Tower Semiconductor (TS), an Israeli semiconductor manufacturing specialist currently acquired by Intel, Accused of theft of intellectual property.. A lawsuit filed by composite semiconductor wafer maker IQE in the US District Court in Central California alleges that TS abused the company’s IP. The Cardiff-based IQE further states that there is “significant evidence” to support the accusation.
IQE’s claims focus on the porous silicon technology that the company is currently marketing as a solution for power switching devices in 5G telecom and advanced sensing hardware. According to IQE representatives RegisterTS has obtained a very specific related patent based on its own R & D efforts.
Damindu Jayaweera, a financial analyst at investment bank Peel Hunt, wrote in a memo to investors that the “significant evidence” supporting IQE’s allegations included contract breaches.
“We believe this is related to the porous silicon technology related to RF switching.” He clarified and added: “The technology in question could deprive Soitec of its RF-SOI advantage (equivalent to about $ 500 million annually).” Soitec is the current leading supplier of porous based silicon manufacturing technology.
Porous silicon is a type of silicon that significantly improves the surface area-to-volume ratio by dispersing micropores throughout the structure. It features highly controllable properties and can be “bioinert”, “bioactive” and “absorbent” depending on the size of the microspores. This opens the door to several applications for gas, humidity, bio, and emission sensors.
In a statement shared on the company’s website, IQE secretary and legal adviser Tomdale said that allegations of Tower Semiconductor’s infringement undermine IQE’s competitiveness and key resources invested in technology development and patenting. Said.
“Our technology, processes and intellectual property are essential to support IQE’s products and solutions and to maintain our market-leading position in advanced semiconductor materials. Strong protection and material development occur. We will provide further updates when you do. “ He said.
Intel announced the acquisition of Tower Semiconductor in February. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger specifically mentioned the company’s “special technology portfolio” in announcing a $ 5.4 billion worth of transactions. The proceedings can now push sand into the already moving gear of the deal.
