ASM International N.V. (NASDAQ: ASMI and Euronext Amsterdam: ASM) announced that it has completed an agreement with an undisclosed party regarding the transfer of substantially all of the ASM® NuTool® Intellectual Property portfolio.
The sale of the NuTool portfolio is part of ASMI's program for restructuring Front-end operations to streamline its leading-edge wafer processing product portfolio and to focus on Front-end profitability. In connection with the sale, ASM received net proceeds of approximately € 11 million and as a result expects to record a net impairment loss for the excess carrying value for goodwill and intangibles in the maximum amount of € 5 million.
The NuTool IP portfolio includes patents and patent applications that relate to copper metallization process technology, in particular, Electro Chemical Mechanical Deposition (EMCD(TM)), and Electro Chemical Mechanical Polishing (eCMP®). In addition, the transfer includes ASM NuTool trademarks specific to the LuminaCu® and copper metallization technology.
According to the agreement, the transfer of the NuTool patents and patent applications included the granting of a license to ASM in the field of packaging technology. Other conditions and terms of the agreement were not disclosed.