167 patents currently held
8 more in force are now held by other companies
Held is read from USPTO's recorded assignments; a transfer never recorded there does not appear.
The next term ends in Dec 2026. from the record
Free plan: 3 watched companies. Pro: unlimited.
Alerts on its grants, lapses and transfers.
18
Ending by 2030
Dec 2026
Next term end
122
Patent families
When these terms end
Held patents by the year their term ends
notable patents
fee due within 90 days
all others
Updated Nov 15, 2026 · includes USPTO assignment & status data published Nov 15, 2026 and grant & fee data published Nov 10, 2026 (weekly) · how we know
Notable: the highest-ranked patents in this portfolio by citations and family size. Fee due within 90 days: a maintenance fee is due within 90 days of when this page was computed and not yet paid.
Notable patents
Ranked by citations and family size, against patents of the same kind granted the same year. How we rank
Notable
Ends Dec 2026 · High confidence
Also notable
Ends Jan 2040 · High confidence
Also notable
Ends Dec 2039 · High confidence
Rapid Thermal Processing Using Energy Transfer Layers
US 7,642,205
Cited by 197 later US patents, top 5% of utility patents granted in 2010 in our data, and renewed at 3 of 3 maintenance windows. Protection runs to 2026.
Variable Mode Plasma Chamber Utilizing Tunable Plasma Potential
US 11,189,464
Cited by 18 later US patents, top 10% of utility patents granted in 2021 in our data. Protection runs to 2040.
Enhanced Ignition in Inductively Coupled Plasmas For Workpiece Processing
US 11,348,784
Cited by 10 later US patents, top 25% of utility patents granted in 2022 in our data. Protection runs to 2039.
Fee deadlines
Maintenance fees fall due 3.5, 7.5 and 11.5 years after grant. A missed fee ends a patent at the end of the six month grace period that follows, not on the due date.
- 3 fees due Jan 11 to 23, 2027 · next Jan 11
- 4 fees due Feb 6 to 20, 2027 · next Feb 6
- 3 fees due Mar 3 to 19, 2027 · next Mar 3
- 2 fees due Apr 1 to 17, 2027 · next Apr 1
- 3 fees due May 7 to 10, 2027 · next May 7
- 4 fees due Jun 5 to 19, 2027 · next Jun 5
- 1 fee due Jul 26, 2027The maintenance fee for Apparatus and Methods for Generating Electromagnetic Radiation (US 9,245,730) comes due Jul 26, 2027. Unpaid by Jan 26, 2028, it lapses early.
- 1 fee due Aug 25, 2027The maintenance fee for Method for Processing a Workpiece Using a Multi-Cycle Thermal Treatment Process (US 10,573,532) comes due Aug 25, 2027. Unpaid by Feb 25, 2028, it lapses early.
- 5 fees due Sep 3 to 24, 2027 · next Sep 3
- 2 fees due Oct 9, 2027
Recent changes
- 2 of the patents on this record were granted since Aug 17, 2026
- 3 terms have ended since Aug 17, 2026
What they patent
The 5 largest of its 122 families, grouped by real patent family and labeled by the earliest filing in each. No technology classification is inferred from titles.
| Variable Mode Plasma Chamber Utilizing Tunable Plasma Potential | 4 in force | to Jan 2040 |
| Systems and Methods for Workpiece Processing | 4 in force | to Oct 2037 |
| Electrostatic Chuck Assembly for Plasma Processing Apparatus | 3 in force | to May 2042 |
| Transmission-Based Temperature Measurement of a Workpiece in a Thermal Processing System | 3 in force | to Sep 2041 |
| Support Plate for Localized Heating in Thermal Processing Systems | 3 in force | to Jul 2041 |
Patents held now
Soonest term end first.
| Patent | Title | Status | Expires | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US 7,642,205 | Rapid Thermal Processing Using Energy Transfer Layers In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence | |
| US 7,799,685 | System and Method for Removal of Photoresist in Transistor Fabrication for Integrated Circuit Manufacturing In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence | |
| US 10,037,867 | Inductive Plasma Source with High Coupling Efficiency In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence | |
| US 8,920,600 | Inductive Plasma Source with High Coupling Efficiency In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence | |
| US 7,972,444 | Workpiece Support with Fluid Zones for Temperature Control In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence | |
| US 8,444,870 | Inductive Plasma Source with High Coupling Efficiency In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence | |
| US 8,152,365 | Method and System for Determining Optical Properties of Semiconductor Wafers In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence | |
| US 7,977,258 | Method and System for Thermally Processing a Plurality of Wafer-Shaped Objects In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence | |
| US 7,745,762 | Optimizing the Thermal Budget During a Pulsed Heating Process In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence | |
| US 10,090,134 | Plasma Reactor with Inductive Excitation of Plasma and Efficient Removal of Heat from the Excitation Coil In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence |
Also on record, not counted in the 167: 8 patents in force now held by others · 82 patents ended · 51 applications pending · 33 applications abandoned. List them
Sources and methods
Compiled from USPTO application file histories, grants and recorded assignments, with the company's own names reviewed by hand. How this record was built
Portfolio grouped automatically from ownership conveyances to the names matched to this company, usually every name that begins with its own, so it counts patents an affiliate holds; each list row names the holder of record. Security interests are excluded and ambiguous records are not reviewed by hand.
Fee due within 90 days marks a patent with a maintenance fee due within 90 days of the date this page was computed and not yet recorded paid, so it can end earlier than the bar shows. A fee left unpaid ends the patent at the close of the six month grace period that follows its due date, not on the due date itself. It is not a prediction that the fee will be missed.
Computed patent terms end on the dates shown. Related patents and pending applications may cover overlapping subject matter.