Rudolph Wins Patent Infringement Verdict

A jury has awarded Rudolph Technologies Inc. of Minneapolis approximately $6.8 million in a patent infringement suit against Camtek Ltd. of Migdal Ha’Emeq, Israel. The jury ruled that all models of Camtek’s Falcon inspection system infringe upon Rudolph’s US patent for an “Automated Wafer Defect Inspection System and a Process of Performing Such Inspection,” which covers continuous inspection of wafers using strobing illumination. The technology is used in the inspection tools of Rudolph and its subsidiary, August. The jury also rejected entirely the Israeli company’s argument that Rudolph’s patent is invalid.