Report: Beijing E-Town sues Applied Materials over ‘trade secrets leak’
The China-based semiconductor equipment firm claims that US firm Applied Materials had illegally obtained and used Beijing E-Town’s core technology secrets related to plasma sources and wafer surface treatment.
Beijing E-Town Semiconductor Technologies has sued US chip equipment supplier Applied Materials over alleged trade secrets infringement, according to a report by Reuters.
The Beijing-based semiconductor equipment firm claimed, according to a filing on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, that Applied Materials had illegally obtained and used Beijing E-Town’s core technology secrets related to plasma sources and wafer surface treatment, the Reuters report said.
The company is seeking 99.99 million yuan (about USD 14 million) in compensation.
It alleges that Applied Materials disclosed technical secrets by applying for a patent in China and claiming the patent’s application rights. According to Commercial Times, Beijing E-town claims that utilizing high-concentration, stable, and uniform plasma for wafer surface treatment is one of the company’s key technologies.
Beijing E-town acquired Mattson Technology for USD 300 million in 2016. Applied Materials sued Mattson in 2022, alleging that it had hired its former employees with the intention of stealing trade secrets. In 2023, Mattson countersued Applied Materials.
China accounted for 25% of Applied Materials’ Q2 sales, down from 43% a year earlier and 31% last quarter, the company’s data shows, according to TrendForce.
