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Hitachi High-Tech & FEI make peace

The firms have buried the hatchet over FIB patents

FEI has reached a mutually acceptable agreement with Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (HHT) to settle an ongoing dispute regarding certain HHT patents relating to Focussed Ion Beam (FIB) systems.

FIB is a technique used in a number of industries including the semiconductor manufacturing. In an FIB instrument, a focused beam of ions is used to image samples in a chamber. The technique can be used to perform failure analysis in semiconductors, to look at layer quality, and to prepare samples for transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM is an important technique used to analyse dislocation density and type in compound semiconductors.

FIB images showing:



(a) GaN nanowires ; (b) InAs nanowire ; (c) Different crystals of In2S3 with tetragonal structure and pyramidal shapes. In2S3 is a semiconductor used primarily as a buffer layer in CIGS thin film based solar cells, replacing toxic cadmium sulphide, (all courtesy of FEI)

In exchange for HHT's agreement to dismiss all currently pending claims and to grant future license rights to FEI for the FIB patents, FEI will make a one-time payment of $15 million to HHT. Both parties have issued a cross license on various elements of intellectual property, the specifics of which are confidential.

Brad Thies, senior vice president and general counsel of FEI, commented, "We are pleased to have come to agreement with Hitachi on these patent issues and bring to a close these various long-standing disputes. The licensing of the patents from Hitachi allows FEI to continue to enrich and improve the capability of our products for our customers."

FEI has previously recorded charges of $5.4 million related to pending claims pursuant to this patent dispute. The remaining $9.6 million of the most recent payment will be recorded as prepaid royalties and amortised over a period estimated at approximately seven years.
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