Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 18/627,065

PLASMA SHOWERHEAD ASSEMBLY

Non-Final OA

Filed

Apr 04, 2024

Examiner

CHEN, KEATH T

Art Unit

Tech Center

Assignee

Applied Materials Inc.

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

This examiner grants 30% of cases after interview

— +24.6% interview lift. A telephonic interview to clarify the technical implementation could significantly improve the outcome.

Based on 1149 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

CHEN, KEATH T View full profile →

Grants only 30% of cases

Career Allowance Rate

348 granted / 1149 resolved

-29.7% vs TC avg

Strong +25% interview lift

Without

With

+24.6%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

3y 8m

Avg Prosecution

66 currently pending

Career history

1219

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

0.2%

-39.8% vs TC avg

§103

94.3%

+54.3% vs TC avg

§102

1.8%

-38.2% vs TC avg

§112

1.1%

-38.9% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1149 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Apr 04, 2024

Application Filed

May 22, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

17/852,086

Patent 12651727

MODULAR MICROWAVE PLASMA SOURCE

3y 11m to grant Granted Jun 09, 2026

16/705,963

Patent 12624454

IN SITU FAILURE DETECTION IN SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING CHAMBERS

6y 5m to grant Granted May 12, 2026

18/314,231

Patent 12606900

DEPOSITION APPARATUS AND DEPOSITION METHOD USING DEPOSITION APPARATUS

2y 11m to grant Granted Apr 21, 2026

18/323,346

Patent 12606901

DEPOSITION APPARATUS

2y 11m to grant Granted Apr 21, 2026

17/853,377

Patent 12601058

Substrate Processing Apparatus, Method of Manufacturing Semiconductor Device and Non-transitory Computer-readable Recording Medium

3y 9m to grant Granted Apr 14, 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

30%

Grant Probability

55%

With Interview (+24.6%)

3y 8m (~1y 5m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 1149 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.