Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/767,458

FABRICATION OF GATE-ALL-AROUND INTEGRATED CIRCUIT STRUCTURES HAVING ADJACENT ISLAND STRUCTURES

Non-Final OA §102§Other
Filed
Jul 09, 2024
Priority
Sep 18, 2020 — continuation of 12/068,314
Examiner
HARRISTON, WILLIAM A
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Intel Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
90%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 90% — above average
90%
Career Allowance Rate
965 granted / 1078 resolved
+29.5% vs TC avg
Moderate +8% lift
Without
With
+8.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 2m
Avg Prosecution
19 currently pending
Career history
1094
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.4%
-39.6% vs TC avg
§103
45.9%
+5.9% vs TC avg
§102
33.5%
-6.5% vs TC avg
§112
5.2%
-34.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1078 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §Other
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 . Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statements filed on 06/27/2025, 07/10/2024, 11/25/2025 and 03/06/2026 have been considered. Drawings The drawings filed on 07/09/2024 are acceptable. Specification The abstract of the disclosure and the specification filed on 07/09/2024 are acceptable. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action: A person shall be entitled to a patent unless – (a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 1-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Suh (US 2020/0381427). Regarding claims 1 and 9, Suh discloses: An integrated circuit structure, comprising: a semiconductor island (114, ¶0027) on a semiconductor substrate (102, ¶0014); and a nanowire (N2, ¶0036) above a fin (FA, ¶0036), the fin protruding from the semiconductor substrate (102), wherein a channel region of the nanowire is electrically isolated from the fin (¶0057), and wherein the semiconductor island (114) has an uppermost surface above an uppermost surface of the nanowire (N1). Regarding claims 2 and 10, Suh further discloses: a second nanowire (N3, ¶0036) above the nanowire (N1). Regarding claims 3 and 11, Suh further discloses: a second nanowire (N1) below the nanowire. Regarding claims 4 and 12, Suh further discloses: wherein the semiconductor island(114) and the nanowire (N2) comprise a same semiconductor material (silicon, ¶0014, ¶0022, ¶0025). Regarding claim 5 and 13, Suh further discloses: a gate stack (150, ¶0054) over the nanowire (N2). Regarding claims 6 and 14, Suh further discloses: a first epitaxial source or drain structure (160, ¶0060) at a first end of the nanowire; and a second epitaxial source or drain structure (160) at a second end of the nanowire, the second end laterally opposite the first end. Regarding claims 7 and 15, Suh further discloses: a first conductive contact (192) on the first epitaxial source or drain structure; a second conductive contact (192) on the second epitaxial source or drain structure; and a third conductive contact (194) on the semiconductor island (¶0062). Regarding claims 8 and 16, Suh further discloses: wherein the second fin (FA) is electrically coupled to the semiconductor island (114). Claim(s) 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Guha (US 2021/0184014). Regarding claim 17, Guha (US 2021/0184014) discloses: A computing device (900, ¶0131), comprising: a board (902, ¶0131); and a component (904, ¶0131) coupled to the board (902) the component including an integrated circuit structure, comprising: a semiconductor island (220, ¶0032) on a semiconductor substrate; and a nanowire (206 (¶0032) above a fin (204, ¶0032), the fin protruding from the semiconductor substrate (202), wherein a channel region of the nanowire (206) is electrically isolated (with dielectric 214, ¶0032) from the fin (204), and wherein the semiconductor island (220) has an uppermost surface above an uppermost surface of the nanowire (206). Regarding claim 18, Guha further discloses: a memory (¶0132) coupled to the board (902). Regarding claim 19, Guha further discloses: a communication chip (906, ¶0133) coupled to the board (902) Regarding claim 20, Guha further discloses: wherein the component is a packaged integrated circuit die (¶0134). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM A HARRISTON whose telephone number is (571)270-3897. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri, 9AM-5PM. 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, Brent Fairbanks can be reached at (408) 918-7532. 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. /WILLIAM A HARRISTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2899
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 09, 2024
Application Filed
Sep 23, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §Other (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12751077
FLIP-CHIP FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTOR LAYOUTS AND STRUCTURES
3y 7m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12751326
STACKED CHIP SCALE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE
3y 2m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12745478
RADIATION DETECTOR FOR POSITION-RESOLVED DETECTION OF RADIATION
2y 5m to grant Granted Sep 22, 2026
Patent 12740420
STRUCTURE FOR DELAMINATION MITIGATION IN A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE
3y 1m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12740441
SEMICONDUCTOR PACKAGE
2y 9m to grant Granted Sep 15, 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
98%
With Interview (+8.5%)
2y 2m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1078 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