A researcher from a prominent university's industry-academic cooperation group has been charged for stealing Samsung Electronics' next-generation extreme ultraviolet (EUV) process technology.
According to legal sources on the 27th, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office's Major Crimes Division 5, led by Chief Prosecutor Park Kyung-taek, has filed charges against the researcher, identified as A, for violating the Industrial Technology Protection Act.
As reported exclusively by Seoul Economic Daily on the 27th, A is accused of leaking semiconductor process data to a personal cloud while employed at Samsung Electronics, which was then used in the industry-academic cooperation process. It is believed that A exploited their status as a researcher while maintaining their employment at Samsung Electronics for a certain period, allowing access to internal technical information.
The materials A allegedly misappropriated include technical information related to the EUV lithography process for next-generation semiconductor products that Samsung has yet to release. EUV technology, which uses short-wavelength light to etch fine circuits onto wafers, is considered a core technology for advanced semiconductor manufacturing.
Previously, the prosecutors' office sought an arrest warrant for A, citing the significance of the leaked technology. However, the court rejected the request, noting A's cooperation with the investigation.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that Samsung Electronics quickly identified the unauthorized data transfer, preventing any potential overseas leakage. However, the prosecutors' office continues to investigate the possibility that some technical information may have been leaked externally.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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