7 UNITE-Dv’STATE$:.éPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`Patent and Trademark Office
`Address:
`COMMISSIONER OF PATENTS AND TRADEMARKS
`Washington, D.C. 20231
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`APPLICATION NO‘
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`FILING DATE
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`FIRST NAMED tN\/ENTOR ’
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`ATTORNEY DOCKET NO.
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`U8/9!3IZI,.l347
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`‘I37/24/'5‘?
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`YEN‘
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`B2Mi/D22-tl«
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`WQLLACE
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`DAVID J. SIMONELLI
`EILIEIS MEI-SLYNN
`2075 WEST BIB BEQVER, SUITEGIZIIJ
`TROY MI 48034-3443
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`V DATE MAILED:
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`02/24/93 .
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`Please "find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this appllcatlon or
`proceedlng.
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`Commlssloner of Patents and Trademarks
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`PTO-9OC(FlEV.2/95)
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`INTEL 1010
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`Application No.
`08/900.047
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`Applicantlsl
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`Yen
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`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
`D Acknowledgement is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d).
`D All Ci Some*
`i:lNone
`of the CERTIFIED copies of the priority documents have been
`:i received.
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`Examiner
`Valencia Martin Wallace
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`Group Art Unit
`2503
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`1
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`Office Action Summary
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`fl Responsive to communicationlsl filed on Jan .9, 79.98
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`W This action is FINAL.
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`D Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is closed
`in accordance with the practice under Ex parte Quayle. 1935 C.D. 11; 453 O.G. 213.
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`monthlsl, or thirty days, whichever
`3
`A shortened statutory period for response to this action is set to expire
`is longer, from the mailing date of this communication. Failure to respond within the period for response will cause the
`application to become abandoned.
`(35 U.S.C. § 133). Extensions of time may be obtained under the provisions of
`37 CFR 1.136(8).
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`Disposition of Claims
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`Xi Claimlsl 2-6 and 847
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`Of the above, claimlsl
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`:1 Claimlsl
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`Xl Claimlsl 2-6 and 8-17
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`Ii Claimlsl
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`3 Claims
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`is/are pending in the application.
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`is/are withdrawn from consideration.
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`is/are allowed.
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`is/are rejected.
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`is/are objected to.
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`are subject to restriction or election requirement.
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`Application Papers
`See the attached Notice of Draftsperson's Patent Drawing Review, PTO-948.
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`C The drawingls) filed on
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`is/are objected to by the Examiner.
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`The proposed drawing correction, filed on
`C The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`U The oath or declaration is objected to by the Examiner.
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`is
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`Cbpproved
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`Ctlisapproved.
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`:1 received in Application No. (Series Code/Serial Number)
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`:1 received in this national stage application from the International Bureau [PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`‘Certified copies not received:
`Acknowledgement is made of a claim for domestic priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e).
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`Attachmentlsl
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`X Notice of References Cited, PT_O~892
`’" information Disclosure Statementlsl, PTO-1449, Paper Nols].
`El interview Summary, PTO-413
`"‘ Notice of Draftsperson‘s Patent Drawing Review, PTO-948
`C Notice of lnformal'Patent Application. PTO-152
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`--- SEE OFFICE ACTION ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES -
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` U. 5. Patent and Trademark Olfice
`PTO-326 (Rev. 9-95)
`“
`Office Action Summary
`Part of Paper No.
`13
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`

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`Serial Number: 08/900,047
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`Art Unit: 2503
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`Page 2
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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`Claims 4-6 and 10-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph, as being
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`indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which
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`applicant regards as the invention.
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`Claims 4-6 and 10-12 recite the limitation “said electrically conducting plug”. There is
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`insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claims.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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`The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the
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`basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
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`A person shall be entitled to a patent unless --
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`(e) the invention was described in a patent granted on an application for patent by another filed in the United
`States before the invention thereof by the applicant for patent, or on an international application by another who
`has fulfilled the requirements of paragraphs (1), (2), and (4) of section 37l© of this title before the invention
`thereof by the applicant for patent.
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`Claims 3-6 and 9-14, 16 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(e) as being
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`anticipated by Chappell et al. (U.S. Patent No. 5,541,427).
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`Chappell et al. disclose a semiconductor structure and a method of forming a local
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`interconnect in a semiconductor structure, comprising:
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`a silicon substrate (10) having atop surface;
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`Serial Number: O8/900,047
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`Art Unit: 2503
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`Page 3
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`a diffusion region (43) formed in said substrate adjacent to said top surface;
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`a polysilicon gate (18) formed on the top surface of said substrate juxtaposed to but not
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`contacting said diffusion region;
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`a sidewall spacer (28) adjacent to said polysilicon gate and disposed above said diffusion
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`region;
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`an insulator layer (36) substantially covering said polysilicon gate and said diffusion
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`region; and
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`a conducting plug (44a) at least partially filling a via in said insulation layer that exposes
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`said sidewall spacer in the absence of said conducting plug, said conducting plug providing direct
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`electrical communication between said polysilicon gate and said diffusion region. Note Chappell
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`et al. Figure 8.
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`In re claims 3 and 9, said insulator layer is formed of a material such as silicon oxide (see
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`Chappell et al. column 4, lines 23 and 24).
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`ln re claims 4-6 and 10-12, said conducting plug is a metal plug formed of a refractory
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`material such as tungsten (see Chappell et al. colurrm 4, lines 66 and 67).
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`In re claim 16, said polysilicon gate and said diffusion region are exposed in said via in the
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`absence of said conducting plug (see Chappell et al. Figure 5).
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`Therefore, Chappell et al. meet and anticipate the claims.
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`Serial Number: 08/900,047
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`Art Unit: 2503
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`Page 4
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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`The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness
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`rejections set forth in this Office action:
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`(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in
`section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are
`such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person
`having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the
`manner in which the invention was made.
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`Claims 2, 8 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over
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`Chappell et al. in view of Jones, Jr. (U.S. Patent No. 5,313,089), of record.
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`The disclosure of Chappell et al. as discussed above. However, Chappell et al. fail to
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`disclose forming the conductive plug with both a refractory metal layer and a layer of glue.
`Therefore, to provide the device of Chappell et al. with a conductive plug comprised ofan
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`outer glue layer and a plug of a refractory metal as taught by Jones, Jr. would have been obvious
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`to one of ordinary skill in this art because Jones, Jr. specifically teaches the process of forming a
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`semiconductor device similar in structure and function to that of Chappell et al. having a
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`conductive plug (32) within a dielectric layer (30) wherein said plug has a layer of glue and a plug
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`of tungsten, as well known and commonly used in conductive plug technology (see Jones, Jr.
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`column 3, lines 6468 and column 4, lines 1-17). Note Jones, Jr. Figure 2,
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`Also, it is obviousthat the diffusion regions of Chappell et al. would be of N or P type
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`conductivity because Chappell et al. specify that the regions are. Further, Jones, Jr. specify that
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`the diffusion regions (16, 18) are heavily doped with an impurity (see Jones, Jr. column 3, lines
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`23-24).
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`Serial Number: 08/900,047
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`Art Unit: 2503
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`Page 5
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`Response to Amendment
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`The declaration filed on January 9, 1998 under 37 CFR 1.131 is sufficient to overcome the
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`Sugiyama et al. (U.S.Patent No. 5,600,170) reference.
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`Response to Arguments
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`Applicant's arguments with respect to claims 2-6 and 8-17 have been considered but are
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`moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection.
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`Conclusion
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`The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's
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`disclosure. The reference to Fazan et al. (U.S. Patent No. 5,052,351) is cited to show a
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`semiconductor device similar in structure to that of the present invention.
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`Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office
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`action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is
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`reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
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`A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE
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`MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO
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`MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after
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`the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period
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`Serial Number: 08/900,047
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`Art Unit: 2503
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`Page 6
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`will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37
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`CFR l.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event will the
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`statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner
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`should be directed to Valencia Martin Wallace whose telephone number is (703) 308-4119. The
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`examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
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`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor,
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`Mahshid Saadat, can be reached on (703) 308-4915. The fax phone number for this Group is
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`(703)308-7723.
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`Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application or proceeding
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`should be directed to the Group receptionist whose telephone number is (703) 308-0956.
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`Martin Wallace
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`February 17, 1998
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`Primary Examiner
`Group 2500
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`
` App|icant(s)
`Application No.
`08/900,047
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`M
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`Yen
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`Examiner
`Valencia Martin Wallace
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`Group Art
`2503
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`it
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`Page 1
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`eéfildl
`of 1""
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`Notice of References Cited
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`u.s. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`NAME
`DATE
`cLAss
`DOCUMENT N0.
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`5,053,351
`10/‘! /91
`Fazan at al.
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`257
`5,541,427
`7/30/96
`Chappell at al.
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`J K L M
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`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
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`NAME
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`suscuxss
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`DOCUMENT NO.
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`NON-PATENT DOCUMENTS
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`DOCUMENT (Including Author. ma, Source. and Pamnem Pages)
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`U. S. Patent and Trademark Oflicz
`PTO-892 (Rev. 9-95)
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`Notice of References Cited
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`Part of Paper No.
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