Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 17/835,769

SEMICONDUCTOR MEMORY DEVICES AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURING THEREOF

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Jun 08, 2022
Examiner
CULBERT, CHRISTOPHER A
Art Unit
2815
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
OA Round
2 (Non-Final)
42%
Grant Probability
Moderate
2-3
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
50%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 42% of resolved cases
42%
Career Allowance Rate
147 granted / 348 resolved
-25.8% vs TC avg
Moderate +8% lift
Without
With
+7.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 7m
Avg Prosecution
55 currently pending
Career history
421
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
59.5%
+19.5% vs TC avg
§102
15.9%
-24.1% vs TC avg
§112
22.8%
-17.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 348 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . This Office action is in response to Amendments filed 4/1/2026. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. Claims 1-5,7-10 and 21-31 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claims 1, 21, and 29 each recite a film which is “configured to emulate a polarization-voltage curve” of another film. The claim does not require the first film to be substantially the same as the second film and does not require the first film to have a polarization-voltage curve which is substantially the same as the polarization-voltage curve of the second film. Instead, the first film itself “emulates” a polarization-voltage film of a second film. This limitation is unclear to one having ordinary skill in the art as Applicant’s specification did not set forth the metes and bounds for what constitutes one film “emulat[ing] a polarization-voltage curve” of another film, i.e., is the first film required to have a polarization-voltage curve that is identical to that of the second film, are the two films required to be the same, what are the metes and bounds of emulating? As one having ordinary skill in the art would not understand how to interpret any of claims 1, 21, and 29, the claims are indefinite. Claims 2-5,7-10, 22-28, and 30-31 depend from either claim 1, 21, or 29 and are, therefore, also indefinite. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER A CULBERT whose telephone number is (571)272-4893. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Joshua Benitez can be reached at (571) 270-1435. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /CHRISTOPHER A CULBERT/ Examiner, Art Unit 2815
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jun 08, 2022
Application Filed
Aug 25, 2025
Non-Final Rejection (signed) — §112
Jan 02, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Apr 01, 2026
Response Filed
Sep 23, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12701913
LIGHT-EMITTING DEVICE AND ELECTRONIC APPARATUS
5y 12m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12701701
METHODS FOR FABRICATION OF 3-DIMENSIONAL NOR MEMORY ARRAYS
4y 4m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12701917
PYROELECTRIC DEVICE FOR A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE
4y 1m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12684991
DISPLAY PANEL AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SAME, AND DISPLAY DEVICE
3y 12m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12677583
DISPLAY PANEL AND METHOD FOR REPAIRING SAME
4y 4m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

2-3
Expected OA Rounds
42%
Grant Probability
50%
With Interview (+7.7%)
3y 7m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 348 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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