Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 01, 2026
Application No. 18/763,791

Substrate for Semiconductor Fabrication Having Selectively Treated Perimeter and Method of Treating

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Jul 03, 2024
Examiner
VALENZUELA, PATRICIA D
Art Unit
2812
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Applied Materials Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
90%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
92%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 90% — above average
90%
Career Allowance Rate
652 granted / 722 resolved
+22.3% vs TC avg
Minimal +2% lift
Without
With
+2.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 2m
Avg Prosecution
82 currently pending
Career history
804
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.4%
-38.6% vs TC avg
§103
68.2%
+28.2% vs TC avg
§102
15.8%
-24.2% vs TC avg
§112
6.2%
-33.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 722 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
DETAILED ACTION 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 § 103 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action: A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made. Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xiao(USPGPUB DOCUMENT: 2020/0335397, hereinafter Xiao) in view of Pi (USPGPUB DOCUMENT: 2022/0307127, hereinafter Pi). Re claim 1 Xiao discloses a substrate(421) for semiconductor fabrication, comprising: an interior portion(432) bound by a perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421), wherein all of the perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421) form a hardened perimeter[0024](since 421 is tough this may be interpreted as hard) having an increased hardness relative to the interior portion(432). Xiao does not discloses wherein all of the perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421) has been selectively treated to form a hardened perimeter Pi discloses in Fig 4C selectively treated (ion)[0029 of Pi] to form a hardened perimeter It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to apply the teachings of Pi to the teachings of Xiao in order to forming discrete regions of optical device substrates having at least one discrete area of high refractive index or scratch resistant optical material [0002, Pi]. In doing so, wherein all of the perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421) has been selectively treated(ion)[0029 of Pi] to form a hardened perimeter Re claim 2 Xiao and Pi disclose the substrate(421) for semiconductor fabrication [0067]of claim 1, wherein the perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421) has been selectively treated via ion implantation(ion)[0029 of Pi] to form the hardened perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)[0024]. Re claim 3 Xiao and Pi disclose the substrate(421) for semiconductor fabrication [0067]of claim 2, wherein the ion implantation(ion)[0029 of Pi] utilizes one or more of argon, helium, nitrogen, or oxygen. Re claim 4 Xiao and Pi disclose the substrate(421) for semiconductor fabrication [0067]of claim 1, wherein the hardened perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)[0024] extends from an outer edge of the substrate(421) for semiconductor fabrication [0067]towards the interior portion(432) by less than or equal to about 2 mm. Re claim 5 Xiao and Pi disclose the substrate(421) for semiconductor fabrication [0067]of claim 1, wherein the hardened perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)[0024] comprises glass. Re claim 6 Xiao and Pi disclose the substrate(421) for semiconductor fabrication [0067]of claim 1, wherein the hardened perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)[0024] comprises fused silica or a doped fused silica. Re claim 7 Xiao and Pi disclose the substrate(421) for semiconductor fabrication [0067]of claim 1, wherein both a top side and a bottom side of the substrate(421) for semiconductor fabrication [0067]substrate(421) has been selectively treated to form the hardened perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)[0024]. Re claim 8 Xiao discloses a method of treating a substrate(421) for semiconductor fabrication, comprising: selecting a perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421) of the substrate(421) for semiconductor fabrication [0067]to form a hardened perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)[0024] having an increased hardness[0024](since 421 is tough this may be interpreted as hard) relative to an interior portion(432) of the substrate(421) for semiconductor fabrication [0067]bounded by the perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421). Xiao does not discloses treating a perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421) of the substrate(421) for semiconductor fabrication [0067]to form a hardened perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)[0024] Pi discloses in Fig 4C treating the substrate (ion)[0029 of Pi] It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to apply the teachings of Pi to the teachings of Xiao in order to forming discrete regions of optical device substrates having at least one discrete area of high refractive index or scratch resistant optical material [0002, Pi]. In doing so, treating (ion)[0029 of Pi] a perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421) of the substrate(421) for semiconductor fabrication to form a hardened perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)[0024] Re claim 9 Xiao and Pi disclose the method of claim 8, wherein selectively treating the perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421) of the substrate(421) for semiconductor fabrication [0067]comprises ion implantation(ion)[0029 of Pi]. Re claim 10 Xiao and Pi disclose the method of claim 9, wherein the ion implantation(ion)[0029 of Pi] utilizes one or more of argon, helium, nitrogen, or oxygen. Re claim 11 Xiao and Pi disclose the method of claim 9, wherein the ion implantation(ion)[0029 of Pi] utilizes a potential of greater than or equal to about 10 kV, at a power from about 0.1 to 10 mA. Re claim 12 Xiao and Pi disclose the method of claim 9, wherein the ion implantation(ion)[0029 of Pi] utilizes a plurality of ion beams. Re claim 13 Xiao and Pi disclose the method of claim 8, wherein the hardened perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)[0024] extends from an outer edge of the substrate(421) for semiconductor fabrication [0067]towards the interior portion(432) by less than or equal to about 2 mm. Re claim 14 Xiao and Pi disclose the method of claim 8, wherein the hardened perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)[0024] comprises glass, fused silica, or a doped fused silica. Re claim 15 Xiao and Pi disclose the method of claim 8, wherein both a top side and a bottom side of the substrate(421) for semiconductor fabrication [0067]has been selectively treated to form the hardened perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)[0024]. Re claim 16 Xiao and Pi disclose the method of claim 8, further comprising subdividing a base substrate(421) comprising the hardened perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)[0024] by cutting[0047] the base substrate(421) along the hardened perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)[0024] to form the substrate(421) for semiconductor fabrication. Re claim 17 Xiao and Pi disclose the method of claim 16, further comprising processing of the base substrate(421) to form a semiconductor assembly within the hardened perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)[0024] of the substrate(421) for semiconductor fabrication [0067]prior to subdividing the base substrate(421) along the hardened perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)[0024]. Re claim 18 Xiao discloses a method to produce a plurality of semiconductor assemblies, comprising: at least one of a top side and a bottom side of a plurality of portions of a base substrate(421) along a plurality of perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)s, each of the plurality of perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)s outlining a substrate(421) for semiconductor fabrication [0067]within a corresponding portion of the base substrate(421) to form a plurality of hardened perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)[0024]s, each having an increased hardness [0024](since 421 is tough this may be interpreted as hard) relative to an interior portion(432) of each of the outlined plurality of substrate(421)s for semiconductor fabrication [0067]bounded by the corresponding hardened perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)[0024]; processing the base substrate(421) to form a plurality of semiconductor assemblies within each of the hardened perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)[0024]s; and subdividing the base substrate(421) by cutting[0047] along each of the hardened perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)[0024]s to form the plurality of semiconductor assemblies. Xiao does not discloses selectively ion implanting at least one of a top side and a bottom side of a plurality of portions of a base substrate(421) along a plurality of perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)s, each of the plurality of perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)s outlining a substrate(421) for semiconductor fabrication [0067]within a corresponding portion of the base substrate(421) to form a plurality of hardened perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)[0024]s, Pi discloses in Fig 4C selectively ion implanting(ion)[0029 of Pi] at least one of a top side of a plurality of portions of a base substrate It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to apply the teachings of Pi to the teachings of Xiao in order to forming discrete regions of optical device substrates having at least one discrete area of high refractive index or scratch resistant optical material [0002, Pi]. In doing so, selectively ion implanting(ion)[0029 of Pi] at least one of a top side and a bottom side of a plurality of portions of a base substrate(421) along a plurality of perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)s, each of the plurality of perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)s outlining a substrate(421) for semiconductor fabrication [0067]within a corresponding portion of the base substrate(421) to form a plurality of hardened perimeter(from the top down view 432 is bound by 421)[0024]s, Re claim 19 Xiao and Pi disclose the method of claim 18, wherein the base substrate(421) is glass, fused silica, or a doped fused silica. Re claim 20 Xiao and Pi disclose the method of claim 18, wherein the selective ion implanting(ion)[0029 of Pi] utilizes one or more of argon, helium, nitrogen, or oxygen, a potential of greater than or equal to about 10 kV, and a power from about 0.1 to 10 mA. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PATRICIA D VALENZUELA whose telephone number is (571)272-9242. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10am-6pm EST. 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, William Partridge can be reached at 571-270-1402. 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. /PATRICIA D VALENZUELA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 03, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 01, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103
Sep 04, 2026
Interview Requested

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12721165
SEMICONDUCTOR CIRCUIT STRUCTURE WITH DIRECT DIE HEAT REMOVAL STRUCTURE
1y 0m to grant Granted Aug 25, 2026
Patent 12708031
SEMICONDUCTOR PACKAGE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREFOR
3y 1m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12702000
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF
3y 5m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12701980
Layer-By-Layer Formation Of Through-Substrate Via
3y 4m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12701999
SEMICONDUCTOR POWER MODULE
3y 0m to grant Granted Aug 04, 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
90%
Grant Probability
92%
With Interview (+2.0%)
2y 2m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 722 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