Exhibit 10.4





 


LICENSE AGREEMENT


 


THIS AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”)
is entered into this 22nd day of December, 2006 (the “Effective Date”), by and among RJ Mears LLC, a Delaware
limited liability company with a principal place of business at 1100 Winter Street, Suite 4700, Waltham, Massachusetts, 02451 (“Mears”),
ASM America, Inc. (“ASM America”), a Delaware corporation with a principal place of business at 3440 East University
Drive, Phoenix, Arizona, 85034, and ASM International, N.V. (“ASM International”), a Netherlands corporation with a principal
place of business at Jan van Eycklaan 10, 3723 BC Bilthoven, Netherlands. ASM America, ASM International and their Affiliates (as
defined below) are collectively referred to as “ASM.” Mears and its Affiliates (as defined below) are collectively referred
to as “Mears.” Mears and ASM are collectively referred to as the “Parties.”


 


WITNESSETH THAT: 


 


WHEREAS, ASM is the owner of certain patent
rights and has the right to grant licenses under said patent rights;


 


WHEREAS, Mears desires to obtain a license
under the patent rights upon the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth.


 


NOW, THEREFORE, ASM and Mears hereby agree as follows:


 


ARTICLE I


    


Definitions


 


As used in this Agreement:


 


“Affiliate” shall mean
any legal entity (such as a corporation, partnership, or limited liability company) that is controlled by a Party. For the purposes
of this definition, the term “control” means (i) beneficial ownership of at least fifty percent (50%) of the voting securities
of a corporation or other business organization with voting securities or (ii) a fifty percent (50%) or greater interest in the
net assets or profits of a partnership or other business organization without voting securities.


 


“Equipment” shall mean
equipment used to manufacture semiconductors and components of equipment used to manufacture semiconductors.


 


“Licensed Product” shall
mean products comprising Permitted Structures that absent the license granted hereunder, would infringe one or more Licensed Claims.


 


“Licensed Process” shall
mean any process of making Permitted Structures that, absent the license granted hereunder, would infringe one or more Licensed
Claims.


 


“Net Revenues” shall
mean gross monetary receipts and the cash equivalent of non-monetary consideration receivable by Mears or any of its affiliates,
calculated in accordance with generally-accepted accounting principles consistently applied from the sale or other disposition
of Licensed Products or the performance of Licensed Processes, including revenue from the sub-licensing of Licensed Claims, in
an arm’s-length transaction, net of all separately stated taxes (other than taxes on income), interest and other finance charges
paid by customers, customs duties and other governmental charges, transportation, insurance and storage charges and refunds and
adjustments actually paid or incurred.


 


“Licensed Claims” shall
mean any and all non-Equipment claims entitled to priority to U.S. Serial No. 09/227,679 and/or 60/070,991, including, without
limitation, non-Equipment claims in U.S. Patent Nos. 6,749,687 and 7,105,055.


 





 




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“Permitted Structures”
shall mean (i) structures that include multiple sequences of a non-semiconductor layer adjacent a mono-crystalline semiconductor
layer and (ii) structures that include a monolayer of atomic oxygen at an areal density in the range 1013/cm2
to I 015/cm2 between two high quality, single crystal silicon layers for the purpose of achieving enhanced
semiconductor device performance.


 


“Reporting Period” shall
begin on the first day of each calendar half-year and end on the last day of such calendar half-year,


 


“Term” shall mean the
term of this Agreement, which shall commence on the Effective Date and shall remain in effect until the expiration or abandonment
of all issued patents and filed patent applications containing the Licensed Claims, unless earlier terminated in accordance with
the provisions of this Agreement.


 


“Territory” shall mean worldwide.


 


ARTICLE II


 


License Grant 


 


Subject to the terms of this
Agreement, ASM hereby grants to Mears and its Affiliates for the Term a nonexclusive license, with the right to sublicense, under
the Licensed Claims to develop, make, have made, use, sell, offer to sell, lease, and import Licensed Products in the Territory
and to develop and perform Licensed Processes in the Territory. Nothing in this Agreement is intended to grant a license to anyone
to make, use, sell, offer to sell, lease, or import Equipment that infringes any patent owned by ASM.


 


ARTICLE III



 


Royalty


 


With respect to Licensed Products made
and/or Licensed Processes performed using Equipment manufactured or sold by ASM (“ASM Equipment”), Mears agrees to
pay to ASM America a royalty of 21⁄2% of Net Revenues. With respect to Licensed Products made and/or Licenses Processes performed
using Equipment other than ASM Equipment, Mears agrees to pay to ASM America a royalty of 5% of Net Revenues.


 


ARTICLE IV


 


Records, Reports and Payment of Royalty


 


1. Mears shall keep accurate records
in sufficient detail to enable royalties payable hereunder to be determined and shall permit such records to be inspected and copied
once each calendar year during reasonable business hours by ASM’s certified public accountants, in accordance with the principles
and practices normally employed by certified public accountants and upon the giving of reasonable written notice to Mears by ASK.
ASM’s certified public accountants shall only make such inspection as is necessary to verify the amount of royalties payable hereunder
and shall only report to ASM the amount of royalties due and payable under this Agreement.


 


2. Mears agrees to report to ASM not
later than the last day of the calendar month following the end of each calendar half-year during the life of this Agreement in
respect to all royalties due hereunder during the preceding calendar half-year. Each such report shall be accompanied by full payment
of the total royalty due to ASM for such calendar half-year pursuant hereto.


  





 




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ARTICLE V


 


Assignment and Termination


 


1. The rights and obligations of Mears
hereunder may be assigned together to an Affiliate of Mears, or to any person or business entity which acquires substantially all
of the assets or capital stock of Mears. Otherwise, the rights of Mears hereunder shall not pass to third parties either by act
or deed of Mears or by operation of law.


 


2. Except as is otherwise provided
herein, this Agreement and every one of the terms and conditions thereof shall be available to and binding upon the assigns, legal
representatives and/or successors in business of ASM.


 


3. This Agreement shall
continue in force during its Term.






ARTICLE VI


 


Miscellaneous


 


1. Notice, Any notices required or
permitted under this Agreement shall be in writing, shall specifically refer to this Agreement, and shall be sent by hand, recognized
national overnight courier, confirmed facsimile transmission, confirmed electronic mail, or registered or certified mail, postage
prepaid, return receipt requested, to the following addresses of the parties:


 


	 	If to Mears:	RJ Mears, LLC
	 	 	1100 Winter Street
	 	 	Suite 4700
	 	 	Waltham, MA 02451
	 	 	 
	 	If to ASM:	ASM America, Inc.
	 	 	3440 East University Drive
	 	 	Phoenix, AZ 85034


 


All notices under this Agreement shall be
deemed effective upon receipt. A party may change its contact information immediately upon written notice to the other party in
the manner provided in this section.


 


2. All royalty reports and payments
shall be sent to ASM America at the address appearing above.


 


3. This Agreement may be executed in
counterparts, each of which will be an original but all of which shall constitute one and the same instrument.


 


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused
this Agreement to be signed as an instrument under seal by their duly authorized officers as of the day and year shown below next
to the signatures of the authorized officer of each respective party.


 


	RJ MEARS, LLC	 	ASM AMERICA, INC.
	 	 	 
	By:	/s/ Robert J. Mears	 	By:	/s/ Charles Dean Del Prado
	 	 	 	 	 
	Its:	President	 	Its:	President


 





 






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	ASM INTERNATIONAL, N.V.	 
	 	 
	By:	/s/ Charles Dean Del Prado	 
	 	 	 
	Its:	Member of the Management Board	 


 





 





 




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