Appeal No. 2006-1181
Application No. 10/393,718
is formed over a semiconductor substrate as the gate dielectric layer wherein nitrogen is
incorporated into the isolation layer to inhibit mobility of charge carriers in the isolation
layer (specification, page 5). An understanding of the invention can be derived from a
reading of exemplary independent claim 19, which is reproduced as follows:
19. A semiconductor device, comprising:
a semiconductor substrate;
an isolation layer formed on a first surface of the semiconductor substrate;
a gate structure formed on a first surface of the isolation layer, wherein
application of a first voltage to the gate structure results in the creation of a depletion
region in the region of the semiconductor substrate located adjacent the isolation layer,
said first voltage being substantially equal to a threshold voltage of said device; and
wherein a pre-determined amount of nitrogen is incorporated into said isolation
layer, said predetermined amount of nitrogen selected to shift the threshold voltage of
said device by a pre-selected amount such that the threshold voltage of the device is
greater in magnitude than a threshold voltage of an equivalent device without nitrogen
incorporation.
The Examiner relies on the following references:
Wristers et al. (Wristers) 5,674,788 Oct. 7, 1997
Stanley Wolf (Wolf), “Silicon Processing for the VLSI Era, Volume 2: Process
Integration,” Lattice Press, 1990, pp. 298-311.
Claims 19-25 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as being
unpatentable over Wristers and Wolf.
Rather than reiterate the opposing arguments, reference is
made to the briefs (filed December 27, 2004 and March 17, 2005)
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