Appeal No. 2005-0287 Page 11
Application No. 09/216,214
Regarding appealed claims 8 and 9, appellant argues the
claims together. Thus, we consider claim 9 as representative of
claims 8 and 9.
Representative claim 9 requires a transistor gate structure
including: (a) a semiconductor region with a gate dielectric
thereon; (b) a patterned gate having top, bottom and side
surfaces that is located on the gate dielectric; (c) an
electrically conductive metallic material covering the gate
sidewalls and top surface; wherein (d) the gate dielectric
includes thicker portions (lateral growth) near sidewalls of the
gate but not under central portions of the gate with the
thickness of the dielectric increasing at the interfacing of the
gate bottom surface and sidewalls in a direction from the bottom
surface and toward and along the sidewalls.
As pointed out by the examiner in the supplemental answer
(answer dated November 28, 2003, page 4), Arai discloses a
transistor gate structure that includes “a gate dielectric 103
over a semiconductor region 101" and “a patterned gate 104(a) of
polysilicon over said gate dielectric having sidewalls, a top
surface and a bottom surface.” The examiner further takes the
position that the bird’s beak construction of the dielectric that
Page: Previous 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007