Last updated: July 05, 2026

Application No. 18/539,083

MODULAR PROCESSING CHAMBERS AND RELATED HEATING CONFIGURATIONS, METHODS, APPARATUS, AND MODULES FOR SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING

Non-Final OA

Filed

Dec 13, 2023

Examiner

MILLER, JR, JOSEPH ALBERT

Art Unit

1712

Tech Center

1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering

Assignee

Applied Materials Inc.

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

Interview Optional

— +16.3% interview lift. Interview already conducted in this application's prosecution history. This examiner has a 68% grant rate with +16.3% interview lift. Since an interview has already been tried, recommend written response with narrowed claims based on precedent claim evolution patterns.

Based on 1257 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

MILLER, JR, JOSEPH ALBERT View full profile →

Grants 68% — above average

Career Allowance Rate

857 granted / 1257 resolved

+3.2% vs TC avg

Strong +16% interview lift

Without

With

+16.3%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

2y 9m

Avg Prosecution

38 currently pending

Career history

1294

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

0.2%

-39.8% vs TC avg

§103

88.1%

+48.1% vs TC avg

§102

3.1%

-36.9% vs TC avg

§112

5.7%

-34.3% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1257 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 13, 2023

Application Filed

Apr 01, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed

Jun 03, 2026

Interview Requested

Jun 11, 2026

Examiner Interview (Telephonic)

Jun 11, 2026

Examiner Interview Summary

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

18/537,044

Patent 12668869

EVAPORATION SOURCE FOR VACUUM EVAPORATION APPARATUS

2y 6m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026

17/954,960

Patent 12660518

SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE USING THE SAME

3y 8m to grant Granted Jun 16, 2026

17/968,561

Patent 12655521

INJECTION MODULE FOR A PROCESS CHAMBER

3y 8m to grant Granted Jun 16, 2026

17/995,292

Patent 12655516

SEAM MITIGATION AND INTEGRATED LINER FOR GAP FILL

3y 8m to grant Granted Jun 16, 2026

18/156,102

Patent 12655523

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTO CORRECTION OF SUBSTRATE MISALIGNMENT

3y 5m to grant Granted Jun 16, 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.

Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

1-2

Expected OA Rounds

68%

Grant Probability

84%

With Interview (+16.3%)

2y 9m (~2m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 1257 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

MODULAR PROCESSING CHAMBERS AND RELATED HEATING CONFIGURATIONS, METHODS, APPARATUS, AND MODULES FOR SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING

Interview Optional

Examiner Intelligence

Statute-Specific Performance

Prosecution Timeline

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Prosecution Projections

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