Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
Technology areas: Chemistry & Materials • Semiconductors, Circuits & Optics
138 pending office actions • 34 art units • 93 examiners • 0 of 138 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 211 patents granted in the last 365 days
ASM IP Holding B.V. maintains 135 pending office actions in the Chemistry & Materials technology area. These actions are distributed among 94 distinct examiners and 34 distinct art units. MCCLURE, CHRISTINA D is the busiest examiner with 6 busiest examiner pending actions. The 34 distinct art units indicate that the company's chemical and material innovations are concentrated in a specific set of technical groups.
The ratio of 135 pending office actions to 94 distinct examiners suggests that several examiners are responsible for multiple applications. This concentration requires a coordinated approach to ensure consistent claim construction across the 94 distinct examiners. The 6 busiest examiner pending actions assigned to MCCLURE, CHRISTINA D represent a portion of the 135 pending office actions. Practitioners should monitor the tendencies of the busiest examiners to optimize prosecution strategy.
Managing 135 pending office actions across 34 distinct art units requires an understanding of the specific technical standards applied by each group. Because the 94 distinct examiners are spread across these units, there is variety in the technical scrutiny applied to the applications. This structure requires a strategy that accounts for both individual examiner preferences and art unit trends. The 34 distinct art units highlight the technical focus of the company's current patent filings.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 33 of the docket's apps have a known mailing date; the rest are excluded from the tile counts.
Every pending office action with a known statutory deadline, placed on a days-until-due axis. Dots left of Today are overdue; the further right, the more runway. Cases that share a deadline window stack vertically. 33 of the docket's apps have a known mailing date.
Difficulty is derived from the rejection statutes on the most recent pending office action. §101-driven and multi-statute cases are graded Hard; §112-only and obviousness-type double-patenting cases are graded Easy; everything else is Medium. "Unknown" means we have not yet parsed a statute for that office action.
| Bucket | Cases |
|---|---|
| §103 only | 65 (47%) |
| §102 only | 1 (1%) |
| §112 only | 1 (1%) |
| Double-patenting only | 1 (1%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 6 (4%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 64 (46%) |
How the docket's pending cases split across USPTO tech-center bands.
Manual office-action response work runs about 10 hours per case. The time-saved bands below show what IP Author's prosecution pipeline typically delivers — a conservative 20% on the low end, 35% in the middle, 50% on the high end.
| Examiner | Apps on this docket | Allow rate | Interview lift |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCCLURE, CHRISTINA D | 6 | 29.7% | +32.8% |
| HERNANDEZ-KENNEY, JOSE | 5 | 54.6% | +22.6% |
| SWEELY, KURT D | 5 | 52.6% | +34.0% |
| TADAYYON ESLAMI, TABASSOM | 4 | 49.4% | +26.7% |
| FORD, NATHAN K | 4 | 32.8% | +35.4% |
| MAYY, MOHAMMAD | 3 | 48.5% | +23.2% |
| MILLER, MICHAEL G | 3 | 52.0% | +15.8% |
| ROLLAND, ALEX A | 3 | 47.8% | +26.8% |
| BRATLAND JR, KENNETH A | 3 | 56.1% | +16.2% |
| NUCKOLS, TIFFANY Z | 3 | 45.5% | +40.1% |
Multi-statute / §101-driven matters, or cases in front of an examiner with an allow rate under 30%. The top 8 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18131279 | GAS-PHASE METHOD OF FORMING RADIATION-SENSITIVE PATTERNABLE MATERIAL | LEE, ALEXANDER N | 25d overdue |
| 18925862 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DEPOSITING METAL PHOSPHIDE | TUROCY, DAVID P | 19d overdue |
| 18644475 | METHODS OF FORMING STRUCTURES INCLUDING SILICON GERMANIUM AND SILICON LAYERS, DEVICES FORMED USING THE METHODS, AND SYSTEMS FOR PERFORMING THE METHODS | HERNANDEZ-KENNEY, JOSE | 9d overdue |
| 17900065 | METHOD OF FORMING AN UNDERLAYER FOR EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET (EUV) DOSE REDUCTION AND STRUCTURE INCLUDING SAME | ANGEBRANNDT, MARTIN J | 5d overdue |
| 17457605 | HIGH PERFORMANCE SUSCEPTOR APPARATUS | NUCKOLS, TIFFANY Z | 3d overdue |
| 18402950 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR FORMING STRUCTURES COMPRISING A THRESHOLD VOLTAGE TUNING LAYER | JUNGE, BRYAN R. | 12d |
| 17871048 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING PRECURSOR DELIVERY TO A PROCESS CHAMBER | THOMAS, BINU | 14d |
| 18110403 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROCESSING THE SURFACE OF AN EPITAXIALLY GROWN SILICON FILM USING A RADICAL SPECIES | QI, HUA | 21d |
Cases in front of an examiner whose interview lift is 10 percentage points or more — i.e. interviewed cases historically resolve more favorably than non-interviewed ones. The top 8 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17942318 | AIR GAP FORMING METHOD AND SELECTIVE DEPOSITION METHOD | ROLLAND, ALEX A | 22d overdue |
| 18644475 | METHODS OF FORMING STRUCTURES INCLUDING SILICON GERMANIUM AND SILICON LAYERS, DEVICES FORMED USING THE METHODS, AND SYSTEMS FOR PERFORMING THE METHODS | HERNANDEZ-KENNEY, JOSE | 9d overdue |
| 17457605 | HIGH PERFORMANCE SUSCEPTOR APPARATUS | NUCKOLS, TIFFANY Z | 3d overdue |
| 17842007 | REACTOR SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FORMING A LAYER COMPRISING INDIUM GALLIUM ZINC OXIDE | TADAYYON ESLAMI, TABASSOM | 21d |
| 18596144 | REACTANT VAPORIZER AND RELATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS | TADAYYON ESLAMI, TABASSOM | 28d |
| 17990776 | METHOD OF FORMING SIOC AND SIOCN LOW-K SPACERS | MCCLURE, CHRISTINA D | 28d |
| 18787053 | PROTECTED METALLIC COMPONENTS, REACTION CHAMBERS INCLUDING PROTECTED METALLIC COMPONENTS, AND METHODS FOR FORMING AND UTILIZING PROTECTED METALLIC COMPONENTS | SWEELY, KURT D | 33d |
| 18234549 | METHOD OF FORMING MATERIAL WITHIN A RECESS | TADAYYON ESLAMI, TABASSOM | 34d |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 1718 | 26 |
| 1716 | 13 |
| 1717 | 9 |
| 1712 | 6 |
| 2899 | 6 |
| 3753 | 5 |
| 1759 | 4 |
| 1714 | 4 |
| 2896 | 3 |
| 2812 | 2 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19448851 | STANDARD BASE COMPONENTS FOR FORMING INBOARD AND OUTBOARD SUBSTRATE HANDLING CHAMBERS AND THEIR USE IN PRODUCTION OF SUBSTRATE PROCESSING SYSTEMS WITH EXPANDED PRODUCTION CAPACITY | HOLLY, LEE A | 3726 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 14, 2026 |
| 19401507 | METHOD OF FILLING GAP WITH FLOWABLE CARBON LAYER | HERNANDEZ-KENNEY, JOSE | 1717 | §103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 26, 2025 |
| 19313558 | SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING SYSTEMS AND ASSOCIATED METHODS FOR FORMING SUPER-LATTICE STRUCTURES USING SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING SYSTEMS | ZERVIGON, RUDY | 1716 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 28, 2025 |
| 19283552 | METHOD OF FORMING LOW-K MATERIAL LAYER, STRUCTURE INCLUDING THE LAYER, AND SYSTEM FOR FORMING SAME | MCCLURE, CHRISTINA D | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 29, 2025 |
| 19261057 | METHODS OF FILLING GAP ON SUBSTRATE SURFACE | PROCTOR, CACHET I | 1712 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 07, 2025 |
| 19251984 | METHODS FOR FORMING A DOPED HIGH-K LAYER ON A SUBSTRATE | MELLOTT, JAMES M | 1759 | §103DP | Final Rejection | 50d | Pending | Jun 27, 2025 |
| 19234603 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR FORMING A SILICON OXYCARBIDE LAYER AND STRUCTURE FORMED USING SAME | HERNANDEZ-KENNEY, JOSE | 1717 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 11, 2025 |
| 19200826 | METHOD, SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING METAL-INSULATOR-METAL AND/OR METAL-FERROELECTRIC-METAL DEVICE | MAYY, MOHAMMAD | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 07, 2025 |
| 19199769 | Methods for Depositing Gap-Filling Fluids and Related Systems and Devices | WALTERS JR, ROBERT S | 1717 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | May 06, 2025 |
| 19194543 | SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS WITH TEMPERATURE CONTROLLER | MILLER, MICHAEL G | 1712 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 30, 2025 |
| 19175324 | METHOD OF FORMING A STRUCTURE INCLUDING CARBON MATERIAL, STRUCTURE FORMED USING THE METHOD, AND SYSTEM FOR FORMING THE STRUCTURE | MCCLURE, CHRISTINA D | 1718 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 10, 2025 |
| 19084915 | SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD | MAYY, MOHAMMAD | 1718 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 20, 2025 |
| 19068714 | DETECTING FAILED PULSE FROM RF POWER SOURCE | PRETLOW, DEMETRIUS R | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 03, 2025 |
| 19065143 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING A PULSE OF A PRECURSOR | MILLER, MICHAEL G | 1712 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 27, 2025 |
| 19064376 | END EFFECTOR AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING SYSTEM USING THE SAME | AHADI, ELIA | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 26, 2025 |
| 19036574 | SUBSTARATE PROCESSING APPARATUS WITH VUV INTENSITY CONTROL | ASFAW, MESFIN T | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 24, 2025 |
| 19032149 | METHODS AND SYSTEM FOR PRECURSOR RECYCLING | ALEJANDRO MULERO, LUZ L | 1716 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 20, 2025 |
| 19008803 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AREA-SELECTIVE DEPOSITION | GAMBETTA, KELLY M | 1718 | §103 | Final Rejection | 41d | Pending | Jan 03, 2025 |
| 19007858 | GAS MANIFOLD AND ASSEMBLY AND SYSTEM INCLUDING SAME | MURPHY, KEVIN F | 3753 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jan 02, 2025 |
| 19000941 | METHODS AND ASSEMBLIES FOR SELECTIVE DEPOSITION OF METAL-CONTAINING MATERIAL | WEDDLE, ALEXANDER MARION | 1712 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 24, 2024 |
| 18985379 | APPARATUS FOR A SUBSTRATE SUPPORT WITH MULTI-ZONE CONTROL | WILSON, LEE D | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 18, 2024 |
| 18982214 | DEPOSITION OF ORGANIC FILMS | LU, JIONG-PING | — | §102§103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 16, 2024 |
| 18975928 | SUBSTRATE TRANSFER ARM AND APPARATUS USING THE SAME | LE, HUAN G | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 10, 2024 |
| 18973788 | APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR PERFORMING AN IN-SITU ETCH OF REACTION CHAMBERS WITH FLUORINE-BASED RADICALS | REMAVEGE, CHRISTOPHER | — | §102DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 09, 2024 |
| 18962111 | LOAD LOCK ARRANGEMENTS CONFIGURED FOR PERFORMING PARALLEL PROCESSES, AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS | KEENAN, JAMES W | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 27, 2024 |
| 18961225 | SUBSTRATE COOLING APPARATUS USING CONDUCTION AND RADIANCE | NEUPANE, ADARSH | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 26, 2024 |
| 18930631 | METHOD FOR FORMING A RARE-EARTH-CONTAINING LAYER, APPARATUS, AND STRUCTURE | MCCLURE, CHRISTINA D | 1718 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Oct 29, 2024 |
| 18928314 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR SUSCEPTOR LEVELING | TAUFIQ, FARAH N | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 28, 2024 |
| 18925862 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DEPOSITING METAL PHOSPHIDE | TUROCY, DAVID P | 1718 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | 19d overdue | Pending | Oct 24, 2024 |
| 18904480 | MIXING BLOCKS FOR FLUID SYSTEMS, FIXTURES AND FIXTURE ARRANGEMENTS INCLUDING MIXING BLOCKS, AND METHODS OF MAKING MIXING BLOCKS FOR FLUID SYSTEMS | GARDNER, NICOLE | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 02, 2024 |
| 18904974 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE OF SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING EQUIPMENT | CAMPBELL, NATASHA N. | 1714 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 02, 2024 |
| 18900134 | METHOD, SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING ANISOTROPIC LAYER | KUNEMUND, ROBERT M | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 27, 2024 |
| 18900571 | SELECTIVE DEPOSITION OF INHIBITOR MATERIAL AND DEPOSITION ASSEMBLIES | ROLLAND, ALEX A | 1759 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 56d | Pending | Sep 27, 2024 |
| 18817440 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR A SUSCEPTOR ASSEMBLY | COMBER, KEVIN J | 2812 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 28, 2024 |
| 18817489 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR A GAS LINE MATRIX AND INTERCHANGE ASSEMBLY | CAHILL, JESSICA MARIE | 3753 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Aug 28, 2024 |
| 18816095 | DEPOSITION OF ORGANIC MATERIAL | DAGENAIS, KRISTEN A | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 27, 2024 |
| 18815636 | METHODS OF FORMING SEMICONDUCTOR STRUCTURES, SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING SYSTEMS AND RELATED COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS | WATTS, JEREMY DANIEL | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 26, 2024 |
| 18786895 | METHOD, SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING SUBSTRATE SURFACE | TALBOT, BRIAN K | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 29, 2024 |
| 18787053 | PROTECTED METALLIC COMPONENTS, REACTION CHAMBERS INCLUDING PROTECTED METALLIC COMPONENTS, AND METHODS FOR FORMING AND UTILIZING PROTECTED METALLIC COMPONENTS | SWEELY, KURT D | 1718 | §102§103§112 | Final Rejection | 33d | Pending | Jul 29, 2024 |
| 18780059 | BOTTOM-UP METAL NITRIDE FORMATION | ARMAND, MARC ANTHONY | — | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 22, 2024 |
| 18777790 | METHOD FOR FORMING SILICON NITRIDE FILM SELECTIVELY ON SIDEWALLS OF TRENCHES | TIVARUS, CRISTIAN ALEXANDRU | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 19, 2024 |
| 18775963 | DETERMINING SUBSTRATE DECENTERING IN SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING SYSTEMS EMPLOYED TO DEPOSIT MATERIAL LAYERS ONTO SUBSTRATES | RAIMUND, CHRISTOPHER W | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 17, 2024 |
| 18773858 | Vapor Deposition Processes | CROWELL, ANNA M | — | §102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 16, 2024 |
| 18755620 | MATERIAL LAYER DEPOSITION METHODS, SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING SYSTEMS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR CONTROLLING THICKNESS OF PRECOAT MATERIAL LAYERS IN SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING SYSTEMS | LOUIE, MANDY C | 1718 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jun 26, 2024 |
| 18742250 | METHODS FOR SILICON GERMANIUM UNIFORMITY CONTROL USING MULTIPLE PRECURSORS | BRATLAND JR, KENNETH A | 1714 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 13, 2024 |
| 18740699 | METHOD, SYSTEM, AND APPARATUS FOR DEPOSITION OF TRANSITION METAL FILM | HALL, VICTORIA KATHLEEN | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 12, 2024 |
| 18677160 | EPITAXY FAST RAMP TEMPERATURE CONTROL SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES | GIORDANO, MICHAEL JAMES | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 29, 2024 |
| 18676023 | METHOD SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR REMOTE SOLID REFILL | ARNETT, NICOLAS ALLEN | 3753 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 28, 2024 |
| 18666277 | EQUIPMENT FRONT END MODULE | SCHULT, ALLEN | 3652 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 16, 2024 |
| 18660652 | LIQUID PRECURSOR CONTAINERS, LIQUID PRECURSOR SYSTEMS AND SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING SYSTEMS HAVING LIQUID PRECURSOR CONTAINERS, AND METHODS OF DEPOSITING MATERIAL LAYERS USING LIQUID PRECURSORS | NUCKOLS, TIFFANY Z | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 10, 2024 |
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Start Free TrialASM IP Holding B.V. has 138 pending office actions as of October 2026, spread across 34 art units and 93 examiners.
Christina D Mcclure has the most, with 6 of ASM IP Holding B.V.'s pending office actions.
Mostly Chemistry & Materials (USPTO Tech Center 1700), based on where its pending office actions are examined.