CIGS Solar Cell Recycling Patents: Leaders & White Space 2026
- Filing peaked in 2023 at 15 families, then eased off — this is a field that surged and has since gone flat rather than one still accelerating.
- Metal extraction (C22B) and waste disposal (B09B) dominate the IPC mix, while coating/deposition (C23C) and the H10P grouping trail well behind, marking where claim density thins out.
- The United States receives roughly double the filings of the next office (EPO), with no single assignee holding a commanding share — the ranking has a long tail rather than one clear owner.
What the CIGS recycling patent record actually covers
CIGS solar cell recycling sits at the intersection of two very different disciplines: thin-film photovoltaic manufacturing and hydrometallurgical metal recovery. The patent record reflects that split — filings range from module-level disassembly and cullet recovery through to wet-chemical leaching, solvent extraction and electrolytic refining aimed at pulling indium, gallium, copper and selenium back out of spent or scrap material. A smaller cluster addresses the deposition and coating processes (C23C) that recovered material feeds back into.
Coverage in this dataset runs from 2015 through the middle of 2026, with 73 published families indexed under the search terms. Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the most recent one or two years understate actual filing activity and should be read as provisional rather than final.
Filing trends and technology composition
Two views of the same 73-family dataset: how filing activity has moved year over year, and how it splits across the IPC subclasses that define the technical routes in play.
A surge that peaked in 2023 and has since cooled
Annual filings sat near zero through 2017, built steadily, and peaked at 15 families in 2023. With the 2022 midpoint at just 1 filing, the run-up to the peak was compressed into a short window rather than a steady climb — and the trend since the peak points to a flattening or declining rate of new filing, not continued acceleration.
Metal recovery chemistry outweighs device-side claims
C22B (metal extraction and refining) leads at 27 records, closely trailed by B09B (solid waste disposal) at 24 — together confirming that most patent activity targets what happens to the module after end-of-life, not the CIGS device itself. H01L (semiconductor devices, 18) and C01B (inorganic compounds, 17) form a middle tier, while C25C (electrolytic production, 12), B02C (crushing and grinding, 10), C23C (coating, 9) and H10P (8) show progressively thinner coverage — the mechanical pre-processing and coating steps are comparatively under-claimed relative to the core leaching chemistry.
Shares are the percentage of the 73 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on CIGS Solar Cell Recycling with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about cigs solar cell recycling and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe records anchoring this landscape
Recovery method for copper-indium-gallium-selenium material
A hydrometallurgical route for recovering CIGS material that combines sulfuric acid aeration leaching at elevated temperature with sodium sulfite reduction of selenium, solvent extraction to separate copper, alkaline separation of indium and gallium, indium replacement, and gallium electrolysis. The aeration-leaching step is positioned to reduce acid gas pollution relative to conventional leaching, and the copper extraction step is described as low-cost with good separation performance, yielding high-purity electrolysed copper.Filed by Hanergy New Material Technology Co., Ltd., published 2020-09-03.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20230343654A1 | Solar module recycling and testing | 8 |
| 2 | US20200282432A1 | Obtaining Cullet from Thin Film Solar Modules | 8 |
| 3 | US20150060262A1 | Sputtering systems for liquid target materials | 8 |
| 4 | WO2013023173A2 | Sputtering systems for liquid target materials | 6 |
| 5 | US12005485B2 | Solar module recycling and testing | 5 |
| 6 | US20240246090A1 | Materials processing in solar module recycling | 5 |
| 7 | US20230405652A1 | Solar module recycling and testing | 3 |
| 8 | US20240351050A1 | Material separation in solar module recycling | 2 |
| 9 | US20240181511A1 | Solar module recycling and testing | 2 |
| 10 | US20230339003A1 | Solar module recycling and testing | 2 |
Citation counts are drawn from a searched corpus and skew toward older, more-established filings — treat them as a signal of influence rather than of current technical importance.
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The IPC composition and citation pattern point to a field where the wet-chemistry recovery route is well-trodden and the mechanical and coating steps around it are comparatively open.
Extraction and refining is the densest claim space
With 27 of 73 records classified under C22B, leaching, solvent extraction and electrolytic refining of indium, gallium, copper and selenium is the most heavily claimed route in this dataset. New filings here need to differentiate on reagent chemistry, yield or selectivity rather than on the basic process sequence.
Disassembly and waste handling run a close second
B09B filings at 24 records show that module-level disassembly, sorting and disposal claims are nearly as common as the metallurgical chemistry itself, suggesting a two-front landscape: what you do to the module, and what you do to the metals once separated.
Crushing and pulverising is the thinnest of the core steps
B02C, the crushing and grinding step that typically precedes leaching, has only 10 records — the lightest coverage among the process-chain subclasses. That gap is worth checking before assuming a size-reduction approach is already blocked.
The surge has already happened
Filing activity rose from near zero in 2017 to a peak of 15 in 2023, then flattened. Recent-year momentum by individual assignee is similarly muted, with the most active recent filer showing a year-on-year decline rather than growth.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to cigs solar cell recycling, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and where the field is still open
No single assignee dominates the 73-family set — recent-year activity is thin across the board, and the strongest co-filing relationship in the dataset involves only two organisations.
SolarCycle is the only assignee still filing in the latest year
SolarCycle Inc recorded 1 filing in the most recent year, down 75% year-on-year, and is the only named assignee in the momentum data with any activity in that window. Every other tracked assignee shows zero filings in the latest year, consistent with the broader flattening trend.
The United States is the primary filing venue
The US receives roughly double the filings of the EPO, with WIPO (PCT) close behind at 11. India, Australia and Canada each register single-digit counts, indicating that protection strategy in this field is concentrated in three jurisdictions rather than spread globally.
Co-filing is rare and shallow
The strongest co-assignee relationship in the dataset links only two parties across two shared filings — there is no dense collaboration cluster to map, which points to mostly independent, single-owner filing behaviour across the field.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| SOLARCYCLE INC | 1 | -75% |
| Hanergy New Material Technology Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
| Nuova Sun Co. | 0 | — |
| Owens-Brockway Glass Container Inc. | 0 | — |
| HOLLARS DENNIS R | 0 | — |
| French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) | 0 | — |
| Zhengzhou University | 0 | -100% |
| Solar Drive Solar Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to a field with settled core chemistry and several thinner branches. The next steps depend on whether the goal is freedom-to-operate, white space identification, or tracking a specific competitor.
Map claim boundaries on the leaching and extraction cluster
C22B carries the highest filing density in this dataset. Before filing a new leaching or solvent-extraction claim, check independent claim scope on the most-cited records in that subclass.
Explore the claims in EurekaTest the mechanical pre-processing gap
B02C shows the lowest count among the process-chain subclasses. A claim on crushing, grinding or size-reduction specific to CIGS module scrap may face less prior art than a chemistry-side filing.
Run a white space search in EurekaTrack the momentum shift
Filing activity peaked in 2023 and has since flattened, with only one assignee showing any recent-year activity. Monitoring which organisations resume filing first can signal where commercial recycling capacity is being built.
Set up assignee tracking in EurekaCommon questions about CIGS solar cell recycling patents
The dominant approach in the patent record is hydrometallurgical: modules are disassembled, the CIGS layer is separated, and the semiconductor material is leached, typically with sulfuric acid, to bring copper, indium, gallium and selenium into solution. From there, solvent extraction, alkaline separation and electrolysis are used to recover the individual metals at high purity. This route accounts for the largest single block of filings (C22B, metal extraction and refining), ahead of module-level waste handling and semiconductor-device claims.
No single assignee holds a commanding share of the 73 families in this dataset; the ranking has a long tail with most organisations filing only a handful of records each. SolarCycle Inc is the most active assignee in the most recent tracked year, though its filing count declined year-on-year. Other named assignees, including Hanergy New Material Technology, show activity earlier in the period but no filings in the latest year.
Filing activity grew from near zero in 2017 to a peak of 15 families in 2023, then flattened. The 2022 midpoint of just 1 filing shows the run-up to the peak happened quickly rather than gradually, and recent-year momentum data shows almost no assignee still filing at pace. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the final one or two years of the trend will likely revise upward, but the flattening pattern predates that lag.
US20200277685A1, assigned to Hanergy New Material Technology, describes a specific sequence for recovering copper, indium, gallium and selenium from CIGS material: high-temperature sulfuric acid aeration leaching, sodium sulfite reduction of selenium, solvent extraction of copper, alkaline separation of indium and gallium, indium replacement and gallium electrolysis. It blocks that exact process sequence and the specific reagent combination described, but it does not foreclose alternative leaching agents, different separation chemistries, or mechanical pre-processing steps outside its claims. A freedom-to-operate review should compare its independent claims against the specific reagents and sequence planned rather than assuming the whole leaching route is closed.
The thinnest IPC coverage in this dataset sits in mechanical pre-processing (B02C, crushing and grinding) and coating/deposition reuse of recovered material (C23C), both well behind the core metal-extraction and waste-disposal subclasses. These branches are candidates for new filings with a lower prior-art density, though a full clearance search on the specific claim language is still necessary before relying on that gap.
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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.