Advanced Node Fabrication Patent Landscape 2026
Advanced Node Fabrication Patent Landscape in 2026
The Advanced Node Fabrication patent corpus is tightly concentrated, with Novellus Systems and Praxair Technology holding the dominant positions across semiconductor device processing and specialty chemical routes. Filing activity is narrow in scope, with the bulk of recorded activity appearing in 2023 and the lifecycle stage not yet determinable from current evidence.
Novellus Systems leads a highly concentrated field
Novellus Systems Inc ranks first among all applicants, followed by Praxair Technology Inc in second place. The top five filers collectively account for 82% of the combined patent records held by the hundred largest filers, signaling an unusually concentrated competitive structure.
The tier gap between Novellus Systems and the remaining applicants is pronounced. Beyond the top two corporate entities, the remaining ranked names are individual inventors, suggesting that institutional R&D in this specific corpus is restricted to a small number of organizations.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Novellus Systems Inc | 6 | |
| 2 | Praxair Technology Inc | 3 | |
| 3 | POWELL RONALD A | 2 | |
| 4 | FELLIS AARON R | 2 | |
| 5 | SPURGEON LAURENCE E | 1 | |
| 6 | HEIDERMAN DOUGLAS C | 1 | |
| 7 | SINHA ASHWINI K | 1 | |
| 8 | SMITH STANLEY M | 1 |
Novellus Systems’ lead position, anchored in H01L 21 semiconductor device processing, implies that any new entrant must either differentiate on chemistry (as Praxair Technology does through C07F and C23F routes) or carve into adjacent application areas where coverage is currently sparse.
Activity in the most recent 18–24 months is subject to publication lag and should not be interpreted as an absence of ongoing R&D. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Filing concentrated in 2023; technology mix spans devices and specialty chemicals
The annual filing trend and the IPC technology composition together reveal both the temporal pattern of activity and the technical routes that define this corpus.
Annual filing trend
Recorded filings are effectively zero for every year from 2017 through 2022 and from 2024 onward in this corpus, with all four patent families appearing in 2023. The most recent periods remain subject to publication lag, so the apparent absence of post-2023 activity should not be read as a cessation of R&D.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01L (Semiconductor devices) is the dominant IPC class, followed by C07F (Organo-metallic and non-carbon compounds) and C23F (Corrosion and metal removal). C09K (Materials for miscellaneous applications) and F17C (Pressure vessels and gas storage) each appear at low frequency, marking them as adjacent and relatively sparse branches within this corpus.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Subtractive patterning to define circuit components
Certain embodiments pertain to local interconnects formed by subtractive patterning of blanket layer of tungsten or other conductive material. The grain sizes of tungsten or other deposited metal can be grown to relatively large dimensions, which results in increased electrical conductivity due to, e.g., reduced electron scattering at grain boundaries as… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Subtractive patterning to define circuit components | 39 |
| 2 | Subtractive patterning to define circuit components | 16 |
| 3 | Subtractive patterning to define circuit components | 1 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
What the competitive structure means for R&D investment
Four structural signals — maturity, concentration, collaboration patterns, and geographic footprint — frame the practical implications for teams deciding where to place R&D bets.
Lifecycle stage not yet determinable
The evidence does not currently support a definitive lifecycle classification for this corpus. All recorded filing activity is concentrated in 2023, and the corpus contains only 4 patent families, making trend-based lifecycle inference unreliable. Teams should treat this as an emerging or early-stage signal rather than a mature field until more filing history accumulates.
Early signalTwo corporate entities dominate; individuals fill the remainder
Novellus Systems and Praxair Technology are the only corporate filers of note. All other ranked applicants are individual inventors, which is atypical for an advanced semiconductor fabrication topic and may reflect the narrow scope of this particular corpus. The top five filers’ share of 82% among the hundred largest filers leaves limited room for mid-tier challengers within the current corpus boundary.
High concentrationNovellus Systems is the hub of all recorded co-filing activity
Four co-applicant pairs are identified, each linking an individual inventor — Powell Ronald A, Gao Juwen, Fellis Aaron R, and Danek Michal — with Novellus Systems, each with two co-filed records. No inter-corporate collaboration is recorded. This hub-and-spoke pattern around a single corporate anchor is consistent with internal inventor teams rather than cross-organizational alliances.
Hub-and-spokeSingapore, United States, and PCT routes share lead jurisdiction status
Singapore, the United States, and WIPO (PCT) each account for three patent records, with Europe (EPO) recording one. Singapore’s prominence as a lead office alongside the United States and PCT is notable and may reflect manufacturing or R&D operations in the Asia-Pacific region. Coverage in other major semiconductor jurisdictions such as Japan, South Korea, or Taiwan is not evidenced in this corpus.
SG / US / PCTGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
| Applicant | Collaborator | Co-filings |
|---|---|---|
| POWELL RONALD A | Novellus Systems Inc | 2 |
| GAO JUWEN | Novellus Systems Inc | 2 |
| FELLIS AARON R | Novellus Systems Inc | 2 |
| DANEK MICHAL | Novellus Systems Inc | 2 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Novellus Systems leads on semiconductor processing; Praxair Technology differentiates on chemistry
Two corporate entities define the competitive frontier in this corpus, each with a distinct technical emphasis and both appearing as new entrants in the recent filing window.
Novellus Systems Inc
Novellus Systems holds the top position with 6 patent records, all concentrated in H01L 21 (semiconductor device processing). Co-filing activity links the company with four named inventors across two records each. Praxair Technology Inc is not listed among applicants with prior-period filings in the momentum data, and Novellus Systems does not appear in the momentum table, suggesting its base was established prior to the recent measurement window.
patent records: 6Praxair Technology Inc
Praxair Technology holds second place with 3 patent records, differentiated from Novellus Systems by its emphasis on C07F 5 (organo-metallic and non-carbon compounds), C23F 1 (corrosion and metal removal), and H01L 21. Its momentum trend is marked as a new entrant in the recent filing window, indicating its 3 records all fall within the most recent period tracked.
patent records: 3| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Praxair Technology Inc | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| SPURGEON LAURENCE E | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| SMITH STANLEY M | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| SINHA ASHWINI K | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| HEIDERMAN DOUGLAS C | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served adjacent branches worth monitoring
Two IPC branches sit at the periphery of this corpus with single-record coverage each, representing areas where technical overlap with advanced node fabrication exists but dedicated patent activity is sparse.
C09K · Materials for Miscellaneous Applications
C09K carries only 1 patent record and a 5% share within this corpus, making it the sparsest classified branch. The branch covers specialty functional materials — including etchants, release agents, and surface-treatment formulations — that are directly relevant to advanced node process chemistry. An entrant with novel process-compatible materials could file here with limited existing coverage to navigate.
Search this in Eureka →F17C · Pressure Vessels & Gas Storage
F17C also holds a single patent record and a 5% share. Precision gas delivery and high-purity precursor storage are critical enablers in advanced deposition and etch processes. The sparse coverage in this branch is an observation of relative under-representation; whether it constitutes an opportunity depends on whether a team’s gas-handling innovations can be meaningfully differentiated from broader industrial gas IP held outside this corpus.
Search this in Eureka →How leaders differ by technology route
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | H01L 21 · Semiconductor devices | C07F 5 · Organo-metallic & non-carbon compounds | C23F 1 · Corrosion & metal removal | C09K 13 · Materials for misc. applications | F17C 5 · Pressure vessels & gas storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Praxair Technology Inc | Strong · 3 | Strong · 3 | Strong · 3 | Absent | Absent |
| FELLIS AARON R | Strong · 4 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| POWELL RONALD A | Strong · 4 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Novellus Systems Inc | Strong · 4 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 4 patent families. This is a narrow corpus, and the filing and applicant data reflect this limited scope.
Novellus Systems Inc holds the top position with 6 patent records, focused on H01L 21 semiconductor device processing.
H01L (Semiconductor devices) is the dominant IPC class, followed by C07F (Organo-metallic and non-carbon compounds) and C23F (Corrosion and metal removal).
Singapore, the United States, and WIPO (PCT) each have three patent records, with Europe (EPO) recording one. Coverage in other major semiconductor jurisdictions such as Japan, South Korea, or Taiwan is not evidenced in this corpus.
All recorded co-filing activity links individual inventors — Powell Ronald A, Gao Juwen, Fellis Aaron R, and Danek Michal — with Novellus Systems, with two co-filed records per pair. No inter-corporate collaboration is recorded.
C09K (Materials for miscellaneous applications) and F17C (Pressure vessels and gas storage) each carry only 1 patent record and a 5% share in this corpus. Both are adjacent to core fabrication process needs — specialty materials and precision gas delivery — but their sparse coverage in this corpus is an observation, and any opportunity assessment requires checking broader industrial IP outside this specific corpus.
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Disclaimer. This page is generated from PatSnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
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