Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
Technology area: Semiconductors, Circuits & Optics
78 pending office actions • 26 art units • 65 examiners • 0 of 78 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 117 patents granted in the last 365 days
KLA Corporation manages a substantial portfolio with 80 pending office actions, primarily within the Semiconductors, Circuits & Optics technology area. These actions are spread across 67 distinct examiners, which suggests a highly diversified prosecution strategy. The company is active in 26 distinct art units, indicating that its technical interests span a wide variety of specialized examination groups.
The busiest examiner, SCHNASE, PAUL DANIEL, handles 3 busiest examiner pending office actions. This is a small portion of the 80 total pending office actions, showing that the workload is not heavily concentrated on any single individual. With 67 distinct examiners involved, the company must manage a high volume of varied examiner interactions across its 26 distinct art units to maintain its patent pipeline. This broad distribution across 67 distinct examiners minimizes the impact of any single examiner's tendencies on the overall portfolio. The 26 distinct art units involved further demonstrate the complexity of the company's current filings in the Semiconductors, Circuits & Optics sector.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 25 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. 25 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 (3%) |
| §101 + other | 6 (8%) |
| §103 only | 37 (47%) |
| §102 only | 3 (4%) |
| §112 only | 1 (1%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 1 (1%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 28 (36%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCHNASE, PAUL DANIEL | 3 | 70.0% | +4.3% |
| STOCK JR, GORDON J | 3 | 81.6% | +17.4% |
| GUNBERG, EDWIN C | 2 | 78.1% | +6.9% |
| TRAN, JUDY DAO | 2 | 79.1% | +18.4% |
| HANSEN, JONATHAN M | 2 | 79.3% | +11.6% |
| KALISZEWSKI, ALINA ROSE | 2 | 84.6% | +23.3% |
| WHITESELL, STEVEN H | 2 | 82.0% | +12.9% |
| UNDERWOOD, JARREAS C | 2 | 79.0% | +21.3% |
| QUIGLEY, KYLE ROBERT | 2 | 53.3% | +34.2% |
| HANEY, NOAH JAMES | 2 | 79.0% | +31.7% |
Cases in front of an examiner with an allow rate of 80%+ where the difficulty is Easy or Medium. The top 1 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18372531 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRACKING REAL-TIME POSITION FOR SCANNING OVERLAY METROLOGY | STOCK JR, GORDON J | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18401569 | CALIBRATION FOR IN-PLANE DISTORTION TOOL-TO-TOOL MATCHING | SCHNASE, PAUL DANIEL | 154d overdue |
| 17762030 | CALIBRATED MEASUREMENT OF OVERLAY ERROR USING SMALL TARGETS | SCHNASE, PAUL DANIEL | 97d overdue |
| 17944009 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CLEANING OPTICAL ELEMENTS IN EUV OPTICAL SYSTEMS | COCCHI, MICHAEL EDWARD | 91d overdue |
| 18467371 | ANGLE RESOLVED REFLECTOMETRY FOR THICK FILMS AND HIGH ASPECT RATIO STRUCTURES | STOCK JR, GORDON J | 72d overdue |
| 18375512 | IMAGING THOUSANDS OF ELECTRON BEAMS DURING WORKPIECE INSPECTION | KALISZEWSKI, ALINA ROSE | 70d overdue |
| 18587703 | SIDE-BY-SIDE OFF-CENTER DIE OVERLAY TARGET | LAPAGE, MICHAEL P | 58d overdue |
| 16935432 | Systems and Methods for MOKE Metrology with Consistent MRAM Die Orientation | SCHINDLER, DAVID M | 24d overdue |
| 18128125 | MULTI-MODE OPTICAL INSPECTION | DULANEY, KATHLEEN YUAN | 10d overdue |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18467371 | ANGLE RESOLVED REFLECTOMETRY FOR THICK FILMS AND HIGH ASPECT RATIO STRUCTURES | STOCK JR, GORDON J | 72d overdue |
| 18375512 | IMAGING THOUSANDS OF ELECTRON BEAMS DURING WORKPIECE INSPECTION | KALISZEWSKI, ALINA ROSE | 70d overdue |
| 18755644 | WAVEPLATE COMPENSATOR DESIGN | UNDERWOOD, JARREAS C | 60d overdue |
| 18421454 | OVERLAY METROLOGY TARGET FOR DIE-TO-WAFER OVERLAY METROLOGY | WHITESELL, STEVEN H | 13d |
| 18136772 | Combined Spectroscopic Reflectometry And Pattern Recognition Based Measurements Of Semiconductor Structures | UNDERWOOD, JARREAS C | 34d |
| 19018943 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING POST BONDING OVERLAY | STOCK JR, GORDON J | — |
| 18977795 | Methods And Systems For Reflectometry Based Measurements Of Deep, Large Pitch Semiconductor Structures | TRAN, JUDY DAO | — |
| 18972428 | Measurements Of Complex Semiconductor Structures Based On Component Measurement Signals | HANSEN, JONATHAN M | — |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 2877 | 21 |
| 2881 | 5 |
| 2884 | 3 |
| 2878 | 2 |
| 1759 | 2 |
| 2663 | 2 |
| 2857 | 2 |
| 2188 | 2 |
| 2674 | 1 |
| 2669 | 1 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19062941 | OPTICAL METHOD TO ENHANCE DETECTION VISIBILITY USING BRIGHT EMISSIVE PROBE | GUNBERG, EDWIN C | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 25, 2025 |
| 19062979 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENHANCING PHOTOLUMINESCENCE | GUNBERG, EDWIN C | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 25, 2025 |
| 19051999 | VISION FOUNDATION MODEL FOR MULTIMODE IMAGING | NAH, JONGBONG | 2674 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Feb 12, 2025 |
| 19040176 | CALIBRATED MEASUREMENT OF OVERLAY ERROR USING SMALL TARGETS | SCHNASE, PAUL DANIEL | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 29, 2025 |
| 19018943 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING POST BONDING OVERLAY | STOCK JR, GORDON J | — | §101§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 13, 2025 |
| 19012641 | DYNAMIC RANGE EXTENSION OF OPTICAL SYSTEMS WITH MULTIPLE LOW INTENSITY BEAMS | YAZBACK, MAHER | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 07, 2025 |
| 18999512 | ULTRA-HIGH SENSITIVITY HYBRID INSPECTION WITH FULL WAFER COVERAGE CAPABILITY WITH STEP AND SETTLE STAGE | LYONS, MICHAEL A | 2877 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 23, 2024 |
| 18990783 | DIFFRACTIVE EUV SPECTRAL PURITY FILTERS FOR OPTICAL SYSTEMS | AHMED, JAMIL | 2877 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 20, 2024 |
| 18977795 | Methods And Systems For Reflectometry Based Measurements Of Deep, Large Pitch Semiconductor Structures | TRAN, JUDY DAO | 2877 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 11, 2024 |
| 18974372 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MITIGATING OVERLAY DISTORTION PATTERNS CAUSED BY A WAFER BONDING TOOL | HARTMAN JR, RONALD D | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 09, 2024 |
| 18972428 | Measurements Of Complex Semiconductor Structures Based On Component Measurement Signals | HANSEN, JONATHAN M | 2877 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 06, 2024 |
| 18970542 | REDUCED FLUCTUATIONS AND INCREASED BRIGHTNESS UNIFORMITY OF LASER SUSTAINED PLASMA SOURCES | LUU, THANH X | 2878 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 05, 2024 |
| 18959278 | ENCODING DESIGN INFORMATION FOR A SPECIMEN FOR RUNTIME USE IN INSPECTION AND OTHER PROCESSES | ISLAM, PROMOTTO TAJRIAN | 2669 | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 25, 2024 |
| 18941459 | POSITION FEEDBACK SENSOR USING OUT-OF-BAND WAVELENGTHS | TRAN, JUDY DAO | 2877 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 08, 2024 |
| 18936993 | TRANSISTOR CHANNEL STRESS AND MOBILITY METROLOGY USING MULTIPASS SPECTROSCOPIC ELLIPSOMETRY AND RAMAN JOINT MEASUREMENT | HUANG, DAVID Z | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 04, 2024 |
| 18930438 | FIELD CURVATURE CORRECTOR FOR USE IN MULTI-ELECTRON-BEAM OPTICAL SYSTEM | STOFFA, WYATT A | 2881 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 29, 2024 |
| 18925931 | THREE-AXIS TUNED MASS DAMPER FOR TURBO MOLECULAR PUMP | HAGHIGHIAN, BEHNOUSH | 3745 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 24, 2024 |
| 18909820 | ULTRA-HIGH SENSITIVITY HYBRID INSPECTION WITH FULL WAFER COVERAGE CAPABILITY | KALISZEWSKI, ALINA ROSE | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 08, 2024 |
| 18907563 | SEGMENTATION-BASED CARE AREA SETUP FOR INSPECTION OF A SPECIMEN USING EDGE DETECTION | SILVA-AVINA, EMMANUEL | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 06, 2024 |
| 18902197 | IMAGING OVERLAY TARGETS USING MOIRÉ ELEMENTS AND ROTATIONAL SYMMETRY ARRANGEMENTS | WHITESELL, STEVEN H | 1759 | §101§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 30, 2024 |
| 18896205 | FEATURE PLACEMENT ERROR (FPE) METROLOGY AND CORRECTION | TRAN, VINCENT HUY | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 25, 2024 |
| 18887461 | Electrical Performance Prediction Based On Structural Measurements Of Partially Fabricated Semiconductor Devices | MENDOZA, ALEXANDRIA ARELLANO | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 17, 2024 |
| 18827828 | CONCENTRICITY OFFSET MEASUREMENT FOR HYBRID BONDING | LEE, BENEDICT E | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 08, 2024 |
| 18812890 | Angle Of Incidence And Azimuth Angle Resolved Spectroscopic Ellipsometry For Semiconductor Metrology | AYUB, HINA F | 2877 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 22, 2024 |
| 18796860 | METROLOGY MEASUREMENTS ON SMALL TARGETS WITH CONTROL OF ZERO-ORDER SIDE LOBES | CHILTON, CLARA GRACE | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 07, 2024 |
| 18793162 | HEAT EXCHANGER FOR UVO CLEANING SYSTEM | WEILAND, HANS R. | 3763 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Aug 02, 2024 |
| 18756439 | METROLOGY METHOD OF CALIBRATING AND MONITORING RADIATION IN EUV LITHOGRAPHIC SYSTEMS | MALEVIC, DJURA | 2884 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 27, 2024 |
| 18755644 | WAVEPLATE COMPENSATOR DESIGN | UNDERWOOD, JARREAS C | 2877 | §103 | Final Rejection | 60d overdue | Pending | Jun 26, 2024 |
| 18752650 | GROWTH OF STRONTIUM TETRABORATE CRYSTALS | KUNEMUND, ROBERT M | — | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jun 24, 2024 |
| 18743048 | Measurements Of Semiconductor Structures Based On Data Collected At Prior Process Steps | QUIGLEY, KYLE ROBERT | — | §101§102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 13, 2024 |
| 18738393 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF SEM INSPECTION USING SELECTIVE SCAN APPROACH | NGUYEN, KIET TUAN | — | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 10, 2024 |
| 18677487 | DUAL FREQUENCY COMB IMAGING SPECTROSCOPIC ELLIPSOMETER | HANEY, NOAH JAMES | 2877 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 29, 2024 |
| 18671172 | Back-Illuminated Sensor With Boron Layer Deposited Using Plasma Atomic Layer Deposition | AMER, MOUNIR S | — | §102Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 22, 2024 |
| 18652438 | DYNAMIC FREEFORM OPTICS FOR LITHOGRAPHY ILLUMINATION BEAM SHAPING | KIM, PETER B | 2882 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 01, 2024 |
| 18630417 | FOCUS POSITION MEASUREMENT WHILE SCANNING | HANEY, NOAH JAMES | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 09, 2024 |
| 18611299 | FLUORESCENCE MODE FOR WORKPIECE INSPECTION | COOK, JONATHON | 2877 | §103 | Final Rejection | 44d overdue | Pending | Mar 20, 2024 |
| 18597581 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATIC RETRAINING OF MACHINE LEARNING MODELS FOR METROLOGY METRIC ESTIMATION | MOORE, URIAH VENDELL | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 06, 2024 |
| 18594991 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR BONDING HIGH FLUENCE OPTICS TO OPTOMECHANICAL ASSEMBLIES | STONER, KILEY SHAWN | 1735 | §103 | Final Rejection | 16d overdue | Pending | Mar 04, 2024 |
| 18594707 | SYSTEM AND METHOD TO REDUCE MEASUREMENT ERROR IN INTERFEROMETRY-BASED METROLOGY | HANSEN, JONATHAN M | 2877 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Mar 04, 2024 |
| 18587703 | SIDE-BY-SIDE OFF-CENTER DIE OVERLAY TARGET | LAPAGE, MICHAEL P | 2877 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | 58d overdue | Pending | Feb 26, 2024 |
| 18438122 | METROLOGY WITH PARALLEL SUBSYSTEMS AND MUELLER SIGNALS TRAINING | BYCER, ERIC J | 4100 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 09, 2024 |
| 18438165 | VUV LASER-SUSTAINED PLASMA LIGHT SOURCE WITH LONG-PASS FILTERING | EINHORN, MICA JILLIAN | 2881 | §102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 09, 2024 |
| 18434139 | SUBSTRATE POSITION MONITORING DEVICES | CZEKAJ, DAVID J | 2487 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 06, 2024 |
| 18421454 | OVERLAY METROLOGY TARGET FOR DIE-TO-WAFER OVERLAY METROLOGY | WHITESELL, STEVEN H | 1759 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | 13d | Pending | Jan 24, 2024 |
| 18416113 | X-Ray Scatterometry Based Measurements Of Memory Array Structures Stacked With Complex Logic Structures | LU, ZHIYU | 2665 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 18, 2024 |
| 18404530 | IMAGE SENSORS WITH A TUNABLE FLOATING DIFFUSION STRUCTURE | TRICE III, WILLIAM CLARENCE | 2893 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jan 04, 2024 |
| 18401569 | CALIBRATION FOR IN-PLANE DISTORTION TOOL-TO-TOOL MATCHING | SCHNASE, PAUL DANIEL | 2877 | §101§102§103 | Final Rejection | 154d overdue | Pending | Dec 31, 2023 |
| 18387015 | Methods And Systems For Measurement Of Semiconductor Structures With Active Tilt Correction | FABIAN JR, ROBERTO | 2877 | §101 | Non-Final OA | 1d overdue | Pending | Nov 04, 2023 |
| 18383612 | MASSIVE MEASUREMENT SAMPLING USING MULTIPLE CHUCKS AND OPTICAL COLUMNS | SULLIVAN, CALEEN O | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 25, 2023 |
| 18375512 | IMAGING THOUSANDS OF ELECTRON BEAMS DURING WORKPIECE INSPECTION | KALISZEWSKI, ALINA ROSE | 2881 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | 70d overdue | Pending | Sep 30, 2023 |
IP Author helps IP teams respond to office actions faster with AI-generated responses, examiner analytics, and prosecution intelligence.
Start Free TrialKLA Corporation has 78 pending office actions as of October 2026, spread across 26 art units and 65 examiners.
Paul Daniel Schnase has the most, with 3 of KLA Corporation's pending office actions.
Mostly Semiconductors, Circuits & Optics (USPTO Tech Center 2800), based on where its pending office actions are examined.