ST. PETERS, Mo., Sept. 6 - MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. (NYSE: WFR) announced that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has reversed a summary judgment ruling on induced infringement by a California District Court regarding MEMC's patent on defect-free silicon.
The CAFC ruling supports MEMC's claim that SUMCO Corporation is liable for induced infringement of an MEMC patent on defect-free silicon. As a result of the CAFC decision, the case has been remanded back to the California District Court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
"We are very pleased with the decision handed down by the Federal Appellate Court and believe this is a major step in defending our patents and being fairly compensated for the value of our innovations," said Nabeel Gareeb, MEMC's Chief Executive Officer. "MEMC will continue to protect its investment in intellectual property and vigorously enforce its patents against companies that seek to use MEMC's patented technology without a license."
Patent number 5,919,302 relates to the manufacture and use of semiconductor grade single crystal defect-free silicon wafers, which are used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices. This type of defect-free silicon wafer, trademarked by MEMC as PerfectSilicon(TM), enables semiconductor manufacturers to produce next generation devices with enhanced performance characteristics. These devices, in turn, may allow electronics companies to produce better performing products such as cell phones, computers and PDA's.
About MEMC
MEMC is the world's largest public company solely devoted to the supply of wafers to semiconductor device manufacturers. MEMC has been a pioneer in the design and development of wafer technologies over the past four decades. With R&D and manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Europe and Asia, MEMC enables the next generation of high performance semiconductor devices.
