Veeco, AMEC, and SGL Settle Patent Litigation

PLAINVIEW, N.Y. and SHANGHAI, China and WIESBADEN, Germany, Feb. 08, 2018 -- Veeco Instruments Inc. (Nasdaq:VECO), Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc. (AMEC), and SGL Carbon SE (SGL), today announced that they have mutually agreed to settle the pending litigation among the parties and to amicably resolve all pending disputes, including AMEC’s lawsuit against Veeco before the Fujian High Court in China and Veeco’s lawsuit against SGL before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. 

John R. Peeler, Chairman and CEO of Veeco, commented:  “I am pleased to report that we have reached a mutually agreed settlement of the pending IP disputes and we are back to normal business operations in our MOCVD business.”   

AMEC’s Chairman and CEO, Dr. Gerald Yin, stated: “This settlement is a good example of how competitors can resolve IP matters for the benefit of their global customer base.”

As part of the settlement, all legal actions worldwide (in court, patent offices and otherwise), between Veeco, AMEC and SGL, and their affiliates, will be dismissed and/or otherwise withdrawn.  As a result, all business processes, including sales, service and importation, will be continued.  Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.    

About Veeco
Veeco (NASDAQ:VECO) is a leading manufacturer of innovative semiconductor process equipment.  Our proven MOCVD, lithography, laser annealing, ion beam and single wafer etch & clean technologies play an integral role in producing LEDs for solid-state lighting and displays, and in the fabrication of advanced semiconductor devices.  With equipment designed to maximize performance, yield and cost of ownership, Veeco holds technology leadership positions in all these served markets.  To learn more about Veeco's innovative equipment and services, visit www.veeco.com.

About AMEC
AMEC is China's leading provider of advanced process technology to global manufacturers of semiconductors and solid-state lighting (SSL) products. Headquartered in Shanghai, the company is an entrenched supplier of dielectric and TSV Etch tools, helping chipmakers build devices at process nodes as low as 7nm. To date, nearly 800 AMEC process units have been positioned at 40 leading-edge semiconductor fabs across Asia. The company is also well established in Europe with AMEC MEMS tools running in production at major IDMs. In addition, with its MOCVD system, the company helps SSL manufacturers build today's most advanced LED products. To learn more about AMEC, please visit www.amec-inc.com.

About SGL Group – The Carbon Company
SGL Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of carbon-based products and materials. It has a comprehensive portfolio ranging from carbon and graphite products to carbon fibers and composites. SGL Group’s core competencies are its expertise in high-temperature technology as well as its applications and engineering know-how gained over many years. These competencies enable the Company to make full use of its broad material base. SGL Group’s carbon-based materials combine several unique properties such as very good electrical and thermal conductivity, heat and corrosion resistance as well as high mechanical strength combined with low weight. Due to industrialization in the growth regions of Asia and Latin America and increased substitution of traditional with innovative materials, there is a growing demand for SGL Group’s high-performance materials and products. Products from SGL Group are used predominantly in the automotive and chemical industries as well as in the semiconductor, solar and LED sectors and in lithium-ion batteries. Carbon-based materials and products are also being used increasingly in the wind power, aerospace and defense industries.

Further information on SGL Group can be found in SGL Group’s newsroom at www.sglgroup.com/press or at www.sglgroup.com.

CONTACT:
Veeco Instruments Inc.
David Pinto
+1 408-325-6157
[email protected] 

Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc.
Jane Evans-Ryan
Genuity PR for AMEC
+1-408-489-6391
[email protected]

SGL Carbon SE
Philipp Stieffenhofer
Deputy Head of External Communications
+49 611 6029-100
[email protected]