In 2015, Zhang Hao, a professor at Tianjin University and a top expert in the field of chips in my country, was invited to the United States to attend a technology conference. However, he was "fished for law enforcement" by the United States and was eventually arrested by the police for "economic espionage." Now 7 years have passed, how is Professor Zhang Hao doing? Are you back home now?
Zhang Hao, born in 1979, studied in the United States. During his stay in the United States, Zhang Hao made remarkable achievements in the field of microelectromechanical filter chips and obtained 7 US patents.
In 2006, after Zhang Hao obtained a doctorate from the University of Southern California, Zhang Hao entered SKX, a well-known American giant in the radio frequency field. Despite his high position and generous treatment, Zhang Hao still wanted to return to his country to develop and serve his motherland.
In 2009, Zhang Hao and his friend Pang Wei, who was also in the chip field, resigned and returned to China, and joined Tianjin University as a teaching assignment.
In 2011, Zhang Hao and his partners established North (Tianjin) Microsystems Co., Ltd., which is China's first FBAR filter manufacturer. The company is engaged in the research and development of radio frequency front-end MEMS filter chips for wireless equipment and other products, and its core products are internationally leading.
At that time, my country's high-end filter was still in its infancy. When the Americans saw that Zhang Hao had broken the U.S. monopoly on this technology, they were furious. At this time, a long-planned conspiracy had been brewing.
After Zhang Hao and his company were established, they quickly opened up the situation and opened the door to a large market worth hundreds of billions. Since then, North has become a world-class filter chip manufacturer, with a total of more than 100 million chips delivered, and many products leading the world.
In 2012, the American conspiracy had quietly entered the scene. At that time, an executive from Avago in the United States came to North under the guise of academic exchange and successfully entered Zhang Hao's office area.
A few days later, the executive submitted a report to the FBI claiming that Zhang Hao and North had completely copied Avago's filter chip production line.
However, they did not make any announcement and continued to use various means to further probe and have laid traps to frame Zhang Hao and North.
In May 2015, Zhang Hao was invited to Los Angeles to attend an academic conference, and was subsequently taken away from the airport by the FBI, accusing him of "conspiracy to engage in economic espionage."
The United States believes that Zhang Hao and Pang Wei stole information related to filter chips of industry giant Avago while working in the United States, brought them back to Tianjin University, created North Microsystems, and sold the produced chips to Chinese state agencies and state-owned enterprises.
In fact, Zhang Hao and Pang Wei were already industry leaders in the United States, and had obtained a number of patents before entering the corporate world. After returning to China, North, which was established together with Tianjin University, has more than 200 patents.
news spread to China, and the industry was shocked. Everyone was surprised to find that in the past four years, the United States has extended countless "black hands", such as invading the network system of Tianjin University through illegal means, packaging industry knowledge into so-called "trade secrets"... In short, all kinds of methods that can and cannot be used have been used.
However, in the face of the so-called accusations, Zhang Hao firmly believed that he was innocent. However, the high legal fees were astronomical for Zhang Hao, who was born in a rural area and has been engaged in scientific research and teaching. To this end, Tianjin University issued a message late at night on June 5, 2015, calling on teachers and students to donate and support.
In response to the US accusations and reports, Tianjin University stated that it strongly condemns any unfounded accusations and actions that infringe on the reputation of the school, and reserves the right to use legal means to safeguard the reputation of the school.
In 2016, North found that the filter chips sold by Avago to Apple Inc. used patented technology developed by Pang Wei and Zhang Hao, and disassembled Apple's handheld devices for evidence collection. On September 28, 2017, North filed a lawsuit against Apple with the Tianjin Intermediate Court, but the trial has been put on hold for various reasons.
Zhang Hao has been in trouble for three years. North has successively launched a variety of 5G products, including the world's first small-size 5G n41 BAW filter, the world's first high-power capacity BAW filter and the ultra-small acoustic wave filter product series USH BAW used in 5G radio frequency front-ends.
This fully demonstrates that the research and development capabilities of Zhang Hao and North are among the best in the world. Not only does there not be so-called "technology theft", but on the contrary, American companies have violated his rights.
In the end, with the help of relatives and friends, Zhang Hao provided a guarantee of equivalent to US$500,000 and was released on bail pending trial.
However, there are also problems with his physical condition. His wife Fan Liping said that he was allowed to move around in Northern California from 7 to 21 o'clock while he was on bail pending trial. He wore an electronic monitoring device and reported to the judge regularly.
The court hearings have been postponed several times, lasting for half a year at a time. Especially in 2018, it almost stagnated. "It is so far away that people can't see hope at all."
Professor Eun Sok Kim, Zhang Hao’s mentor at the University of Southern California, specifically applied to testify in court. He said: Zhang is a “reliable and conscientious person who has never shown any signs of deception.” But no matter how proven it was, the tutor's testimony was not adopted.
Zhang Hao's physical condition declined seriously. "He often suffers from insomnia at night, and eats easily to vomit, so he dare not eat. His body is getting weaker and weaker. He used to be able to run more than ten kilometers, but now it is difficult to run for a few hundred meters.
At the same time, North's development also encountered major challenges, and accumulated conflicts also broke out at this time. Early North employees recalled:
"The Zhang Hao incident is not just a legal issue. If this lawsuit is not resolved, all customers will not dare to use our products. Therefore, one of the company's founders strongly suggested focusing on litigating the case in the United States to rescue Zhang Hao. "
Although some mobile phone giants were interested in North's products, they failed to cooperate in the end. As time dragged on, North also encountered financial difficulties in 2019. Of course, this is another level of incident. In short, due to the delayed litigation, North's life was not satisfactory. The high-end filter market was almost lost. Exhausted, the low-end market was squeezed by low prices again...
In 2020, the case that had been delayed for 5 years finally reached the final verdict. On August 31, the U.S. Federal Court held a sentencing hearing, and made a final verdict on September 1 - 18 months in prison and compensation of 47. $70,000. The judge also recommended that Zhang Hao be sent to a low-security prison in California.
Now, 28 months have passed since the final verdict. Professor Zhang Hao should have returned to China. I hope he is in good health and can continue his research work.
In fact, "American trap" incidents such as Professor Zhang Hao's are by no means isolated. They have become more and more frequent in recent years.
can be said: “The United States has a long history of looking for scapegoats for China, which is part of their efforts to curb China’s technological development! "
