TSMC has announced it filed multiple lawsuits on September 30, 2019 against Globalfoundries in the US, Germany and Singapore for its alleged ongoing infringement of 25 TSMC patents by at least its 40nm, 28nm, 22nm, 14nm, and 12nm node processes.
In the complaints, TSMC said it demands injunctions to stop Globalfoundries' manufacture and sale of allegedly infringing semiconductor products. TSMC also seeks substantial monetary damages from Globalfoundries.
The 25 TSMC patents in the complaints relate to a diverse set of technologies, including FinFET designs, shallow trench isolation techniques, double patterning methods, advanced seal rings and gate structures, and contact etch stop layer designs, TSMC said. These specific technologies cover the core features of mature and advanced semiconductor manufacturing processes.
The patents at issue comprise just a small portion of TSMC's extensive portfolio that numbers more than 37,000 granted patents worldwide, the company said. TSMC was ranked one of the top 10 companies for US patent grants for the third consecutive year in 2018.
TSMC said it pioneered the dedicated semiconductor foundry model, enabling an entire fabless IC design industry worth hundreds of billions of dollars in the US. Furthermore, TSMC plays a critical role in facilitating the global semiconductor supply chain. For example, TSMC collaborates with dozens of US-based equipment suppliers, IP core providers and EDA vendors. TSMC said it procured about US$20 billion in equipment and services from US suppliers over the past five years. TSMC subsidiaries operate a manufacturing site in Washington State along with offices in California and Texas with over 1,000 employees.
"TSMC's patents reflect decades and tens of billions of dollars of investments in innovation, resulting in TSMC's significant contribution to advancements in semiconductor manufacturing technology," said Sylvia Fang, VP and general counsel for TSMC. "TSMC's lawsuits seek to protect our reputation, our significant investments, our nearly 500 customers, and consumers worldwide to ensure everyone benefits from the most advanced semiconductor technologies that enable a wide range of applications such as mobile, 5G, AI, IoT and high performance computing, which are critically important to the public interest."
Globalfoundries in August 2019 announced it had filed multiple lawsuits in the US and Germany alleging that semiconductor manufacturing technologies used by TSMC infringe 16 GF patents.
Fang previously helped TSMC win in a trade secret lawsuit against Liang Mong-song, a former senior director of R&D at TSMC.
Liang was accused of revealing TSMC's trade secrets and patents related to its advanced process technology to Samsung Electronics. Liang, after leaving TSMC in 2008, was able to help Samsung beat his former employer in the 14/16nm race. However, he was later prohibited by Taiwan courts from working for Samsung in any form until the end of 2015. The ruling gave TSMC enough time to regain the foundry leadership in the sub-10nm race, some market observers believe.
Article translated by Jessie Shen
