PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15950616
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-04
Publication Date: 2019-08
Patent Classification: ["257", "314000"]

Abstract:
A contact via structure vertically extending through an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers is provided in a staircase region having stepped surfaces. The contact via structure is electrically isolated from each electrically conductive layer of the alternating stack except for an electrically conductive layer that directly underlies a horizontal interface of the stepped surfaces. A laterally-protruding portion of the contact via structure contacts an annular top surface of the electrically conductive layer. The electrical isolation can be provided by a ribbed insulating spacer that includes laterally-protruding annular rib regions at levels of the insulating layers, or can be provided by annular insulating spacers located at levels of the electrically conductive layers. The contact via structure can contact a top surface of an underlying metal interconnect structure that overlies a substrate to provide an electrically conductive path.

Claim (Index 13):
A method of forming a device structure, comprising:\n forming an alternating stack of insulating layers and spacer material layers including stepped surfaces in a staircase region over a substrate, wherein the spacer material layers are formed as, or are subsequently replaced with, electrically conductive layers; forming a dielectric liner on the stepped surfaces; forming a retro-stepped dielectric material portion over the stepped surfaces of the alternating stack; forming a via cavity through the retro-stepped dielectric material portion, a horizontal portion of the dielectric liner, and a subset of layers within the alternating stack; forming an annular lateral cavity region by laterally recessing the horizontal portion of the dielectric liner around the via cavity selective to dielectric materials of the insulating layers and the retro-stepped dielectric material portion; and forming a flanged conductive via structure in the via cavity and the annular lateral cavity region by depositing a conductive material therein, wherein the flanged conductive via structure contacts an annular top surface of a topmost electrically conductive layer among electrically conductive layers through which the flanged conductive via structure vertically extends.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 3.0
- Percentile: 91.0
- Lexical Diversity: 2.11594
- Patent Class: 257.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['15950505', '15877219', '15632983', '15489050', '15909073']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.9358680104483954
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.6078734027386101
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.9030685496774168
- Mean Citation Score: 432.758462
- Max Citation Score: 575.9639
- Similarity Product: 487.0876040924549

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 1
- Claim Label 112: 1
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test