CollabRx (formerly Tegal)
Company Background
Founded in 1972, Tegal Corporation started as a designer and manufacturer of plasma etch and deposition systems for the fabrication of advanced MEMS, integrated circuits, optoelectronic and nanotechnology devices. Beginning in 2009, in response to a challenging industry and financial environment, Tegal began a process of transitioning out of semiconductor capital equipment and into areas with more opportunity for growth and profitability. Drawing on its historic technology leadership in manufacturing process technology that incorporated electro-magnetics, plasma physics, radio frequency control, and materials science, Tegal became engaged in the sponsorship of other related emerging technology areas, including photovoltaic (PV)-based solar power and medical devices (1a). As of September 27, 2012 Tegal became CollabRx and stock is traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol, CLRX (7).
Strategic Partnerships
While Tegal was focused on semiconductor equipment, they formed a partnership with Sharp Laboratories of America in 2004 to accelerate the adoption and integration of next generation high-K dielectrics. The partnership built on Tegal's patented nano layer deposition (NLD) technology for depositing ultra thin layers of new dielectric materials for semiconductor and nanotechnology device production (3).
Tegal Corporation has developed a program called se2quel Partners in which the main partner is a company called Sequel Power. This program is to help develop and build photovoltaic-based utilities (1b). Another partnership is one with HealthTech Capital, an investment group that invests in early-stage healthcare technology companies. The partnership with Tegal Corporation is expected to further the development of their healthcare technology company portfolio (4).
In 2012, Tegal acquired CollabRx, Inc., a privately held technology company in the rapidly growing market of interpretive content and data analytics for genomics-based medicine.CollabRx offers cloud-based expert systems that provide clinically relevant interpretive knowledge to institutions, physicians, researchers and patients for genomics-based medicine in cancer and other diseases to inform health care decision making (1a).
Divestures
At the end of 2011, Tegal announced that it had sold over thirty patents in their nano layer deposition patent portfolio to multiple bidders including capital equipment manufacturers, IC device manufacturers and intellectual property aggregators. In 2012 they continued their efforts to sell the remainder of their semiconductor process-related intellectual property related to thin film structures and process technology pertaining to copper barrier and low-k dielectric technology (5).
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Sources
- Tegal Corporation (2012). Retrieved on June 28, 2012
- New York Times (2012). “Tegal Corporation Profile.” Retrieved on June 28, 2012 from http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/tegal-corporation/index.html
- AZoNano (2004, April 16). “Tegal Announces High-K Nano Layer Deposition Joint Project with Sharp - News Item.” Retrieved on July 19, 2012 from www.azonano.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=759
- Nanowerk (2012, April 11). “Tegal Corporation Becomes Industry Partner of HealthTech Capital.” Retrieved on July 19, 2012 from www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=24885.php
- Nanowerk (2012, February 14). “Tegal Announces Continuing Discussions for Balance of Nanolayer Deposition Patent Portfolio.” Retrieved on July 19, 2012 from www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=24278.php
- AZoNano (2010, November 8). “MEMS Image Sensor Supplier Places Order for Additional Tegal 3200 Cluster Tool.” Retrieved September 12, 2012 from www.azonano.com/news.
aspx?newsID=20400 - CollabRx. (2012). "Tegal Receives Shareholder Approval to Change Corporate Name to CollabRx, Inc." Retrieved on September 23, 2013 from www.collabrx.com/tegal-receives-shareholder-approval-to-change-corporate...