Taiwanese authorities have initiated an inquiry into former TSMC executive Wei-Jen Lo concerning potential trade secret transfers to a foreign entity, according to Nikkei Asia.
Wei-Jen Lo, who spent 21 years at TSMC, retired from the company this year. He subsequently appeared at Intel in late October. Liberty Times reports that he allegedly took confidential materials related to TSMC’s leading-edge process technologies. Both Intel and TSMC have declined to comment on the matter.
Lo reportedly rejoined Intel as “vice president of R&D” in late October, approximately three months after leaving TSMC, a TrendForce report indicates. Before his departure from TSMC, Lo, serving as senior vice president of corporate strategy development, allegedly instructed subordinates to provide him copies of restricted technical documents. These documents reportedly covered TSMC’s N2, A16, A14, and post-A14 process technologies and their derivatives. Due to his high-ranking position, these requests did not raise internal security concerns at the time, according to Liberty Times.
The Liberty Times report details Wei-Jen Lo’s responsibilities at Intel as “advanced equipment and module development from R&D up to pre-mass-production.” This role involves overseeing new production equipment and process modules prior to full-scale production. While such responsibilities might appear lower for a vice president position at large chipmakers, given that “module owner” or “process owner” roles typically manage specific lines of work, Intel could have established this position to oversee new fab tools given the importance of equipment tuning and tool settings for semiconductor performance and yields.
TSMC’s secret documents covering N2, A16, A14, and post-A14 process technologies are unlikely to significantly aid Intel’s 18A process technology, which is already in mass production. Intel’s engineers uniquely tune 18A to optimize defect density and CD uniformity. The 18A process differs significantly from N2 and A16 in various aspects. For instance, 18A utilizes pattern shaping, which N2 does not. Additionally, A16 employs Super Power Rail for backside power delivery, supplying power directly to each transistor’s source and drain, whereas 18A’s PowerVia delivers power to transistor contacts.
Therefore, TSMC’s specific process experience holds limited direct value for Intel’s engineers, though it could be valuable for Intel’s competitive analysis team. Future nodes, such as Intel’s 14A and TSMC’s A14, will also diverge significantly; Intel’s 14A plans to use High-NA EUV lithography tools for critical layers, while TSMC’s A14 will rely on Low-NA EUV litho tools and multipatterning.
As a leader in advanced technology development at TSMC, Lo could offer valuable cultural insights to Intel’s process development, integration, and manufacturing organizations.
TSMC initially marked Lo’s departure with a farewell event honoring his 21 years of service. After leaving, he received the ITRI Fellow distinction, presented by Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim. As TSMC believed he was retiring, he was reportedly not required to sign a non-compete agreement, which typically prohibits employment at competing firms for 18 months with half-salary compensation. TSMC is now investigating whether Lo indeed transferred trade secrets.
Wei-Jen Lo most recently served as senior vice president, overseeing technology development within TSMC’s R&D organization. He joined TSMC in 2004 as vice president of Operations II. From 2006 to 2009, he led the R&D division. Subsequently, he managed the firm’s Advanced Technology Business and manufacturing-technology operations. Under his leadership, his organization accumulated over 1,500 patents globally, with approximately 1,000 filed in the United States.
Before his tenure at TSMC, Dr. Lo held senior technical and production roles at Intel, including oversight of the company’s Santa Clara development site between 1997 and 2000, according to The Org. His early career included teaching at an American university and research positions at Motorola’s R&D organization and the Xerox Microelectronics Center.
