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARC-ANTHONY ARMAND whose telephone number is (571)272-5178. The examiner can normally be reached 8am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steven B Gauthier can be reached at 571-270-0373. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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MARC - ANTHONY ARMAND
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2813
/MARC-ANTHONY ARMAND/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2813
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