Packaging suit hits Motorola, Qualcomm, Freescale and ATI

By Ed Sperling, Editor in Chief -- Electronic News, 4/19/2007

Tessera filed suit against Motorola, Qualcomm, Freescale and ATI, claiming the four giants are infringing on two patents involving chip packaging.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, involves patents issued in 1998 and 2002. Tessera says that more than 60 companies have licensed its patents, which involve the electrical interfaces between the silicon and the system in which the chips reside. The suit says that Tessera’s technology already has been incorporated into more than 4 billion semiconductors.

The patents involve what Tessera calls “face up chip assemblies,” which are particularly common in consumer devices and cell phones. The most recent patent focuses on flexibility of the substrate material, which makes it easier to test and mount the chip, as well as allowing for expansion with heat.

Tessera is seeking damages, punitive damages and a permanent injunction.