The U.S. Department of Justice filed economic espionage charges against Tianjin University Professor Hao Zhang (36) and Wei Pang (35) in a case involving trade secrets and RF patents belonging to Avago Technologies.
The 32-count indictment alleges that Wei Pang and Hao Zhang conducted research and development on thin-film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) technology while students at the University of Southern California under funding from U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). After earning their doctorate in approximately 2005, Pang accepted employment as an FBAR engineer with Avago Technologies (Avago) in Colorado and Zhang accepted employment as an FBAR engineer with Skyworks Solutions Inc. (Skyworks) in Massachusetts. The indictments accuse the men of preparing a business plan to steal technology from Avago and Skyworks with the intent of establishing a new competitor, ROFS Microsystes, a joint venture with Tianjun University and located in PRC state-sponsored Tianjin Economic Development Area (TEDA).
Zhang was arrested on May 16, 2015, upon landing at the Los Angeles International Airport on a flight from the PRC.
