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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see page 7 lines 1-13, filed on 07/27/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-10 under U.S.C. 102 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made.
Claim Objections
Claim 9 is objected to because of the following informalities:
The claim has the brackets for the range in the wrong direction. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 2, 4, 5, 10-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
The claims recite “each first layer” which implies there are multiple layers in the resistive memory. Claim 1 recites the memory comprising “at least one first layer.” For this limitation, the memory can have one condition where the memory have only one first layer. In the case, the memory has one first layer, the dependent claims are indefinite because the first claim did not define multiple first layers as implied by the dependent claims.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-5, 8 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Adusumilli et al. (US 2023/0077912 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Adusumilli teaches a resistive memory comprising:
at least one first layer, comprising a titanium-based material, said titanium-based material being conductive (Fig. 1, layer 120 which can be made of a plurality of layers, where one layer can comprise titanium-based material such as the one in Fig. 5);
at least one second layer, extending over said at least one first layer, comprising a first phase change material, said first phase change material being able to be doped with titanium (Phase change material 130 extend over the first layer 120 when the memory is upside down. The limitation “first phase change material being able to be doped with titanium” does not require the phase change material to be doped by titanium but only requires the phase change material to be capable of being doped with titanium. In this case, the phase change material 120 is capable of being able to be doped with titanium);
a first electrode and a second electrode, the first and second layers separating the first electrode from the second electrode by electrically connecting in series the first electrode to the second electrode, the first electrode being in contact with said at least one first layer or, when there are several first layers, in contact with one of the first layers (Fig. 1, Top Electrode 110 is the first electrode which is in direct contact with layer 120. The second electrode is bottom electrode 150).
Regarding claim 2, Adusumilli further teaches the resistive memory according to claim 1, wherein the titanium based material of each first layer comprises a first element, forming a carrier element, which is neutral with respect to switching properties of the first phase change material (Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 3, Adusumilli further teaches the resistive memory according to claim 1, wherein the titanium based material is to be selected from TiTe, TiGe and TiSb (Fig. 5, TiTe).
Regarding claim 4, Adusumilli further teaches the resistive memory according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of each second layer is greater than a thickness of each first layer (Fig. 1, thickness for second layer 130 is greater than a thickness of each layer in the first layer 120).
Regarding claim 5, Adusumilli further teaches the resistive memory according to claim 1, wherein the titanium-based material of each first layer comprises impurities capable of influencing electronic properties of the first phase change material (Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 8, Adusumilli further teaches the resistive memory according to claim 1, wherein the first phase change material is a ternary alloy comprising germanium, antimony, tellurium, gallium or selenium (¶0033).
Regarding claim 10, Adusumilli further teaches the resistive memory according to claim 1, wherein at least one part of the titanium-based material of each first layer over its entire thickness and at least one part of the first phase change material of each second layer are fused together to form, from the first phase change material and the titanium-based material, a second phase change material comprising titanium (Fig. 5, the layer 530 is fabricated on the first phase change layer 130. During the fabrication and the programming of the memory cell, few Titanium atoms from the layer 530a can mix with the phase change material 130).
Claim(s) 1 and 6-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Perniola (US 2014/0355338 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Perniola teaches a resistive memory comprising:
at least one first layer, comprising a titanium-based material, said titanium-based material being conductive (Fig. 1, layer 25, which can comprise titanium-based material ¶0121);
at least one second layer, extending over said at least one first layer, comprising a first phase change material, said first phase change material being able to be doped with titanium (Phase change layer 22. The limitation “first phase change material being able to be doped with titanium” does not require the phase change material to be doped by titanium but only requires the phase change material to be capable of being doped with titanium. In this case, the phase change material 22 is capable of being able to be doped with titanium);
a first electrode and a second electrode, the first and second layers separating the first electrode from the second electrode by electrically connecting in series the first electrode to the second electrode, the first electrode being in contact with said at least one first layer or, when there are several first layers, in contact with one of the first layers (Fig. 1, Top Electrode 40 is the first electrode which is in direct contact first layer 22 and the second electrode is bottom electrode 30).
Regarding claim 6, Perniola further teaches the resistive memory according to claim 1, wherein the titanium based material has a resistivity of less than 1000 μQ• cm (Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 7, Perniola further teaches the resistive memory according to claim 1, wherein the titanium-based material comprises a titanium concentration such that heat treatment of said titanium based material at a temperature less than or equal to 400°C modifies its resistivity by less than 70% (¶0054).
Regarding claim 8, Perniola further teaches the resistive memory according to claim 1, wherein the first phase change material is a ternary alloy comprising germanium, antimony, tellurium, gallium or selenium (¶0013).
Regarding claim 9, Perniola further teaches the resistive memory according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second layers has a melting temperature in the range [400°C; 1000°C] (¶0025).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-14 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
After further search and consideration it is determined that the prior art of record neither anticipated nor renders obvious the claimed subject matter of the instant application as a whole either taken alone or in combination, in particular, prior art of record does not teach, the following limitation(s) in combination with the remaining claimed limitation:
the method comprising circulating an electric current, forming an initialisation current, in each of the at least one first and second layers, the initialisation current being adapted to generate a temperature gradient within said first and second layers involving melting of at least one part of the titanium-based material of each first layer over its entire thickness and at least part of the first phase change material of each second layer, said melting resulting in forming, from the first phase change material and the titanium-based material, a second phase change material comprising titanium.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KHAMDAN N ALROBAIE whose telephone number is (571)270-7099. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Thursday (8AM till 6PM).
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/Khamdan N. Alrobaie/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2824
