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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 19-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.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 July 27, 2026.
Accordingly, the requirement is made FINAL.
Claim Objections
Claims 9 and 15 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 9, “diodobenzene” should be corrected to “diiodobenzene”
Regarding claim 15, “the dihaloalkane” should be corrected to “the halogenated hydrocarbon” for the sake of consistency.
Regarding claim 15, “diodoethane” should be corrected to “diiodoethane”.
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 1-18 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.
Regarding claim 1, the limitations “metal carbide” and “metal carbide layer” render the claim indefinitely as it is unclear if such metal carbide is first metal carbide, second metal carbide or the mixture of both first and second metal carbide. For purpose of examination, since “a metal carbide layer” is formed by providing the third precursor comprising the second metal, the “metal carbide layer” is interpreted as “second metal carbide”. However, Applicant should clarify what is intended, including the limitation “metal carbide” in the preamble, without adding new matter.
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 1-7 and 10-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over van Druenen (US20220189775) in view of Rahtu (US20070148350).
Regarding claim 1, van Druenen teaches a method of deposing rare earth metal carbide on a substrate (abstract) (a method for depositing metal carbide on a substrate). Van Druenen teaches to provide a substate in the chamber (paragraphs 0007 and 0181). Van Druenen teaches to perform first sub-cycle to deposit the rare earth metal carbide layer and second sub-cycle to deposit the transition metal nitride or carbide layer, wherein the first and second sub-cycles are performed alternately (paragraph 0181 and figure 11). Van Druenen teaches the sub-cycle are atomic layer deposition (ALD) (paragraphs 0088, 0090 and 0181). Van Druenen teaches the first sub-cycle comprises a first precursor pulse in which a rare earth metal precursor (third precursor) is provided to the reaction chamber (paragraph 0181, figure 11) (providing a third precursor in the reaction chamber, thereby forming a metal carbide layer on the substate in the reaction chamber). Van Druenen teaches the first sub-cycle comprises a first reactant pulse in which a carbon reactant is provided to the reaction chamber (paragraph 0181, figure 11), wherein the carbon reactant comprises iodine, such as CH2I2, C2H4I2 etc (paragraphs 0018-0020) (halogenated hydrocarbon) (providing a second precursor comprising a halogenated hydrocarbon in the reaction chamber). Van Druenen teaches the second sub-cycle comprises a second precursor pulses in which a transition precursor is provided to the reaction chamber (paragraph 0181, figure 11). (providing a first precursor comprising a first metal in the reaction chamber).
Van Druenen teaches the transition metal layer can be titanium carbide (paragraphs 0133-0135), wherein the titanium carbide layer comprises aluminum carbide (paragraph 0136). Van Druenen does not explicitly teach the titanium metal precursor or aluminum metal precursor (first precursor) is metal alkyl. However, Rahtu teaches a method of forming a metal carbide thin film by atomic layer deposition (ALD), wherein the metal carbide thin film comprising titanium and aluminum (paragraphs 0012-0013 and 0064-0069). Rahtu teaches the titanium and aluminum precursor are metal alkyl (paragraphs 0064-0069). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use metal alkyl are the first precursor for depositing titanium/aluminum carbide as suggested by Rahtu in the method of Van Druenen because such metal alkyl used are suitable as metal precursor in forming titanium/aluminum carbide by ALD (paragraphs 0013 and 0064-0066)
Regarding claim 2, Van Druenen teaches the first metal is aluminum (paragraphs 0135-0136).
Regarding claim 3, Rahtu teaches the metal alkyl comprises an alkyl group that comprises 1 to 6 carbon atoms (paragraphs 0012-0013 and 0064-0069).
Regarding claim 4, Rahtu teaches metal alkyl is ethyl group or methyl group (paragraphs 0012-0013 and 0064-0069).
Regarding claim 5, Van Druenen teaches the halogenated hydrocarbon comprises iodine (paragraph 0018)
Regarding claim 6, Van Druenen teaches the halogenated hydrocarbon comprises a dihaloalkane, C2H4I2 or CH2I2 (paragraphs 0019-0020), which is dihaloalkane and the halogen atoms are on the same carbon atom (CH2I2) or on adjacent carbon atoms (C2H4I2).
Regarding claim 7, Van Druenen teaches the halogenated hydrocarbon comprises 1 to 6 carbon and one or more halogen atoms (paragraphs 0017-0020).
Regarding claim 10, wherein the second metal comprises a rare earth metal (paragraph 0181, figure 11).
Regarding claim 11, Van Druenen teaches the rare earth metal comprises scandium (+3 oxidization state rare earth metal) and yttrium (paragraphs 0009-0010).
Regarding claim 12, Van Druenen teaches the second metal comprises ligands such as cyclopentadienyl, amidinate (paragraphs 0012, 0092) and diketonate (paragraph 0111-0112).
Regarding claim 13, Van Druenen teaches the group 4 rare earth metal (paragraph 0010).
Regarding claim 14, Van Druenen teaches the third precursor comprises ligand, amidinate (paragraphs 0112), which comprises nitrogen.
Regarding claim 15, Rahtu teaches the metal alkyl is trimethylaluminum (paragraph 0012). Van Druenen teaches the halogenated hydrocarbon is diiodomethane (paragraph 0019) and diiodoethane (paragraphs 0019-0020).
Regarding claim 16, Van Druenen teaches the third precursor is rare earth metal precursor comprises a formamidinate (fmd) ligand, with the structure RE-M(iPr2-fmd)3, wherein RE-M is lanthanum and iPr2 is diisopropyl (paragraphs 0092, 0106 and 0112), thus, RE-M(iPr2-fmd)3 is tris(N,N’-diisopropylformamidinato)lanthanum(III).
Regarding claim 17, Van Druenen teaches the third precursor is RE-M(MeCp)3, MeCp stands for methylcyclopentadienyl and RE-M is yttrium (paragraphs 0092, 0106 and 0109), thus RE-M(MeCp)3 is tris(methylcyclopentadienyl)yttrium(III).
Regarding claim 18, Van Druenen teaches the method if an ALD method (paragraphs 0088, 0090 and 0181), wherein the first, second and third precursors are provided sequentially (paragraphs 0181, figure 11), and inert gas is provided in between each step of providing the first, second and third precursors (paragraphs 0166, 0174 and 0162).
Claims 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over van Druenen (US20220189775) in view of Rahtu (US20070148350) as applied to claims 1-7 and 10-18 above, and further in view of Farm (US20220139713).
Regarding claims 8-9, Van Druenen in view of Rahtu teaches all limitations of these claims, except the halogenated hydrocarbon comprises an aromatic hydrocarbon. However, Farm teaches a method of depositing a molybdenum layer by ALD (paragraphs 0049 and abstract), wherein the reactant is a halogenated hydrocarbon comprises an aromatic hydrocarbon (paragraphs 0011 and 0032). Halogenated hydrocarbon comprising linear/branched carbon chain (diiodoethan) and aromatic carbon chain (1,2 substitued diiodobenzene) (paragraphs 00336-0041) in ALD are considered as functionally equivalent halogenated hydrocarbon reactant as evidenced by Farm. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to substitute halogenated hydrocarbon comprising aromatic carbon chain (1,2 substitued diiodobenzene) for halogenated hydrocarbon comprising linear/branched carbon chain (diiodoethane) as halogenated hydrocarbon reactant in the ALD method as disclosed by Van Druenen in view of Rahtu.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Gorden (WO2014197801A1, paragraphs 0037, 0072)
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/NGA LEUNG V LAW/Examiner, Art Unit 1717
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