Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 18/187,055

ATOMIC LAYER ETCHING OF METAL OXIDES USING NOVEL CO-REACTANTS AS HALOGENATING AGENTS FOR SEMICONDUCTOR FABRICATION

Final Rejection

Filed

Mar 21, 2023

Priority

Jun 08, 2022 — provisional 63/366,035

Examiner

PHAM, THOMAS T

Art Unit

1713

Tech Center

1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering

Assignee

North Carolina State University

OA Round

2 (Final)

This examiner grants 52% of cases after interview

— +15.9% interview lift. A telephonic interview to clarify the technical implementation could significantly improve the outcome.

Based on 574 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

PHAM, THOMAS T View full profile →

Grants 52% of resolved cases

Career Allowance Rate

298 granted / 574 resolved

-13.1% vs TC avg

Strong +16% interview lift

Without

With

+15.9%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

3y 2m

Avg Prosecution

48 currently pending

Career history

638

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103

84.3%

+44.3% vs TC avg

§102

2.7%

-37.3% vs TC avg

§112

12.8%

-27.2% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 574 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 21, 2023

Application Filed

Sep 04, 2025

Non-Final Rejection mailed

Sep 30, 2025

Response Filed

Jul 15, 2026

Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

17/983,341

Patent 12683126

Method of Plasma Etching

3y 8m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

18/131,044

Patent 12671383

METHOD OF MANUFACTURE OF ACOUSTIC WAVE DEVICE WITH TRENCH PORTIONS FOR TRANSVERSE MODE SUPPRESSION

3y 2m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026

18/054,083

Patent 12653003

Method of Profile Control for Semiconductor Manufacturing

3y 7m to grant Granted Jun 09, 2026

18/529,820

Patent 12637648

METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING NANOSTRUCTURE AND NANOSTRUCTURE

2y 5m to grant Granted May 26, 2026

18/574,204

Patent 12630724

PATTERN FORMING METHOD AND PLASMA PROCESSING METHOD

2y 4m to grant Granted May 19, 2026

Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4

Expected OA Rounds

52%

Grant Probability

68%

With Interview (+15.9%)

3y 2m (~0m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Moderate

PTA Risk

Based on 574 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.