Samsung gets writ from AMD over fab tech

20 Mar 2008 | 15:27 GMT

By Mike Magee

AMD is suing Korean chip giant Samsung for alleged breach of five patents relating to fabrication technology and one to displays.

The case started in a Northern California district court a few weeks ago. AMD wants a jury trial to decide whether Samsung breached US patent numbers 5,545,592; 4,737,830; 5,248,293;5,559,990; 5,377,200; and 6,784,879.

These relate largely to fabrication technology – the first for example is called Nitrogen Treatment for Metal-Silicide Contact; the second Integrated Circuit Structure having Compensating Means for Self Inductance Effects; Insulated Gate Field Effect Device with a Smoothly Curved Depletion Boundary in the Vicinity of the Channel-Free Zone (whew!); Memories with Burst Mode Access; and Power Saving Feature for Components Having Built-In Testing Logic; and Method and Apparatus for Providing Control of Background Video. This last was an ATI patent.

AMD alleges many of the patents are used in Samsung DRAM, SRAM and NAND flash chips. It said that it contact Samsung in April 2006 to negotiate licences and gave the chaebol a Powerpoint presentation showing how its products breached AMD patents.

Patent 5,559,990 is used in memory chips, cell phones, MP3 players, TVs and printers, said AMD. The last patent, 6,784,879 is breached by Samsung in its LN-TI953H TV and other devices, alleges AMD. µ

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