Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Application No. 18/757,659

SEMICONDUCTOR STRUCTURE HAVING BOTH GATE-ALL-AROUND DEVICES AND PLANAR DEVICES

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Jun 28, 2024
Priority
Apr 24, 2019 — divisional of 10/971,630 +3 more
Examiner
GEBREMARIAM, SAMUEL A
Art Unit
2811
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
83%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
10m
Est. Remaining
92%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 83% — above average
83%
Career Allowance Rate
690 granted / 830 resolved
+15.1% vs TC avg
Moderate +9% lift
Without
With
+8.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
13 currently pending
Career history
847
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.9%
-39.1% vs TC avg
§103
61.2%
+21.2% vs TC avg
§102
17.2%
-22.8% vs TC avg
§112
9.9%
-30.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 830 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a): (a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention. The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112: The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. The limitations “dielectric structure” as recited in claim 1, “a second dielectric structure” as recited in claim 6, a “dielectric structure” as recited in claim 9, “the dielectric structure” as recited in claims 10 and 13, “a first dielectric structure”… “a second dielectric structure” as recited in claim 14, “a first dielectric structure”, “a second dielectric structure” as recited in claim 16 and “a third dielectric structure” as recited in claim 20 do not have support in the disclosure as originally filed. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SAMUEL A GEBREMARIAM whose telephone number is (571)272-1653. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30-4PM. 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, Lynne Gurley can be reached at 571-272-1670. 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. /SAMUEL A GEBREMARIAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2811
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jun 28, 2024
Application Filed
Dec 27, 2025
Non-Final Rejection (signed) — §112
Feb 09, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
May 11, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
May 11, 2026
Response Filed

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12641930
LIGHT-EMITTING DEVICE
2y 4m to grant Granted May 26, 2026
Patent 12628408
METAL FILM AND MANUFACTURING METHOD OF THE METAL FILM, AND SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE
3y 0m to grant Granted May 12, 2026
Patent 12628391
METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR AND SEMICONDUCTOR
2y 5m to grant Granted May 12, 2026
Patent 12622123
METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING AN OPTOELECTRONIC DEVICE
3y 2m to grant Granted May 05, 2026
Patent 12622106
LIGHT EMITTING DISPLAY APPARATUS AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME
3y 1m to grant Granted May 05, 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
83%
Grant Probability
92%
With Interview (+8.8%)
2y 9m (~10m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 830 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month