Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 19/226,057

COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS USING SAME FOR THERMAL DEPOSITION SILICON-CONTAINING FILMS

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Jun 02, 2025
Priority
May 21, 2019 — provisional 62/850,717 +2 more
Examiner
MILLER, MICHAEL G
Art Unit
1712
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Versum Materials US LLC
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
52%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 8m
Est. Remaining
68%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 52% of resolved cases
52%
Career Allowance Rate
336 granted / 646 resolved
-13.0% vs TC avg
Strong +16% interview lift
Without
With
+15.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
4y 0m
Avg Prosecution
24 currently pending
Career history
667
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
64.3%
+24.3% vs TC avg
§102
14.6%
-25.4% vs TC avg
§112
17.9%
-22.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 646 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 § 102 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 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) 1-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by KR ‘045 (KR 20110003045, original and translation of record in the application). Claim 1 – KR ‘045 teaches a composition for depositing a silicon-containing film using a deposition process, wherein the composition comprises: at least one silicon precursor having a structure represented by Formula I: R1nSi(NR2R3)m(NCO)4-m-n wherein R1 is independently selected from hydrogen, a linear C1 to C6 alkyl group, a branched C3 to C6 alkyl group, a C3 to C6 cyclic alkyl group, aC2 to C6 alkenyl group, a C3 to C6 alkynyl group, and a C4 to C10 aryl group; R2 and R3 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a C1 to C6 linear alkyl group, a branched C3 to C6 alkyl group, a C3 to C6 cyclic alkyl group, a C2 to C6 alkenyl group, a C3 to C6 alkynyl group, and a C4 to C10 aryl group, and may or may not be linked to form a cyclic ring structure; n = 0, 1, or 2; and m = 0, 1, 2, or 3, wherein n + m = 0, 1,2 or 3 (see claim 1; paragraphs [0052], [0053]; experimental example). Claim 2 – KR ‘045 teaches the composition of claim 1 wherein the composition is substantially free of one or more impurities selected from the group consisting of halide compounds, metal ions, metal, and combinations thereof (as above, if X is selected as hydrogen, the disclosed formulas exclude halides). Claim 3 – KR ‘045 teaches the composition of claim 2, wherein the halide compounds comprise chloride-containing species (as above, X may be chlorine). Claim 4 – KR ‘045 teaches the composition of claim 3, wherein the chloride concentration is less than 50 ppm measured by IC or ICP-MS (as Claim 2, if X is hydrogen, chloride is specifically excluded). Claim 5 – KR ‘045 teaches the composition of claim 4, wherein the chloride concentration is less than 10 ppm measured by IC or ICP-MS (as Claim 2, if X is hydrogen, chloride is specifically excluded). Claim 6 – KR ‘045 teaches the composition of claim 5, wherein the chloride concentration is less than 5 ppm measured by IC or ICP-MS (as Claim 2, if X is hydrogen, chloride is specifically excluded).. Claim 7 – KR ‘045 teaches the composition of claim 1, wherein n = 0 (as Claim 1, n may be zero). Claim 8 – KR ‘045 teaches the composition of claim 1, which is selected from the group consisting of dimethylaminotriisocyanatosilane, diethylaminotriisocyanatosilane, di- iso-propylaminotriisocyanatosilane, di-sec-butylaminotriisocyanatosilane, pyrrolidinotriisocyanatosilane and tetraisocyanatosilane (as Claim 1, selection of groups commensurate with the claimed compounds is expressly recited). Claim 9 – KR ‘045 teaches the composition of claim 1, wherein R1 is methyl and n = 1 (as Claim 1, selection of groups commensurate with the claimed compounds is expressly recited). Claim 10 – KR ‘045 teaches an atomic layer deposition apparatus (1) comprising: a reaction chamber (10); and a material supply pipe (30) providing a silicon compound raw material, a reaction gas comprising steam (H2O) or ozone, and an organic base group such as pyridine, simultaneously or sequentially with the reaction gas (see paragraphs [0038]-[0040], [0049]; figure 1). The compound of Claim 1 is disclosed as above. Claim 11 – KR ‘045 teaches an atomic layer deposition apparatus (1) comprising: a reaction chamber (10); and a material supply pipe (30) providing a silicon compound raw material, a reaction gas comprising steam (H2O) or ozone, and an organic base group such as pyridine, simultaneously or sequentially with the reaction gas (see paragraphs [0038]-[0040], [0049]; figure 1, pyrrole and epoxides disclosed together, epoxides comprise oxygen). Claim 12 – KR ‘045 teaches the apparatus of claim 10, wherein the oxygen source is selected from the group consisting of water vapor, hydrogen peroxide, and mixtures thereof (PG 9938-0040, 0049). Claim 13 – KR ‘045 teaches the apparatus of claim 11, wherein the oxygen source is selected from the group consisting of water vapor, hydrogen peroxide, and mixtures thereof (PG 9938-0040, 0049). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL G MILLER whose telephone number is (571)270-1861. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00-5:30 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, Michael Cleveland can be reached at 571-272-1418. 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. /MICHAEL G MILLER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1712
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jun 02, 2025
Application Filed
Jun 17, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
52%
Grant Probability
68%
With Interview (+15.8%)
4y 0m (~2y 8m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 646 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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