Applied Materials Files Suit Against ASM

Santa Clara-based Applied Materials Inc. sued ASM International, charging that a redesigned machine to make computer chips still infringes one of Applied’s patents. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, comes on the same day ASM introduced its new Epsilon 2000 machine, a redesign of its Epsilon One. Both ASM and Applied Materials make machines used to manufacture computer chips. In October, a U.S. district judge blocked ASM from shipping its Epsilon One machines, ruling that they infringed two of Applied’s patents. A federal appeals court last month upheld the decision. Executives with ASM, based in the Netherlands, weren’t immediately available for comment. Applied Materials shares rose 50 cents to close at $43.625 on Nasdaq.