Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/397,217

INTEGRATED CIRCUIT DEVICE USING OXIDE SEMICONDUCTOR WITH OXYGEN VACANCY STABILIZING MATERIAL

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Dec 27, 2023
Examiner
SEVEN, EVREN
Art Unit
2812
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
74%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 4m
To Grant
82%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 74% — above average
74%
Career Allow Rate
532 granted / 723 resolved
+5.6% vs TC avg
Moderate +8% lift
Without
With
+8.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 4m
Avg Prosecution
29 currently pending
Career history
752
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
2.3%
-37.7% vs TC avg
§103
51.9%
+11.9% vs TC avg
§102
23.1%
-16.9% vs TC avg
§112
20.3%
-19.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 723 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
CTNF 18/397,217 CTNF 88273 Detailed Action 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia 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 § 102 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-08-aia AIA (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. 07-15 AIA Claim s 1, 14, 15 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102( a)(1 ) as being anticipated by U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20180190683 to Koo . Regarding Claims 1 and 17 , Koo teaches in Figs. 9A-9F at least, integrated circuit (IC) device and a corresponding method, comprising: a semiconductor layer comprising: a first material 130 having a first Gibbs free energy, the first material comprising a p-type oxide semiconductor material [0014] ; and a second material 140 having a second Gibbs free energy less than the first Gibbs free energy ([0118], also MPEP 2112.01, same materials claimed and taught) ; a dielectric layer 120 contacting a first surface of the semiconductor layer; a gate conductive 110 structure contacting the dielectric layer opposite the semiconductor layer; and a first source-drain conductive structure 150 and a second source-drain conductive structure 160 electrically connected to the semiconductor layer. Regarding Claim 14 , Koo teaches the IC device of claim 1, wherein the p-type oxide semiconductor material comprises at least one of a copper oxide (CuOx), a tin oxide (SnOx) (abstract and throughout) , or a titanium oxide (TiOx). Regarding Claim 15 , Koo teaches the IC device of claim 1, wherein the second material comprises at least one of gallium nitride (GaN), an aluminum oxide (AlOx) [0079] , a tantalum oxide (TaOx), an yttrium oxide (YOx), a scandium oxide (ScOx), or a niobium oxide (NbOx) . Allowable Subject Matter 12-151-07 AIA 07-97 12-51-07 Claim 16 is allowed. 13-03 AIA The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: Koo teaches a single layer each of the first and second materials, but does not teach additional layers of the first material in context with the rest of the claim . Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.” 07-43 The remaining claims 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. 13-03-01 AIA The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the remaining claims further limit additional layers of the first or second material, which is not shown or made obvious by the cited prior art . Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EVREN SEVEN whose telephone number is (571)270-5666. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:00- 5:00 Pacific. 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. /EVREN SEVEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812 Application/Control Number: 18/397,217 Page 2 Art Unit: 2812
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 27, 2023
Application Filed
Feb 17, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (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
74%
Grant Probability
82%
With Interview (+8.3%)
2y 4m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 723 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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