Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 18/743,574

Air-Replaced Spacer for Self-Aligned Contact Scheme

Non-Final OA

Filed

Jun 14, 2024

Priority

Oct 29, 2019 — provisional 62/927,390 +2 more

Examiner

STEVENSON, ANDRE C

Art Unit

2899

Tech Center

2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems

Assignee

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

Interview Optional

— +7.0% interview lift. Interview lift (+7.0%) is below the 15.0% threshold. A written response is recommended.

Based on 868 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

STEVENSON, ANDRE C View full profile →

Grants 90% — above average

Career Allowance Rate

778 granted / 868 resolved

+21.6% vs TC avg

Moderate +7% lift

Without

With

+7.0%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

2y 3m

Avg Prosecution

35 currently pending

Career history

898

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

0.4%

-39.6% vs TC avg

§103

82.2%

+42.2% vs TC avg

§102

9.6%

-30.4% vs TC avg

§112

1.2%

-38.8% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 868 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Jun 14, 2024

Application Filed

May 29, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

18/131,321

Patent 12685047

Atmospheric Pressure Plasma for Substrate Annealing

3y 3m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

17/941,211

Patent 12677610

METHOD FOR PROCESSING A SUBSTRATE

3y 10m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026

18/173,818

Patent 12666689

LARGE DIMENSION METAL GATE FIELD-EFFECT TRANSISTOR (FET) WITH METAL GATE DUMMY STRUCTURES

3y 4m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026

18/244,100

Patent 12666731

SIMULTANEOUS DUAL-BAND SYSTEMS AND METHODS

2y 9m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026

17/674,297

Patent 12660524

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE, METHOD OF PROCESSING SUBSTRATE, RECORDING MEDIUM, AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS

4y 4m 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.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2

Expected OA Rounds

90%

Grant Probability

97%

With Interview (+7.0%)

2y 3m (~2m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 868 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.