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| (Source: https://www.pfeiffer-vacuum.com/global/ko/products/systems#Contamination) |
Withtech has successfully dealt a partial blow to Pfeiffer Vacuum's South Korean patent, securing a decision that invalidates select claims.
In January 2025, the Korean Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board (KIPTAB) ruled that parts of Pfeiffer Vacuum's patent, titled "Method and Device for Monitoring the Contamination of Substrate Wafers" (KR1125913), are invalid. The ruling follows Withtech's April 2024 challenge, which argued that claims 1–10, 12–23, and 25–28 of the patent were invalid. While the tribunal upheld some of Withtech's arguments, it dismissed or rejected the remainder.
Pfeiffer Vacuum, the patent holder, retains the option to challenge the KIPT's decision by filing an appeal with the Patent Court of Korea.
The patent in question pertains to innovations in monitoring contamination of substrate wafers during semiconductor and micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) manufacturing processes. Pfeiffer Vacuum originally acquired the patent in 2013 from Alcatel-Lucent.
By PatenTrip
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