Mong-song Liang has recently joined Semiconductor Manufacturing International (SMIC) and led the China-based foundry's R&D department, according to industry sources.

At SMIC, Liang will be in charge of advanced 14/10nm FinFET process technology R&D, said the sources. SMIC also expects Liang's participation to help it headhunt talent from Taiwan's semiconductor industry, the sources indicated.

SMIC has not confirmed Liang's participation in the company.

Liang was a senior director of R&D at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) advanced modules technology division before joining Samsung. Liang had worked for TSMC for nearly 20 years, and was one of the key figures in TSMC's FinFET fabrication process development.

Liang initially joined Samsung as a professor at a company-sponsored university in Seoul, and became CTO of Samsung's system LSI division in July 2011. Later in the year, Liang was sued by TSMC in a case involving trade secrets.

Liang is believed to have played a key role in allowing Samsung to beat TSMC in the 14/16nm FinFET race, and assisted the Korea-based vendor in taking back chip orders from Apple.

In August 2015, Taiwan's top court maintained the determination made by the second-instance court, prohibiting Liang from working for Samsung in any form until December 31, 2015. The ruling did provide TSMC enough time to defend its technology leadership position and enable it to win back Apple's chip orders, the sources said.