Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/248,894

CARBON DOPED METAL OXYFLUORIDE (C:M-0-F) LAYER AS PROTECTION LAYER IN FLUORINE PLASMA ETCH PROCESSES

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Apr 13, 2023
Examiner
MILLER, DANIEL H
Art Unit
1783
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Oerlikon Surface Solutions AG Pfäffikon
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
53%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
4y 2m
To Grant
73%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 53% of resolved cases
53%
Career Allow Rate
367 granted / 687 resolved
-11.6% vs TC avg
Strong +19% interview lift
Without
With
+19.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
4y 2m
Avg Prosecution
30 currently pending
Career history
717
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103
66.2%
+26.2% vs TC avg
§102
14.7%
-25.3% vs TC avg
§112
11.6%
-28.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 687 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action: A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made. Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hamaya (US 20140057078). Hamaya (US 20140057078) teaches a spray material comprising rare earth element oxyfluoride particles having an aspect ratio of up to 2, an average particle size of 10 to 100 .mu.m, and a bulk density of 0.8 to 2 g/cm.sup.3, and containing not more than 0.5% by weight of carbon and 3 to 15% by weight of oxygen (see claims 1). The spray material wherein the rare earth element is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Y and Group 3A elements from La to Lu or wherein the rare earth element is selected from the group consisting of Y, Gd and Er forming oxides such as Y-O-F (see claims). Regarding claim 9, Hamaya (US 20140057078) teachings are considered to encompass claim1 which by definition encompass claim 9 which depends from claim 9, and thus would be obvious to provide absent a teaching of unexpected results. The art teaches a fluorine doped and overlapping carbon content yttrium oxide meeting the limitations of claims 1-2 at least. The coating can be a PVD coating, or thermal plasma spray (See [0004]). Regarding claim 10, the coating can be multilayer coating as claimed (See [0020-0024]). The sprayed coating has a high corrosion resistance to plasma etching and a long lifetime (See abstract, [0002]). Hamaya (US 20140057078) teaches that the process of depositing the coating in a chamber can be adjusted, including adjusting particle size or chemical polishing, to get desirable properties including reduced peak height and surface roughness (Ra) (see column 25). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to provide the claimed surface roughness in a film of the same composition for providing desirable protective film in a chamber wall or component (see figures). Noted relevant art: Kobrin (US 20080206539). Kobrin (US 20080206539) teaches the present invention is related to carbon-doped metal oxide films. The carbon-doped metal oxide films provide a low coefficient of friction, for example ranging from about 0.05 to about 0.4. In addition, the carbon-doped metal oxide films applied over a silicon substrate, for example, provide anti-stiction properties, where the measured work of adhesion for a MEMS device cantilever beam coated with the carbon-doped metal oxide film is less than 10 .mu.J/m.sup.2. In addition, the carbon-doped metal oxide films provide unexpectedly good water vapor transmission properties. The carbon content in the carbon-doped metal oxide films ranges from about 5 atomic % to about 20 atomic % (see abstract). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL H MILLER whose telephone number is (571)272-1534. The examiner can normally be reached M-TH 9-6. 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, Veronica Ewald can be reached at 571-272-8519. 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. /DANIEL H MILLER/
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Apr 13, 2023
Application Filed
Jan 28, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

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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
53%
Grant Probability
73%
With Interview (+19.3%)
4y 2m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 687 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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