Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/563,841

MANIPULATION OF CARRIER TRANSPORT BEHAVIOR IN DETECTOR

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Nov 22, 2023
Priority
May 27, 2021 — provisional 63/194,137 +1 more
Examiner
STOFFA, WYATT A
Art Unit
2881
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
ASML Holding N.V.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
80%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 80% — above average
80%
Career Allowance Rate
819 granted / 1029 resolved
+11.6% vs TC avg
Strong +23% interview lift
Without
With
+23.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 3m
Avg Prosecution
61 currently pending
Career history
1109
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.8%
-39.2% vs TC avg
§103
60.6%
+20.6% vs TC avg
§102
10.0%
-30.0% vs TC avg
§112
21.7%
-18.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1029 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 Election/Restrictions Claims 10-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 2/23/26. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 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. Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2021/0043416 A1 [Wang]. Regarding Claim 1: Wang discloses a charged particle detector (para 7) comprising: a plurality of sensing elements formed in a substrate (Fig. 4 (301, 302, 303, et al)), wherein a sensing element of the plurality of sensing elements( either Fig. 13 (800), para 83; or Fig. 5 (3000)) is formed of a first region on a first side of the substrate ((810) or (3020)), and a second region on a second side of the substrate ((830) or (3040)), the second side being opposite to the first side (as shown in Figs. 13 and 5); a plurality of third regions formed on the second side of the substrate, the third regions including one or more circuit components ((841)- the circuit component of which is a CMOS; or (3001)- the circuit component being a MOSFET) an array of fourth regions formed on the second side of the substrate, the array of fourth regions being between adjacent third regions ((842) or (850) or (3002)). Regarding Claim 2: Since conductivity in a doped semiconductor is a function of a number of factors such as bias, illumination, etc, the claim limitations to first and second conductivities are interpreted to describe the doping of the semiconductor materials. This is consistent with instant PgPub para 164. Wang discloses charged particle detector of claim 1, wherein the first region includes semiconductor material of a first conductivity (para 84 – p type), the second region includes semiconductor material of a second conductivity (para 84 – n type), the third region includes semiconductor material of the first conductivity (para 85– p type), and the array of fourth regions includes semiconductor material of the second conductivity (para 84 – n type). Regarding Claim 3: Wang discloses the charged particle detector of claim 1, wherein the first region includes p type semiconductor (para 84), the second region includes n type semiconductor (para 84), the third region includes p type semiconductor (para 85), and the fourth region includes n type semiconductor (para 85). Regarding Claim 4: Wang discloses the charged particle detector of claim 1, wherein the second region is adjacent to the first region. As shown in Fig. 13. Regarding Claim 5: Wang discloses the charged particle detector of claim 1, wherein the sensing element includes a PIN diode. Paras 55-59. Regarding Claim 6: Wang discloses the charged particle detector of claim 1, wherein the array of fourth regions is connected by a wiring path. Fig. 15 (419). Regarding Claim 7: Wang discloses the charged particle detector of claim 1, wherein the array of fourth regions is connected by a bridge portion. Fig. 15 (419) acts as a bridge portion since it connects the components of a sensor region to the other sensor outside of the sensor itself. Regarding Claim 8: Wang discloses the charged particle detector of claim 1, wherein the array of fourth regions includes electrodes configured to collect carriers generated in the sensing element. (850), para 84. Regarding Claim 9: Wang discloses the charged particle detector of claim 1, wherein the one or more circuit components include transistors. Both the CMOS and MOSFET embodiments of Wang meet this limitation. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WYATT A STOFFA whose telephone number is (571)270-1782. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 0700-1600 EST. 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, ROBERT KIM can be reached at 571 272 2293. 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. WYATT STOFFA Primary Examiner Art Unit 2881 /WYATT A STOFFA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2881
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Prosecution Timeline

Nov 22, 2023
Application Filed
Apr 20, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

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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
80%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+23.0%)
2y 3m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1029 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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