Technology area: Semiconductors, Circuits & Optics
56 pending office actions • 25 art units • 41 examiners • 0 of 56 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 78 patents granted in the last 365 days
Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH has 56 pending office actions in Semiconductors, Circuits & Optics. The docket spans 41 distinct examiners and 25 distinct art units, reflecting extensive activity across examination personnel and technical groupings. Multiple examiners are therefore operating within some art units, creating a need for both technical and examiner-specific coordination.
WHITESELL, STEVEN H is the busiest examiner, with 6 pending matters. This is the largest examiner concentration in the profile, but the remaining actions remain distributed across many other assignments. Counsel should maintain a centralized map of claim themes, cited art, and amendment positions, then supplement it with examiner histories. The art-unit structure can support reusable technical analysis, but it should not substitute for matter-specific review of prosecution posture and response strategy.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 10 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. 10 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 |
|---|---|
| §101 only | 2 (4%) |
| §101 + other | 6 (11%) |
| §103 only | 14 (25%) |
| §102 only | 4 (7%) |
| §112 only | 2 (4%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 28 (50%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| WHITESELL, STEVEN H | 6 | 82.0% | +12.9% |
| RIDDLE, CHRISTINA A | 5 | 81.0% | +14.0% |
| ASFAW, MESFIN T | 3 | 83.1% | +13.9% |
| KIM, PETER B | 2 | 83.1% | +9.4% |
| MCCORMACK, JASON L | 2 | 84.7% | +8.1% |
| CARLSON, JOSHUA MICHAEL | 2 | 60.0% | +38.9% |
| CARRUTH, JENNIFER DOAK | 2 | 77.2% | +15.7% |
| BERMAN, JASON | 1 | 63.9% | +21.0% |
| TSWEI, YU-JANG | 1 | 83.7% | +15.9% |
| NGUYEN, HUNG | 1 | 90.7% | +9.0% |
Cases in front of an examiner with an allow rate of 80%+ where the difficulty is Easy or Medium. The top 5 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18895292 | DRIVE DEVICE, OPTICAL SYSTEM AND LITHOGRAPHY APPARATUS | WHITESELL, STEVEN H | 5d overdue |
| 18362630 | METHOD FOR PRODUCING A MULTI-PART MIRROR OF A PROJECTION ILLUMINATION SYSTEM FOR MICROLITHOGRAPHY | WHITESELL, STEVEN H | 29d |
| 19073220 | MICROELECTROMECHANICAL DEVICE | WHITESELL, STEVEN H | — |
| 19063773 | INDIVIDUAL MIRROR OF A PUPIL FACET MIRROR AND PUPIL FACET MIRROR FOR AN ILLUMINATION OPTICAL UNIT OF A PROJECTION EXPOSURE APPARATUS | ASFAW, MESFIN T | — |
| 19018304 | LENS ELEMENT FOR A MICROLITHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION EXPOSURE APPARATUS DESIGNED FOR OPERATION IN THE DUV, AND METHOD AND ARRANGEMENT FOR FORMING AN ANTIREFLECTION LAYER | WHITESELL, STEVEN H | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18319617 | METHOD FOR PRODUCING A MAIN BODY OF AN OPTICAL ELEMENT FOR SEMICONDUCTOR LITHOGRAPHY, AND MAIN BODY OF AN OPTICAL ELEMENT FOR SEMICONDUCTOR LITHOGRAPHY | CARRUTH, JENNIFER DOAK | 58d overdue |
| 18419940 | APPARATUS FOR ANALYSING AND/OR PROCESSING A SAMPLE WITH A PARTICLE BEAM AND METHOD | MCCORMACK, JASON L | 20d |
| 19170372 | METHOD FOR COATING A SUBSTRATE | BERMAN, JASON | 34d |
| 19188275 | METHOD FOR SIMULATING ILLUMINATION AND IMAGING PROPERTIES OF AN OPTICAL PRODUCTION SYSTEM WHEN AN OBJECT IS ILLUMINATED AND IMAGED BY MEANS OF AN OPTICAL MEASUREMENT SYSTEM | RIDDLE, CHRISTINA A | — |
| 19171128 | METHOD FOR OPERATING AN OPTICAL COMPONENT, AND OPTICAL COMPONENT | RIDDLE, CHRISTINA A | — |
| 19170404 | MIRROR, IN PARTICULAR FOR A MICROLITHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION EXPOSURE APPARATUS, AND METHOD OF PROCESSING A MIRROR | RIDDLE, CHRISTINA A | — |
| 19095316 | COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED METHOD, COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM, COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT AND CORRESPONDING SYSTEMS FOR THE PREDICTION OF DEFECTS IN WAFERS AND FOR OFFLINE WAFER-LESS PROCESS WINDOW QUALIFICATION | TSWEI, YU-JANG | — |
| 19082444 | METHOD FOR OPERATING A PROJECTION EXPOSURE SYSTEM | WHITESELL, STEVEN H | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18319617 | METHOD FOR PRODUCING A MAIN BODY OF AN OPTICAL ELEMENT FOR SEMICONDUCTOR LITHOGRAPHY, AND MAIN BODY OF AN OPTICAL ELEMENT FOR SEMICONDUCTOR LITHOGRAPHY | CARRUTH, JENNIFER DOAK | 58d overdue |
| 18587228 | METHOD AND MEASURING DEVICE FOR INSPECTING PHOTOMASKS, AND EUV CAMERA | CARLSON, JOSHUA MICHAEL | 24d overdue |
| 18367208 | Mesh Integrity Check | CARLSON, JOSHUA MICHAEL | 23d overdue |
| 18895292 | DRIVE DEVICE, OPTICAL SYSTEM AND LITHOGRAPHY APPARATUS | WHITESELL, STEVEN H | 5d overdue |
| 18362630 | METHOD FOR PRODUCING A MULTI-PART MIRROR OF A PROJECTION ILLUMINATION SYSTEM FOR MICROLITHOGRAPHY | WHITESELL, STEVEN H | 29d |
| 19170372 | METHOD FOR COATING A SUBSTRATE | BERMAN, JASON | 34d |
| 19188275 | METHOD FOR SIMULATING ILLUMINATION AND IMAGING PROPERTIES OF AN OPTICAL PRODUCTION SYSTEM WHEN AN OBJECT IS ILLUMINATED AND IMAGED BY MEANS OF AN OPTICAL MEASUREMENT SYSTEM | RIDDLE, CHRISTINA A | — |
| 19171128 | METHOD FOR OPERATING AN OPTICAL COMPONENT, AND OPTICAL COMPONENT | RIDDLE, CHRISTINA A | — |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 2882 | 12 |
| 2881 | 7 |
| 1759 | 6 |
| 2877 | 6 |
| 2857 | 2 |
| 2871 | 2 |
| 1794 | 1 |
| 2614 | 1 |
| 2884 | 1 |
| 2677 | 1 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19188275 | METHOD FOR SIMULATING ILLUMINATION AND IMAGING PROPERTIES OF AN OPTICAL PRODUCTION SYSTEM WHEN AN OBJECT IS ILLUMINATED AND IMAGED BY MEANS OF AN OPTICAL MEASUREMENT SYSTEM | RIDDLE, CHRISTINA A | 2882 | §101§102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 24, 2025 |
| 19170372 | METHOD FOR COATING A SUBSTRATE | BERMAN, JASON | 1794 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | 34d | Pending | Apr 04, 2025 |
| 19171128 | METHOD FOR OPERATING AN OPTICAL COMPONENT, AND OPTICAL COMPONENT | RIDDLE, CHRISTINA A | 2882 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 04, 2025 |
| 19170404 | MIRROR, IN PARTICULAR FOR A MICROLITHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION EXPOSURE APPARATUS, AND METHOD OF PROCESSING A MIRROR | RIDDLE, CHRISTINA A | 2882 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 04, 2025 |
| 19095316 | COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED METHOD, COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM, COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT AND CORRESPONDING SYSTEMS FOR THE PREDICTION OF DEFECTS IN WAFERS AND FOR OFFLINE WAFER-LESS PROCESS WINDOW QUALIFICATION | TSWEI, YU-JANG | 2614 | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 31, 2025 |
| 19082444 | METHOD FOR OPERATING A PROJECTION EXPOSURE SYSTEM | WHITESELL, STEVEN H | 1759 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 18, 2025 |
| 19082944 | OPTICAL ELEMENT FOR A PROJECTION EXPOSURE SYSTEM, OPTICAL SYSTEM COMPRISING SAME AND PROJECTION EXPOSURE SYSTEM COMPRISING THE OPTICAL ELEMENT AND/OR THE OPTICAL SYSTEM | RIDDLE, CHRISTINA A | 2882 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 18, 2025 |
| 19074961 | BIPOD, OPTICAL SYSTEM AND PROJECTION EXPOSURE APPARATUS | ASFAW, MESFIN T | 2882 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 10, 2025 |
| 19073220 | MICROELECTROMECHANICAL DEVICE | WHITESELL, STEVEN H | 1759 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 07, 2025 |
| 19068695 | ILLUMINATION SYSTEM, RADIATION SOURCE APPARATUS, METHOD FOR ILLUMINATING A RETICLE, AND LITHOGRAPHY SYSTEM | ASFAW, MESFIN T | 2882 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 03, 2025 |
| 19063773 | INDIVIDUAL MIRROR OF A PUPIL FACET MIRROR AND PUPIL FACET MIRROR FOR AN ILLUMINATION OPTICAL UNIT OF A PROJECTION EXPOSURE APPARATUS | ASFAW, MESFIN T | 2882 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 26, 2025 |
| 19059808 | INTERMEDIATE PRODUCT FOR PRODUCING AN OPTICAL ELEMENT FOR A PROJECTION EXPOSURE APPARATUS, OPTICAL ELEMENT FOR A PROJECTION EXPOSURE APPARATUS, METHOD FOR PRODUCING AN INTERMEDIATE PRODUCT, AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING AN OPTICAL ELEMENT | NGUYEN, HUNG | 2882 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 21, 2025 |
| 19018304 | LENS ELEMENT FOR A MICROLITHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION EXPOSURE APPARATUS DESIGNED FOR OPERATION IN THE DUV, AND METHOD AND ARRANGEMENT FOR FORMING AN ANTIREFLECTION LAYER | WHITESELL, STEVEN H | 1759 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 13, 2025 |
| 19015842 | X-RAY IMAGING SYSTEM | HO, ALLEN C | 2884 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 10, 2025 |
| 19008383 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING SENSOR DATA OF AN OPTICAL SYSTEM, OPTICAL SYSTEM AND LITHOGRAPHY APPARATUS HAVING AN OPTICAL SYSTEM | PERSAUD, DEORAM | 2882 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 02, 2025 |
| 19000922 | MEASURING ASSEMBLY FOR DETECTING A DISTANCE BETWEEN TWO ELEMENTS, DISTANCE MEASURING DEVICE, OPTICAL MEASURING SYSTEM AND METHOD | NGUYEN, SANG H | 2877 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 24, 2024 |
| 18971089 | COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED METHOD FOR GENERATING AN AERIAL IMAGE OF A PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY MASK USING A MACHINE LEARNING MODEL | BAYAT, ALI | 2677 | §101§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 06, 2024 |
| 18935796 | METHOD FOR MEASURING AN EFFECT OF A WAVELENGTH-DEPENDENT MEASURING LIGHT REFLECTIVITY AND AN EFFECT OF A POLARIZATION OF MEASURING LIGHT ON A MEASURING LIGHT IMPINGEMENT ON A LITHOGRAPHY MASK | AYUB, HINA F | 2877 | §112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Nov 04, 2024 |
| 18920238 | METHOD FOR MEASURING THE ILLUMINATION PUPIL IN A SCANNER TAKING INTO ACCOUNT A MEASUREMENT RETICLE | KIM, PETER B | 2882 | §102§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Oct 18, 2024 |
| 18901513 | DEVICE AND METHOD FOR ALIGNING TWO COMPONENTS | WHITESELL, STEVEN H | 1759 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 30, 2024 |
| 18897888 | BEAM ANGLE ROTATION AND SAMPLE ROTATION | KALISZEWSKI, ALINA ROSE | 2881 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 26, 2024 |
| 18895292 | DRIVE DEVICE, OPTICAL SYSTEM AND LITHOGRAPHY APPARATUS | WHITESELL, STEVEN H | 1759 | §112 | Final Rejection | 5d overdue | Pending | Sep 24, 2024 |
| 18830054 | COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED METHOD FOR THE DETECTION OF ANOMALIES IN AN IMAGING DATASET OF A WAFER, AND SYSTEMS MAKING USE OF SUCH METHODS | HARPER, ELIYAH STONE | 2166 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 10, 2024 |
| 18807439 | METHOD FOR MACHINING A WORKPIECE | GATES, BRADFORD M | 1713 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 16, 2024 |
| 18802211 | OPTICAL SYSTEM COMPRISING AN EUV MIRROR AND METHOD FOR OPERATING AN OPTICAL SYSTEM | BOOHER, ADAM W | — | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Aug 13, 2024 |
| 18792737 | COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED METHOD FOR DEFECT DETECTION IN AN OBJECT COMPRISING INTEGRATED CIRCUIT PATTERNS AND CORRESPONDING COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM, COMPUTER PROGRAM AND SYSTEM | PHAM, ANNIE | 2662 | §101§102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 02, 2024 |
| 18792755 | COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED METHOD FOR DEFECT DETECTION IN AN IMAGING DATASET OF AN OBJECT COMPRISING INTEGRATED CIRCUIT PATTERNS | HSIEH, PING Y | 2664 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Aug 02, 2024 |
| 18781256 | COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED METHOD FOR THE DETECTION AND CLASSIFICATION OF ANOMALIES IN AN IMAGING DATASET OF A WAFER, AND SYSTEMS MAKING USE OF SUCH METHODS | EL-BATHY, IBRAHIM N | 3626 | §101 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 23, 2024 |
| 18778483 | INFEROMETRIC MEASURING APPARATUS | SCHNASE, PAUL DANIEL | 2877 | §103 | Final Rejection | 12d | Pending | Jul 19, 2024 |
| 18746596 | METHOD AND DRYING DEVICE | TREMARCHE, CONNOR J. | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 18, 2024 |
| 18741925 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING AT LEAST ONE HOLLOW STRUCTURE, MIRROR, EUV LITHOGRAPHY SYSTEM, FLUID FEED APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FEEDING A FLUID | KIM, PETER B | 2882 | §102§103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jun 13, 2024 |
| 18674144 | COMPENSATION RASTER SCANNING | MCCORMACK, JASON L | 2881 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 24, 2024 |
| 18666211 | METHOD, OPTICAL SYSTEM, TEST DEVICE AND ARRANGEMENT | MILLER, DANIEL R | 2858 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 16, 2024 |
| 18648644 | OPTICAL SYSTEM FOR A METROLOGY SYSTEM AND METROLOGY SYSTEM WITH SUCH AN OPTICAL SYSTEM | MENDOZA, ALEXANDRIA ARELLANO | 2877 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 12d | Pending | Apr 29, 2024 |
| 18639028 | MEASUREMENT APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR INSPECTING PHOTOMASKS INTENDED FOR EUV MICROLITHOGRAPHY | WANG, JING | 2881 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Apr 18, 2024 |
| 18631733 | HIGH RESOLUTION, LOW ENERGY ELECTRON MICROSCOPE FOR PROVIDING TOPOGRAPHY INFORMATION AND METHOD OF MASK INSPECTION | SMYTH, ANDREW P | 2878 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 10, 2024 |
| 18612515 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ANALYZING AN ELEMENT OF A PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY PROCESS WITH THE AID OF A TRANSFORMATION MODEL | DINH, LYNDA | 2857 | §101§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 21, 2024 |
| 18587228 | METHOD AND MEASURING DEVICE FOR INSPECTING PHOTOMASKS, AND EUV CAMERA | CARLSON, JOSHUA MICHAEL | 2877 | §103Other | Final Rejection | 24d overdue | Pending | Feb 26, 2024 |
| 18422302 | METHOD FOR EXAMINING SAMPLES PERTAINING TO MICROLITHOGRAPHY | NGUYEN, LEON VIET Q | 2663 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 25, 2024 |
| 18419940 | APPARATUS FOR ANALYSING AND/OR PROCESSING A SAMPLE WITH A PARTICLE BEAM AND METHOD | MCCORMACK, JASON L | 2881 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | 20d | Pending | Jan 23, 2024 |
| 18419167 | METHOD FOR OPERATING AN OPTICAL SYSTEM | RIVERA VARGAS, MANUEL A | 2857 | §101 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jan 22, 2024 |
| 18519993 | METHODS, SYSTEMS, COMPUTER PROGRAMS AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIA FOR AUTOMATICALLY DESIGNING A WORKFLOW TO PERFORM A SEMICONDUCTOR INSPECTION TASK | WALTON, CHESIREE A | 3624 | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 27, 2023 |
| 18387905 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PARTICLE BEAM-INDUCED PROCESSING OF A DEFECT OF A MICROLITHOGRAPHIC PHOTOMASK | GARBOWSKI, LEIGH M | 2851 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 08, 2023 |
| 18480263 | ACTUATOR-SENSOR DEVICE AND LITHOGRAPHY APPARATUS | RIDDLE, CHRISTINA A | 2882 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 03, 2023 |
| 18367208 | Mesh Integrity Check | CARLSON, JOSHUA MICHAEL | 2877 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 23d overdue | Pending | Sep 12, 2023 |
| 18460760 | Support Device for One or More MEMS Components | MCDONALD, JASON ANDREW | 2898 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Sep 05, 2023 |
| 18456309 | ION BEAM INSPECTION AND REPAIR WITH INCREASED SECONDARY ELECTRON YIELD | GHYKA, ALEXANDER G | 2812 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 25, 2023 |
| 18362630 | METHOD FOR PRODUCING A MULTI-PART MIRROR OF A PROJECTION ILLUMINATION SYSTEM FOR MICROLITHOGRAPHY | WHITESELL, STEVEN H | 1759 | §103 | Final Rejection | 29d | Pending | Jul 31, 2023 |
| 18350522 | OPTICAL ELEMENT FOR REFLECTING RADIATION, AND OPTICAL ASSEMBLY | GASSEN, CHRISTOPHER J | 2881 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 12d | Pending | Jul 11, 2023 |
| 18319617 | METHOD FOR PRODUCING A MAIN BODY OF AN OPTICAL ELEMENT FOR SEMICONDUCTOR LITHOGRAPHY, AND MAIN BODY OF AN OPTICAL ELEMENT FOR SEMICONDUCTOR LITHOGRAPHY | CARRUTH, JENNIFER DOAK | 2871 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | 58d overdue | Pending | May 18, 2023 |
IP Author helps IP teams respond to office actions faster with AI-generated responses, examiner analytics, and prosecution intelligence.
Start Free TrialCarl Zeiss SMT GmbH has 56 pending office actions as of October 2026, spread across 25 art units and 41 examiners.
Steven H Whitesell has the most, with 6 of Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH's pending office actions.
Mostly Semiconductors, Circuits & Optics (USPTO Tech Center 2800), based on where its pending office actions are examined.
