Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/159,500

SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Jan 25, 2023
Examiner
BOOTH, RICHARD A
Art Unit
2812
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Fuji Electric Co. Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
85%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 4m
To Grant
94%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 85% — above average
85%
Career Allow Rate
878 granted / 1029 resolved
+17.3% vs TC avg
Moderate +8% lift
Without
With
+8.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 4m
Avg Prosecution
35 currently pending
Career history
1064
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
56.2%
+16.2% vs TC avg
§102
29.9%
-10.1% vs TC avg
§112
7.4%
-32.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1029 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . Election/Restrictions Applicant’s election without traverse of the first embodiment in the reply filed on 07/09/25 is acknowledged. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action: A person shall be entitled to a patent unless – (a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Isozaki et al., US 2020/0286807. Isozaki et al. shows the invention as claimed including a semiconductor device, comprising: A semiconductor chip that has a first main electrode (12a,12b) on a rear surface thereof and a second main electrode 14b on a front surface thereof; and a wiring layer 51b electrically connected to at least one of the first main electrode or the second main electrode, the wiring layer including a conductive member disposed on a front surface thereof (note that when giving the claim its broadest reasonable interpretation the wiring layer itself is a conductive member) (see, for example, figs. 1-6 and paragraphs 0020-0041). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 2-4 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RICHARD A BOOTH whose telephone number is (571)272-1668. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 5:00. 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, Christine Kim can be reached at 571-272-8458. 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. /RICHARD A BOOTH/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812 October 29, 2025
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jan 25, 2023
Application Filed
Oct 29, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12598993
THREE-DIMENSIONAL INTEGRATED CIRCUIT
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12593445
Control Gate Structures in Three-Dimensional Memory Devices and Methods for Forming the Same
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Patent 12593443
SEMICONDUCTOR STRUCTURE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Patent 12593664
METHOD OF MANUFACTURING STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING CAPACITOR
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Patent 12593454
FERROELECTRIC TUNNEL JUNCTION STRUCTURE WITH L-SHAPED SPACERS
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
85%
Grant Probability
94%
With Interview (+8.4%)
2y 4m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1029 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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