Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/516,745

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES AND CORRESPONDING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Nov 21, 2023
Priority
Nov 30, 2022 — IT 102022000024642
Examiner
MIYOSHI, JESSE Y
Art Unit
2898
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
STMicroelectronics N.V.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
57%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
11m
Est. Remaining
76%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 57% of resolved cases
57%
Career Allowance Rate
276 granted / 484 resolved
-11.0% vs TC avg
Strong +19% interview lift
Without
With
+18.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 7m
Avg Prosecution
30 currently pending
Career history
541
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
75.6%
+35.6% vs TC avg
§102
16.0%
-24.0% vs TC avg
§112
5.2%
-34.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 484 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . Election/Restrictions Applicant’s election without traverse of group II, device embodiment 1 as shown in figs. 6, 7 (claims 10-20, and new claims 21-29 readable thereon) in the reply filed on 5/1/2026 is acknowledged. Upon further consideration, claims 10-20, 28, and 29 are withdrawn since they are drawn to a non-elected embodiment. Since claims 10 and 14 requires the die pad to be exposed from the first mass of the encapsulation material and the fourth (bottom) surface of the lead is exposed from the first encapsulation material, respectively, and these claims are directed to figs. 8 and 9, these claims and their dependents are withdrawn from consideration. Claim Objections Claim 21 is objected to because of the following informalities: claim 21 recites “from the the first” at the last line of the claim, the extra “the” should be deleted. Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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. (a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 21-27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Shah et al. (US PGPub 2024/0170357; hereinafter “Shah”). Re claim 21: Shah teaches a device, comprising: a leadframe (101, 108; e.g. paragraph 17) including a die pad (101) and a lead (108) spaced apart from the die pad (101); a semiconductor die (die 102; e.g. paragraph 17) on the die pad (101); a first encapsulation material (molding material 110 between the outer edges of the two 108; e.g. paragraph 17; hereinafter “110-1”) on the die pad (101) and on the semiconductor die (102); and a film (second film layer 144; e.g. paragraph 17) including a first portion (portion 144 on 101; hereinafter “1P”) on a respective surface (bottom surface of 101) of the die pad (101) that is exposed from the first encapsulation material (110-1) and a second portion (portion of 144 on 108; hereinafter “2P”) on a respective surface (bottom surface of 108) of the lead (108) exposed from the the first encapsulation material (110-1). Re claim 22: Shah teaches the device of claim 21, wherein a second encapsulation material (molding material 110 outwardly beyond 110-1; e.g. paragraph 17; hereinafter “110-2”) is on the film (144) and at least partially covers the film (144). Re claim 23: Shah teaches the device of claim 22, wherein the film (144) further includes a third portion (portion of 144 between 1P and 2P; hereinafter “3P”) that is on the first encapsulation material (110-1), and the film (144) is between the first encapsulation material (110-1) and the second encapsulation material (110-2). Re claim 24: Shah teaches the device of claim 23, wherein the third portion (3P) of the film (144) extends from the first portion (1P) to the second portion (2P) and is transverse to the first portion (1P) and the second portion (2P). Re claim 25: Shah teaches the device of claim 21, wherein the die pad (101) has a downset (electrically downset) with respect to the lead (108). Re claim 26: Shah teaches the device of claim 21, further comprising one or more wires (wire bonds 107; e.g. paragraph 17) coupling the semiconductor die (102) to the lead (108), wherein the one or more wires (107) are within the first encapsulation material (110-1). Re claim 27: Shah teaches the device of claim 21, wherein the first encapsulation material (110-1) and the second encapsulation material (110-2) are different encapsulation materials (110-1 and 110-2 are in different regions and are therefore different encapsulation materials). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JESSE Y MIYOSHI whose telephone number is (571)270-1629. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 8:30AM-5:00PM. 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, Jessica Manno can be reached at 571-272-2339. 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. /JESSE Y MIYOSHI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2898
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 21, 2023
Application Filed
Jun 24, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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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
57%
Grant Probability
76%
With Interview (+18.7%)
3y 7m (~11m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 484 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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