Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP

ASM America, Inc.

In the early 1990's, the firm began to handle the patent portfolio for semiconductor equipment manufacturer, ASM America. Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear's lawyers became immersed in the highly specialized technology of single wafer, epitaxial chemical vapor deposition, a technology pioneered by ASM America, and learned the business environment with which ASM was involved. Based on positive experiences with that relationship, the parent corporation, ASM International, gradually consolidated the patent work for its subsidiaries around the world with Knobbe Martens. The firm is now the primary patent counsel for and directly deals with ASM America (Phoenix), ASM Japan (Tokyo), ASM Microchemistry (Helsinki), ASM International (The Netherlands) and ASM's latest acquisition, ASM NuTool (Fremont, California). These subsidiaries design and produce a variety of tools on the cutting edge of semiconductor processing, including batch furnaces and single wafer tools for chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), electroplating, electropolishing and chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). With each additional portfolio from this family of companies, Knobbe Martens lawyers learned a new techology, a new set of industry practices and a new set of competitive technologies in order to rationally direct patent strategy. As ASM continues to grow around the world, so too the relationship between ASM and the firm's lawyers continues to grow and flourish.