Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 18/671,184

FORMATION OF MEMORY DEVICE CHANNEL HOLES USING DOPED FILM LAYER

Non-Final OA

Filed

May 22, 2024

Priority

Jun 02, 2023 — provisional 63/470,647

Examiner

CULBERT, ROBERTS P

Art Unit

1716

Tech Center

1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering

Assignee

Applied Materials Inc.

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

Interview Optional

— -3.5% interview lift. Interview lift (-3.5%) is below the 15.0% threshold. A written response is recommended.

Based on 816 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

CULBERT, ROBERTS P View full profile →

Grants 82% — above average

Career Allowance Rate

666 granted / 816 resolved

+16.6% vs TC avg

Minimal -4% lift

Without

With

+-3.5%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

2y 4m

Avg Prosecution

26 currently pending

Career history

839

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

0.9%

-39.1% vs TC avg

§103

63.6%

+23.6% vs TC avg

§102

14.8%

-25.2% vs TC avg

§112

3.5%

-36.5% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 816 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

May 22, 2024

Application Filed

Apr 22, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

17/553,811

Patent 12685058

POLISHING LIQUID AND CHEMICAL MECHANICAL POLISHING METHOD

4y 7m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

17/985,021

Patent 12679997

AMINE-BASED COMPOSITIONS FOR USE IN CMP WITH HIGH POLYSILICON RATE

3y 8m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

18/174,208

Patent 12677618

COMPOSITION AND METHOD FOR TREATING SUBSTRATE

3y 4m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026

18/733,506

Patent 12672524

HARD MASK STRESS MODULATION USING LOW ENERGY IMPLANT

2y 0m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026

18/560,321

Patent 12663567

METHOD FOR FABRICATING A BLAZED GRATING

2y 7m to grant Granted Jun 23, 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

82%

Grant Probability

78%

With Interview (-3.5%)

2y 4m (~2m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 816 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.