The US International Trade Commission (ITC) has ruled that Innoscience Technology, a Chinese maker of gallium-nitride-on-silicon (GaN-on-Si) power chips, infringed upon a patent of American rival Efficient Power Conversion Corp (EPC), clouding the Suzhou-based firm’s prospects of going public in Hong Kong.
Innoscience was found to have infringed on one of the challenged patents held by EPC, according to the ITC’s final determination released on Thursday. The agency issued a limited exclusion order prohibiting importation of certain Innoscience chips that violated EPC’s patent.
California-based EPC on Thursday said the ITC decision was “the first successfully litigated US patent dispute involving GaN-based wide bandgap semiconductors”. The firm said it expects to open its intellectual property in GaN technologies to potential partners through licensing agreements.
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Innoscience, however, said it disagreed with ITC’s decision and will appeal the ruling.
The litigation “shall have no impact on Innoscience’s customers”, the company said in a statement on Friday. It asserted that the ITC’s decision clarified a design that was in dispute, adding that the firm has already worked around it and will soon release new products.
Innoscience’s gallium-nitride-on-silicon power chips are widely used in consumer electronics. Photo: Innoscience alt=Innoscience’s gallium-nitride-on-silicon power chips are widely used in consumer electronics. Photo: Innoscience>
Innoscience’s disputes have cast a shadow over the company’s efforts to list in Hong Kong, as well as its expansion plans. The company filed for an initial public offering in June.
The Chinese firm is also embroiled in a patent lawsuit with Infineon Technologies, Germany‘s largest semiconductor manufacturer.
In its prospectus, Innoscience warned potential investors that it “may be barred from manufacturing or selling the infringing products and/or ordered to pay monetary damages” in case of adverse rulings in litigations.
GaN and silicon carbide are third-generation semiconductor materials that have advantages such as higher energy efficiency, while allowing for reduced size, as compared with traditional silicon-based chips.
According to Innoscience’s website, its GaN products are widely used in consumer electronics, including smartphones, laptops, e-bikes and various small household appliances.
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