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) 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Okutoh et al. (US Patent 6,180,974).
In re claim 17, Okutoh discloses a method for producing a capacitor, the method comprising:
forming an oxygen barrier layer (169 – Figure 10, col.22 l.22) on a metal base material (168 – Figure 10, col.22 l.26 ) (col.5 ll.58-60) ;
subjecting the metal base material on which the oxygen barrier layer is formed to a reducing treatment (col.1 ll.61-65);
forming a dielectric layer (170 – Figure 10, col. 22 l.39) (col.9 l.15), on the oxygen barrier layer (col.5 ll.66-67); and
forming a conductive layer on the dielectric layer (col.5 ll.66-67).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-16 and 19-20 are allowed. The prior art does not teach nor suggest (in combination with other claim limitations) a capacitor or a component for a capacitor having an electrode, a dielectric layer on the electrode, and an oxygen barrier layer between the oxide layer and the dielectric layer. The oxide layer includes a first oxidized region that contains a metal of the electrode and a second oxidized region that contains an atom of the oxygen barrier layer and a metal of the electrode. The thickness of the first oxidized region is 3 nm or less and is 50% or less of a thickness of the second oxidized region.
Claim 18 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. The prior art does not teach nor suggest (in combination with other claim limitations) the conductive layer is formed in a presence of at least one reducing agent selected rom ammonia and hydrogen.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Lim et al. (US Publication 2022/0392702) [¶77], Figure 2, Figure 4
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/ARUN RAMASWAMY/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847
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