Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 18/703,127

ISOTROPIC THERMAL ATOMIC LAYER ETCH OF ZIRCONIUM AND HAFNIUM OXIDES

Non-Final OA

Filed

Apr 19, 2024

Priority

Dec 17, 2021 — provisional 63/290,762 +1 more

Examiner

DEO, DUY VU NGUYEN

Art Unit

1713

Tech Center

1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering

Assignee

Merck Patent GmbH

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

Interview Optional

— +6.9% interview lift. Interview already conducted in this application's prosecution history. This examiner has a 82% grant rate with +6.9% interview lift. Since an interview has already been tried, recommend written response with narrowed claims based on precedent claim evolution patterns.

Based on 1038 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

DEO, DUY VU NGUYEN View full profile →

Grants 82% — above average

Career Allowance Rate

855 granted / 1038 resolved

+17.4% vs TC avg

Moderate +7% lift

Without

With

+6.9%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

2y 4m

Avg Prosecution

31 currently pending

Career history

1056

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

0.3%

-39.7% vs TC avg

§103

60.9%

+20.9% vs TC avg

§102

3.1%

-36.9% vs TC avg

§112

13.2%

-26.8% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1038 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Apr 19, 2024

Application Filed

May 21, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed

Jul 08, 2026

Applicant Interview (Telephonic)

Jul 08, 2026

Examiner Interview Summary

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

17/973,903

Patent 12665171

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SELECTIVELY REMOVING MATERIAL AT AN EDGE OF A SUBSTRATE

3y 8m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026

17/860,049

Patent 12652976

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SILICON MICROSTRUCTURES FABRICATED VIA GREYSCALE DRIE WITH SOI RELEASE

3y 11m to grant Granted Jun 09, 2026

18/300,859

Patent 12645145

ADDITIVE FOR LITHOGRAPHY

3y 1m to grant Granted Jun 02, 2026

18/684,241

Patent 12644017

SLURRY COMPOSITION FOR METAL POLISHING

2y 3m to grant Granted Jun 02, 2026

17/939,645

Patent 12637635

SURFACE TREATMENT COMPOSITION, METHOD FOR PRODUCING SURFACE TREATMENT COMPOSITION, SURFACE TREATMENT METHOD, AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SEMICONDUCTOR SUBSTRATE

3y 8m to grant Granted May 26, 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

89%

With Interview (+6.9%)

2y 4m (~1m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 1038 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.