Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 18/975,419

RECOMBINATION CHANNELS FOR ANGLE CONTROL OF NEUTRAL REACTIVE SPECIES

Non-Final OA

Filed

Dec 10, 2024

Priority

May 13, 2022 — divisional of 17/744,000

Examiner

KENDALL, BENJAMIN R

Art Unit

2896

Tech Center

2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems

Assignee

Applied Materials Inc.

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

This examiner grants 32% of cases after interview

— +23.3% interview lift. A telephonic interview to clarify the technical implementation could significantly improve the outcome.

Based on 477 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

KENDALL, BENJAMIN R View full profile →

Grants only 32% of cases

Career Allowance Rate

155 granted / 477 resolved

-35.5% vs TC avg

Strong +23% interview lift

Without

With

+23.3%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

3y 11m

Avg Prosecution

36 currently pending

Career history

520

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

0.2%

-39.8% vs TC avg

§103

94.8%

+54.8% vs TC avg

§102

4.4%

-35.6% vs TC avg

§112

0.5%

-39.5% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 477 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 10, 2024

Application Filed

Apr 17, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

18/806,917

Patent 12680168

MULTIPLE-CHAMBER REACTOR FOR SELECTIVE DEPOSITION OF SILICON NITRIDE AND METHOD OF USING SAME

1y 11m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

18/456,765

Patent 12660557

SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD

2y 9m to grant Granted Jun 16, 2026

18/378,251

Patent 12652973

DELAYED PULSING FOR PLASMA PROCESSING OF WAFERS

2y 8m to grant Granted Jun 09, 2026

18/380,220

Patent 12646694

CONTINUOUS PLASMA PROCESSING SYSTEM WITH ADJUSTABLE ELECTRODE

2y 7m to grant Granted Jun 02, 2026

18/476,701

Patent 12648396

WAFER PLACEMENT TABLE

2y 8m to grant Granted Jun 02, 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

32%

Grant Probability

56%

With Interview (+23.3%)

3y 11m (~2y 4m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 477 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.