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Run your analysis now →https://www.patsnap.com/resources/blog/rd-blog/atomic-layer-deposition-equipment-and-precursors-patent-landscape/ · Patsnap · data cut-off 2026-07-31 · downloaded from the live page
Patent Landscape · Vacuum & Coating EquipmentAtomic Layer Deposition Equipment and Precursors Patents
- 40.6% of all 6,860 records sit with just five assignees, with a steep drop from the leader's 692 records to 266 at fifth place.
- Filings fell 29% from 475 in 2021 to 339 in 2024, after peaking at 551 in 2020 — the clearest complete-year trend in this dataset.
- Precursor chemistry and crystal growth are the thinnest documented branches, at 10.0% and 3.0% of records respectively, against 64.3% for coating deposition.
6,860
Published Records
41%
Top-5 Share of All Records
-29%
Filing Growth 2021→2024
US
Leading Jurisdiction
Filing growth compares 2021 (475 records) with 2024 (339) — a three-year span. 2024 is the most recent year we treat as complete: publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so 2025 onwards are still filling in and any growth rate that ends there would understate the field. Top-5 share is the combined record count of the five largest assignees divided by all 6,860 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
Published byPatsnap Research··7 min readSourced from Patsnap Eureka
Overview
What this landscape covers
This landscape covers 6,860 patent records published between 2015 and the 2026 data cut-off, spanning ALD equipment, process chemistry and precursor claims. The search combines core ALD process terms with the operational constraints that separate lab-scale demonstrations from production-viable claims — self-limiting growth, purge time, growth per cycle, conformality in trench, precursor delivery and throughput limitation.
Records are drawn from filings at the USPTO, WIPO, EPO and several national offices, with the United States the largest single receiving office at 3,988 records. The dataset spans coating deposition, semiconductor device integration, precursor chemistry and crystal growth, letting the same search surface both equipment-side process claims and materials-side precursor claims.
Filing volume and technology composition, 2015-2026
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee ranking and totals. Derived from a Patsnap search on Atomic Layer Deposition Equipment and Precursors covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Filing Data
Filing trends and technology composition
The 6,860 records in scope span 2015 through the 2026 cut-off, with filings concentrated in coating deposition and semiconductor integration classes.
Filing activity peaked in 2020, cooled into 2024
Filings ran from 386 in 2017 to a peak of 551 in 2020. Volume fell from 475 in 2021 to 339 in 2024, a -29% change over that span. 2025 and 2026 figures are still incomplete because publication typically lags filing by roughly 18 months, so the most recent years understate actual filing activity and should not be read as a slowdown.
Coating and semiconductor classes dominate
C23C (coating and surface deposition) appears on 64.3% of the 6,860 records, and H01L (semiconductor devices) on 47.3%. Because a single record can carry several IPC classes, these shares add up to more than 100% by design. Precursor chemistry (C07F, 10.0%) and crystal growth (C30B, 3.0%) are comparatively thin, marking where claim space is less occupied.
Shares are the percentage of the 6,860 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Atomic Layer Deposition Equipment and Precursors covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.
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The records anchoring this field
Representative Filing
Advanced precursors for selective atomic layer deposition using self-assembled monolayers
THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY
Advanced precursors for selective atomic layer deposition (ALD) of aluminum oxide using self-assembled monolayers (SAM) are provided. Area-selective ALD is described as a strategy for fabricating next-generation electronics, with the process achieving selectivity between an SAM-coated surface and a non-coated surface through specific novel ALD precursors and optimized process parameters including growth temperature, precursor partial pressure, precursor dosing time, purging time and reactant dosing time.Filed by Stanford University, illustrating how academic precursor-chemistry claims can sit alongside the industrial equipment filings that dominate this field.
Most-cited records in scope
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US6200893B1 | Radical-assisted sequential CVD | 1,050 |
| 2 | US20110256726A1 | Plasma activated conformal film deposition | 917 |
| 3 | US20020076507A1 | Process sequence for atomic layer deposition | 917 |
| 4 | US20020098627A1 | Surface preparation prior to deposition | 910 |
| 5 | US7153542B2 | Assembly line processing method | 877 |
| 6 | US20050271813A1 | Apparatuses and methods for atomic layer deposition of hafnium-containing high-k dielectric materials | 867 |
| 7 | US20110256734A1 | Silicon nitride films and methods | 854 |
| 8 | US20070119370A1 | Apparatus and process for plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition | 832 |
| 9 | US20060019033A1 | Plasma treatment of hafnium-containing materials | 808 |
| 10 | US20040025787A1 | System for depositing a film onto a substrate using a low pressure gas precursor | 775 |
Citation counts favour older records inside any searched corpus; treat them as a signal of influence on later filings, not as a measure of current commercial relevance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Citation counts and representative records. Derived from a Patsnap search on Atomic Layer Deposition Equipment and Precursors covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
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What the filing pattern tells a decision-maker
Three patterns stand out once the records are broken down by class, year and assignee: where claim space is occupied, where it thinned out, and how reliable the recent-year trend actually is.
Concentration
40.6%
of 6,860 records held by top 5 assignees
Filing sits with a small group of incumbents
The leading assignee alone holds 692 records, more than double the fifth-place holder's 266. This is a field where the largest equipment and specialty-chemicals suppliers have filed continuously for years, not a fragmented emerging space.
Top 10 combined reach 54.7% of all records.
Trend
-29%
filing change, 2021 to 2024
Volume cooled after a 2020 peak
Filings peaked at 551 in 2020, then declined to 339 by 2024. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, 2025-2026 figures are still filling in and should not be read as a further collapse.
2017 baseline was 386 filings.
Composition
64.3%
of records carry a C23C coating claim
Coating deposition dominates the claim map
Semiconductor integration (H01L, 47.3%) is bundled into much of that coating art. Precursor chemistry (C07F, 10.0%) and crystal growth (C30B, 3.0%) carry far less claim density.
Classes overlap; shares do not sum to 100%.
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Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to atomic layer deposition equipment and precursors, with the prior art for and against each one.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Co-assignee relationships and derived observations. Derived from a Patsnap search on Atomic Layer Deposition Equipment and Precursors covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Players
Who is filing, and where the field is still open
A hundred assignees make up the ranked field, but volume drops off sharply after the first handful of names. Recent-year momentum figures should be read cautiously given publication lag.
Leader
692
records held by the top-ranked assignee
The leader files at more than double the fifth-place volume
With 692 records against 266 at fifth place, the leading assignee's filing footprint reflects a long-running program across ALD equipment and process claims rather than a recent burst of activity.
Top 5 combined: 40.6% of 6,860 records.
Long tail
54.7%
held by the top 10 of 100 ranked assignees
Past the top 10, filing thins out fast
The remaining 90 ranked assignees split the other 45.3% of records, consistent with a field where a handful of equipment and materials suppliers set the pace and a long tail of universities, smaller toolmakers and chemical suppliers file selectively.
Ranking covers 100 assignees, not a top-50 cut.
Momentum caution
-81% to -100%
YoY swings among leading assignees in the latest year
Recent-year drops reflect publication lag, not retreat
Several leading assignees show sharp year-over-year declines in the most recent year in this dataset. Given the roughly 18-month gap between filing and publication, these numbers are provisional and will fill in as later publications post.
Do not read single-year momentum as a competitive signal.
Recent-year filing momentum by assignee
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| ASM IP Holding B.V. | 6 | -81% |
| Lam Research Corp | 4 | -86% |
| Versum Materials US, LLC | 2 | -71% |
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. | 1 | -92% |
| Applied Materials, Inc. | 0 | -100% |
| L'Air Liquide S.A. pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude | 0 | -100% |
| Micron Technology, Inc. | 0 | — |
| Tokyo Electron Limited | 0 | -100% |
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee-level momentum. Derived from a Patsnap search on Atomic Layer Deposition Equipment and Precursors covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
What's Next
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to a field with occupied core claims and thinner adjacent branches. The next steps depend on whether the goal is freedom-to-operate, licensing, or identifying a filing gap.
Run a freedom-to-operate check against the foundational records
The most-cited records in this field, led by US6200893B1, anchor much of the self-limiting growth chemistry that later filings build on. Any new process claim in coating deposition should be checked against these first.
Check claims in EurekaTrack momentum across the ranked assignees
Recent-year YoY figures for leading assignees look sharply negative, but that reflects publication lag rather than an actual pullback. Monitoring should extend beyond the latest one to two years to get a reliable read.
Monitor assignees in EurekaScope a filing in the thinner branches
Precursor chemistry and crystal growth integration carry markedly lower claim density than coating deposition or semiconductor integration, and may offer more room for a defensible first claim.
Draft a scoping search in EurekaSource: Patsnap Eureka. Forward-looking reading of the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Atomic Layer Deposition Equipment and Precursors covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Filing is concentrated among a small group of equipment and materials suppliers: the top five ranked assignees together account for 40.6% of the 6,860 records in scope, and the top ten account for 54.7%. The single leading assignee holds 692 records, with a steep drop to the fifth-place holder at 266 and the tenth-place holder at 130. This concentration reflects decades of accumulated filing by the same core group of semiconductor equipment and specialty chemicals companies, not a recent land grab.
Filings peaked in 2020 at 551 in this dataset, then declined from 475 in 2021 to 339 in 2024, a -29% change over that three-year window. Figures for 2025 and 2026 appear much lower, but that is expected: publication typically lags actual filing by around 18 months, so the most recent one to two years are always undercounted at the time of any search. Treat the 2021-2024 trend, not the tail years, as the reliable read on filing momentum.
Coating and surface deposition (IPC class C23C) is the largest category, present on 64.3% of the 6,860 records, followed by semiconductor devices (H01L) at 47.3%. Narrower categories include memory device manufacture (H10B, 4.3%), general semiconductor devices (H10D, 4.0%) and crystal growth (C30B, 3.0%). Because records can carry multiple IPC classes, these percentages overlap rather than summing to 100%, and the smaller categories mark areas with comparatively less claim density.
The comparatively thin classes in this dataset are precursor chemistry (C07F, 10.0% of records) and crystal growth integration (C30B, 3.0%), both well below the density of the core coating and semiconductor-device classes. A first mover here has more room to secure specific process-parameter or chemistry claims than in the heavily filed coating and integration categories, where foundational sequential-deposition patents already anchor broad prior art. Freedom-to-operate work should still start from the most-cited foundational records before assuming any space is genuinely open.
US20220136106A1, assigned to Stanford, claims specific precursor chemistries and process parameters for area-selective ALD of aluminum oxide using self-assembled monolayer surface treatments. It does not claim area-selective ALD as a general technique; it covers a defined combination of SAM-based passivation, aluminum oxide precursor chemistry, and specified process windows such as dosing and purge time. Other oxide chemistries, other selectivity mechanisms, or different precursor classes fall outside its scope, which leaves room for design-around work using alternative chemistries.
Answers are grounded in the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Atomic Layer Deposition Equipment and Precursors covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
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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.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. Patsnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.
Machine translation. Assignee and organisation names originally recorded in Chinese, Japanese or Korean have been rendered into English by an AI translation step so that the tables stay readable. These renderings are best-effort and may not match a company's registered English name; the original name is what the underlying patent record carries, and it is what any Eureka query launched from this page uses.