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 Objections
Claim 7 was objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 7, “providing a substate to the reaction chamber” should be corrected to “providing a substrate to a reaction chamber.
Appropriate correction is required.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 1-6 and 15-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on June 22, 2026.
Accordingly, the requirement is made FINAL.
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 7 and 9-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Arteaga Muller (US20220372053, hereinafter ‘Muller’).
Regarding claim 7, Muller teaches a method for forming a metal containing film on a substrate, wherein the metal is molybdenum (abstract, paragraphs 0008 and 0042-0046). Muller teaches to provide a substrate to a reaction chamber (paragraphs 0120-0121). Muller teaches to provide a film forming composition comprising inert carrier gas (paragraphs 0047-0049) and a metal (Mo) containing precursor (paragraphs 0008, 0011 and 0021), wherein the Mo containing precursor is a M(alkyl-arene)2 compound, including Mo(Et-bezene)2 (bis(ethylbenzene(molybdenum) (paragraphs 0012-0013), which is the same metal precursor of the instant invention and reads on the claimed limitations of zero-valent mo-based compound the binds to two organic ligands (see instant specification pages 10-11), to the chamber (paragraphs 0120-0121). Muller teaches to provide a co-reactant, wherein the co-reactant is SiH2Cl2, SiH2I2 etc, (paragraph 0052), which reads on the chemical formula 1 (A1 is Si, R1 is hydrogen, X1 is Cl or I, and n1 is 2) in gas phase to the chamber (paragraphs 0120-0121, 0050, 0052 and 0133).
Regarding claim 9, Muller teaches the precursor and co-reactant are introduced into the chamber sequentially (ALD) (paragraph 0138), wherein the two-step process are repeated until a film having the necessary thickness has been obtained (paragraph 0140), Thus, Muller teaches reactant is provided after the precursor during the repeating of the cycle.
Regarding claim 10, Muller teaches the precursor and co-reactant are introduced into the chamber sequentially (ALD) (paragraph 0138), wherein the two-step process are repeated until a film having the necessary thickness has been obtained (paragraph 0140), Thus, Muller teaches precursor is provided after the reactant during the repeating of the cycle.
Regarding claim 11, Muller teaches a post-treatment is performed after steps b and c as claimed (paragraph 0144).
Regarding claim 12, Muller teaches the post-treatment comprises heat treatment under O-containing atmosphere (heat treatment and treatment with a reactant containing oxygen atoms).
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)(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.
Claims 7 and 9-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Maes (US20230096838).
Regarding claim 7, Maes teaches a method of filling a gap on a substrate by a metal containing material, wherein the metal is molybdenum (abstract, paragraphs 0008 and 0016). Maes teaches to provide a substrate to the reaction chamber (paragraph 0008). Maes teaches to provide mixture of a carrier gas and a metal precursor to a rection chamber (paragraph 0153), wherein the metal precursor is with at least one aromatic ligand (paragraphs 0008-0085), including Bis(ethylbenzene)molybdenum (paragraph 0087), which is the same metal precursor of the instant invention and reads on the claimed limitation of zero-valent molybdenum-based compound that binds to two organic ligands (see instant specification pages 10-11). Maes teaches to provide a reactant gas to the chamber (paragraph 0153), wherein the reactant is a halogen reactant comprises a halogenated hydrocarbon comprising two or more halogen atoms, such as 1,3-dichloropropane etc (paragraphs 0090-0095), which reads on the claimed formula 1.
Regarding claim 9, Maes teaches the precursor and co-reactant are introduced into the chamber sequentially (ALD) (paragraphs 0046), wherein the two-step process are repeated until a gap fill having the necessary thickness has been obtained (paragraph 0046), Thus, Maes teaches reactant is provided after the precursor during the repeating of the cycle.
Regarding claim 10, Maes teaches the precursor and co-reactant are introduced into the chamber sequentially (ALD) (paragraphs 0046), wherein the two-step process are repeated until a gap fill having the necessary thickness has been obtained (paragraph 0046), Thus, Maes teaches precursor is provided after the reactant during the repeating of the cycle.
Regarding claim 11, Maes teaches to post treat the formed molybdenum containing film (after b and c) (paragraph 0124) or perform transformation treatment after step b and c (paragraph 0125).
Regarding claim 12, Maes teaches the post treatment includes heat treatment (pargraph 0124) or treatment with a reactant containing oxygen atoms (paragraphs 0125 and 0149).
Regarding claim 13, Maes teaches the heat treatment is about 320 to 470ºC (paragraph 0124), which is inside of the claimed range.
Regarding claim 14, Maes teaches reactant containing the oxygen atoms s O2 plasma (pargraph 0149).
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.
Claims 8 and 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Muller (US20220372053) as applied to claims 7 and 9-12 above.
Regarding claim 8, Muller teaches the substate is heated to 20 to 600ºC (paragraph 0123), which overlaps the claimed range. In the case where the claimed ranges “overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art" a prima facie case of obviousness exist. In re Wertheim, 541 F.2d 257, 191USPQ 90 (CCPA 1976); In re Woodruff, 919 F.2d 1575, 16 USPQ2d 1934 (Fed. Cir. 1990); In re Geisler,116 F.3d 1465, 1469-71, 43 USPQ2d 1362, 1365-66 (Fed. Cir. 1997). See MPEP 2144.05.
Regarding claim 13, Muller teaches the heat treatment is in the range of 200 to 1000ºC (paragraph 0144), which overlaps the claimed range. In the case where the claimed ranges “overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art" a prima facie case of obviousness exist. In re Wertheim, 541 F.2d 257, 191USPQ 90 (CCPA 1976); In re Woodruff, 919 F.2d 1575, 16 USPQ2d 1934 (Fed. Cir. 1990); In re Geisler,116 F.3d 1465, 1469-71, 43 USPQ2d 1362, 1365-66 (Fed. Cir. 1997). See MPEP 2144.05.
Regarding claim 14, Muller further defines the O containing atmosphere as oxygen atom containing atmosphere (paragraph 0084), and oxygen containing reactant includes O2, O3, H2O NO2, NO and N2O etc (paragraph 0131). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use O2, O3, H2O NO2, NO and N2O as the reactant containing oxygen atoms for the post-treatment as Muller teaches such oxygen containing gas are suitable to be used in the method of forming molybdenum containing film (paragraphs 0131).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Maes (US20230096838) as applied to claims 7 and 9-14 above.
Regarding claim 8, Maes teaches the deposition cycle is carried out at temperature in the range of 20 to 600ºC (paragraph 135), which overlaps the claimed range. In the case where the claimed ranges “overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art" a prima facie case of obviousness exist. In re Wertheim, 541 F.2d 257, 191USPQ 90 (CCPA 1976); In re Woodruff, 919 F.2d 1575, 16 USPQ2d 1934 (Fed. Cir. 1990); In re Geisler,116 F.3d 1465, 1469-71, 43 USPQ2d 1362, 1365-66 (Fed. Cir. 1997). See MPEP 2144.05. Since the reaction deposition is carried out on the surface of the substrate, the substrate is considered to be maintained at 20 to 600ºC during the deposition.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Farm (US20220139713) and Liu (US20230002888).
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/NGA LEUNG V LAW/Examiner, Art Unit 1717
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