11521850 - (D) (P.T.A.B. Sep. 18, 2013)

Ex Parte Murthy et al

Patent Trials and Appeals BoardSep 18, 2013

11521850 - (D) (P.T.A.B. Sep. 18, 2013)

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE United States Patent and Trademark Office Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS P.O. Box 1450 Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450 www.uspto.gov APPLICATION NO. FILING DATE FIRST NAMED INVENTOR ATTORNEY DOCKET NO. CONFIRMATION NO. 11/521,850 09/14/2006 Anand S. Murthy 42P24717 1628 45209 7590 09/18/2013 Mission/BSTZ BLAKELY SOKOLOFF TAYLOR & ZAFMAN 1279 Oakmead Parkway Sunnyvale, CA 94085-4040 EXAMINER TRAN, TONY ART UNIT PAPER NUMBER 2894 MAIL DATE DELIVERY MODE 09/18/2013 PAPER Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding. The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication. PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07) UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE ____________ BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD ____________ Ex parte ANAND S. MURTHY, JEFFREY L. ARMSTRONG AND DENNIS G. HANKEN ___________ Appeal 2011-000455 Application 11/521,850 Technology Center 2800 ____________ Before CARL W. WHITEHEAD, JR., ERIC S. FRAHM and ANDREW J. DILLON, Administrative Patent Judges. WHITEHEAD, JR., Administrative Patent Judge. DECISION ON APPEAL Appeal 2011-000455 Application 11/521,850 2 STATEMENT OF THE CASE Appellant is appealing claims 1-16. Appeal Brief 3. We have jurisdiction under 35 U.S.C. § 6(b) (2012). We reverse. Introduction The invention is directed to a method of forming a semiconductor structure wherein a hydrogenated amorphous-only silicon layer is deposited above a highly polar dielectric region and above a low polarity crystalline region. Appeal Brief 4. Illustrative Claim 1. A method of forming a semiconductor structure comprising: forming a substrate comprising a highly polar dielectric region and a low polarity crystalline region; depositing a hydrogenated amorphous-only silicon layer above said highly polar dielectric region and above said low polarity crystalline region; etching said hydrogenated amorphous-only silicon layer to totally remove the portion of said hydrogenated amorphous-only silicon layer above said highly polar dielectric region and to thin, but not totally remove, the portion of said hydrogenated amorphous-only silicon layer above said low polarity crystalline region; and repeating the depositing and etching steps to provide a hydrogenated amorphous-only silicon film of a desired thickness above said low polarity crystalline region, but not above said high polarity dielectric region. Appeal 2011-000455 Application 11/521,850 3 Rejection on Appeal Claims 1-16 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. §103(a) as being unpatentable over Murthy (U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2006/0148151 A1; published July 6, 2006) and Thean (U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2008/0014688; published January 17, 2008). Answer 3-8. Issue Do Murthy and Thean, either alone or separate, suggest or teach “depositing a hydrogenated amorphous-only silicon layer above said highly polar dielectric region and above said low polarity crystalline region” as recited in claim 1, within a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device? ANALYSIS Appellants argue that both claims 1 and 8 recite “depositing a hydrogenated amorphous-only silicon layer above said highly polar dielectric region and above said low polarity crystalline region” whereas Murthy fails to disclose the claimed deposition. Appeal Brief 11. Further, “Appellants teach and claim depositing a hydrogenated amorphous-only layer above both the dielectric region and the crystalline region.” Id. Appellants argue the Examiner failed to address the “hydrogenated” aspect of the claims as well. Reply Brief 2. The Examiner finds that, “[I]t is clearly described in paragraph [0091] of Murthy wherein layers 610, 620, & 630 started out as an amorphous layers: ‘Conformal thickness 610 may be an amorphous Appeal 2011-000455 Application 11/521,850 4 material of the same silicon alloy or silicon element material used to form thickness 620 and 630.’” Answer 8. Examiner concludes Murthy, in combination with Thean, teach depositing an amorphous only layer above both the high polar dielectric and the low crystalline regions. Answer 9. We find Appellants’ arguments to be persuasive. The Examiner refers to Murthy’s paragraph [0091] to disclose the “hydrogenated” aspect of the claims however only amorphous silicon alloy or silicon element material is recited in the paragraph. Answer 3. Further, the Examiner cites Murthy’s paragraph [0091] to disclose depositing the same material above both the highly polar dielectric and low polarity crystalline regions, however, Murthy only discloses that the layer above the high polar dielectric region may be formed of the same material not the same allotropic form. See Id. Murthy discloses in paragraph [0091], “[C]onformal thickness 610 may be an amorphous layer with no definite arrangement of atoms in contrast to the very regular arrangement of atoms and crystalline material of thickness 620 and 630.” Therefore we do not sustain the Examiner’s rejection of independent claims 1 and 8, as well as, dependent claims 2-7 and 9-16 for the reasons stated above. Appeal 2011-000455 Application 11/521,850 5 DECISION The Examiner’s 35 U.S.C. §103 rejection of claims 1-16 is reversed. REVERSED pgc