SAN JOSE, CA—APS (Atomic Precision Systems Inc), a little-known semiconductor equipment vendor specializing in deposition technology, has filed a patent infringement suit against Intel Corp, IBM Corp, and Micron Technology claiming that they willfully infringed on an ALD (atomic layer deposition) patent held by APS, according to a statement issued by the company's law firm Tuesday (Feb 14).
The complaint, filed Monday in US District Court for Northern California, alleges that South Korea-based Jusung Engineering Co and its US subsidiary, Jusung America Inc, infringed on US Patent No. 6,812,157, an ALD patent held by APS, in its Cyclone line of ALD tools, according to the statement. Intel, IBM and Micron are infringing on the APS-held patent by using Cyclone ALD tools in chip production, according to the allegations.
According to the statement issued by the Lanier Law Firm, Jusung began licensing negotiations with APS over the technology in 2006, but did not reach agreement. APS alleges that Jusung continued manufacturing tools which violate the company's patent, despite not being able to come to an agreement on licensing terms.
This story was originally posted by EE Times.
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