Atomic Layer Etching Patents: Top Companies & Trends 2026
Atomic Layer Etching Patents: Who Leads and Where the Field Is Still Open
76.9% concentration. The top 5 of 41 ranked assignees hold 243 of 316 records in scope — a field where a handful of players occupy most of the claim space. Filings moved from 14 in 2021 to a peak of 71 in 2024, a +407% rise over three years. The 2017 figure of 17 shows the field was already active before this run-up; the 2025–2026 counts are understated because publication has not caught up with filing yet.
- 1LAM RES CORP92
- 2TOKYO ELECTRON LTD80
- 3INSPIRING ATOMS PTE LTD34
- 4TOKYO ELECTRON US HOLDINGS INC23
- 5MERCK PATENT GMBH14
See the full atomic layer etching analysis in Eureka
- The complete ranking, not just the top five
- Every IPC branch with its share of the corpus
- The most-cited records, and where claim space is still thin
Common questions about atomic layer etching patents
Who holds the most patents in atomic layer etching?
One assignee leads the dataset with 92 of the 316 records in scope, well ahead of the fifth-ranked holder at 14 and the tenth-ranked holder at 7. The top 5 of 41 ranked assignees together account for 76.9% of all records, so the field is concentrated rather than fragmented. Anyone assessing freedom-to-operate should start with that leader’s portfolio before widening the search.
How fast are atomic layer etching patent filings growing?
Filings rose from 14 in 2021 to a peak of 71 in 2024, a +407% increase over that three-year span. That is the clearest growth signal in the dataset’s coverage window, which runs from 2015 to mid-2026. Figures for 2025 and 2026 appear lower mainly because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, not because activity is slowing.
What technology areas do atomic layer etching patents cover most?
Semiconductor device claims (IPC class H01L) appear in 75.9% of the 316 records, making it the dominant classification by a wide margin. Electron and discharge tube claims (H01J) and H10P follow at 39.6% and 36.1% respectively. Corrosion and metal-removal chemistry, coating and deposition, and photolithography-related claims are all present but each cover under 10% of records, since a single patent can carry multiple IPC classes.
Disclaimer. This analysis is based on Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent records and is provided for general information and reference only. Patent data carries inherent limitations — recent filings are under-counted because of publication lag, counts may be on a record or family basis, classification and applicant-name data may contain errors or duplicates, and the underlying search query defines the scope shown — so the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing here is an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Verify independently and review with qualified patent and legal professionals before acting on it.
Method: Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Atomic Layer Etching covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish. Every share divides by all records in scope. Data: Patsnap Eureka. See the full landscape report.