Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 18/948,746

METHOD OF OPERATING AN INTEGRATED CIRCUIT AND INTEGRATED CIRCUIT

Non-Final OA

Filed

Nov 15, 2024

Priority

Jul 14, 2020 — provisional 63/051,656 +2 more

Examiner

PHAM, LY D

Art Unit

2827

Tech Center

2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems

Assignee

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

Interview Optional

— +3.3% interview lift. Interview lift (+3.3%) is below the 15.0% threshold. A written response is recommended.

Based on 1032 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

PHAM, LY D View full profile →

Grants 94% — above average

Career Allowance Rate

970 granted / 1032 resolved

+26.0% vs TC avg

Minimal +3% lift

Without

With

+3.3%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Fast prosecutor

1y 8m

Avg Prosecution

24 currently pending

Career history

1046

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

8.5%

-31.5% vs TC avg

§103

34.1%

-5.9% vs TC avg

§102

36.5%

-3.5% vs TC avg

§112

6.9%

-33.1% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1032 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 15, 2024

Application Filed

May 08, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

18/747,448

Patent 12685232

STACKED SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE

2y 0m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

18/377,751

Patent 12676184

VOLTAGE REGULATOR, MEMORY DEVICE INCLUDING VOLTAGE REGULATOR, AND OPERATION METHOD OF MEMORY DEVICE

2y 9m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026

18/757,422

Patent 12676200

SELECTIVE USE OF A WORD LINE MONITORING PROCEDURE FOR RELIABILITY-RISK WORD LINES

2y 0m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026

18/784,022

Patent 12676198

ALTERNATIVE ERASE SCHEMES FOR RELIABILITY-RISK WORD LINES

1y 11m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026

18/942,990

Patent 12677408

MEMORY DEVICE USING SEMICONDUCTOR ELEMENT

1y 7m to grant Granted Jul 07, 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

94%

Grant Probability

97%

With Interview (+3.3%)

1y 8m (~0m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 1032 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.