AG Associates Files Cross Complaint Against Applied Materials for RTP Patent Infringement.SAN JOSE San Jose, city, United States San Jose (sănəzā`, săn hōzā`), city (1990 pop. 782,248), seat of Santa Clara co., W central Calif.; founded 1777, inc. 1850. , Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 3, 1997--AG Associates (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on :AGAI AGAI Associazione Guide Alpine Italiane AGAI Army General Administrative Instruction (UK) AGAI Antano Gustaicio Aviacijos Institutas (Lithuania) ), the pioneer and a leading supplier of advanced, single-wafer rapid thermal processing Rapid Thermal Processing (or RTP) refers to a semiconductor manufacturing process which heats silicon wafers to high temperatures (up to 1200 C or greater) on a timescale of several seconds or less. (RTP (1) (Rapid Transport Protocol) The protocol used in IBM's High Performance Routing (HPR) system. (2) (Realtime Transport Protocol) An IP protocol that supports real time transmission of voice and video. ) equipment used in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs), announced today that it has filed a cross complaint against Applied Materials Inc. (Santa Clara, Calif.), in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California The United States District Court for the Northern District of California is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises following counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa (San Jose), for the infringement of a process patent held by AG Associates. In April 1997, Applied Materials filed a complaint against the Company for infringement of certain of its technology. According to AG Associates, its United States Patent No. 4,331,485, entitled Method for Heat Treating Semiconductor Material Using High Intensity CW Lamps, pertains to processes employed by AG Associates' semiconductor processing equipment. The cross complaint alleges that Applied Materials infringes upon this patent with the manufacture, use and sale of its RTP Centura(TM) systems, which utilize this patented technology to heat wafers. The cross complaint seeks damages and an injunction against the further manufacture, use and sale of Applied Materials' RTP Centura systems. AG Associates' patent, issued May 25, 1982, covers fundamental rapid thermal processing technology using high intensity lamps to heat semiconductor material. Commenting on the cross complaint, AG Associates' Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Arnon Gat stated, "We will vigorously assert our patent position against Applied Materials on this fundamental rapid thermal processing technology. We believe this action is necessary to protect the enormous investment we have made in our core business technology and the critical intellectual properties we have amassed over the years." Except for historical information, the matters discussed in this news release, including the Company's plans to assert its patent claims, are forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those projected, including the uncertainties of ongoing negotiations, unpredictability of litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking information in this release. AG Associates is a leading supplier of rapid thermal processing equipment to the worldwide semiconductor industry. Founded in 1981, AG Associates is headquartered in San Jose, and maintains customer service and support centers in the United States, Europe and Far East to support its global customer base. The company's common stock trades on the Nasdaq Stock Market Nasdaq stock market The first electronic stock market listing over 5000 companies. The Nasdaq stock market comprises two separate markets, namely the Nasdaq National Market, which trades large, active securities and the Nasdaq Smallcap Market that trades emerging growth companies. under the symbol AGAI. For more information on the company, visit AG Associates at: http://www.agassociates.com on the World Wide Web. CONTACT: AG Associates, Inc. Cheri Salazar, 408/935-2249 or MCA MCA in full Music Corporation of America Entertainment conglomerate. It was founded in Chicago in 1924 by Jules Stein as a talent agency. In the 1960s it bought Decca Records and Universal Pictures, and today it produces films, music, and television shows. , Inc. Marie Labrie, 650/968-8900 |
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