EUV Pellicle Membranes Patents: Who Leads, Where Gaps Are 2026
- Filing already peaked. 2022 recorded 28 filings, the high point in the dataset, with no year since matching that level — a maturing rather than accelerating claim space.
- Momentum has stalled at the top. Several of the most active historic filers, including ASML and TSMC, show zero filings in the latest year and a -100% year-over-year change.
- The oldest prior art still dominates citations. A 2008 filing on EUV pellicle fabrication remains the most-cited record in the corpus, ahead of everything filed in the last decade.
Filing growth compares 2021 (19 records) with 2024 (17) — 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 153 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What the EUV pellicle patent record actually shows
EUV pellicle membranes sit at the intersection of extreme ultraviolet optics, thin-film materials science and thermal engineering: a membrane a few tens of nanometres thick has to transmit EUV light, survive hydrogen plasma exposure, and dissipate heat under high-power exposure tools without tearing or contaminating the reticle. The 153 patent families in this dataset span 2015 through the current filing year, concentrated overwhelmingly in G03F photolithography classifications, with secondary clusters in inorganic compound chemistry, nanotechnology and semiconductor device classes. Filing offices skew heavily toward the United States, followed by PCT, European and Israeli filings — a footprint that tracks the geography of EUV tool and fab deployment rather than a broader global filing pattern.
The filing curve rose through the late 2010s, peaked in 2022, and has not returned to that level since. Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the most recent one or two years in any such trend understate real activity — but even allowing for that lag, the plateau after 2022 marks a shift from a build-out phase to a narrower, more contested claim space.
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Filing trends and technology composition
Two views of the same 153-family dataset: how filing activity has moved year over year, and how those filings distribute across IPC subclasses.
A peak year behind, not ahead
Annual filings rose from single digits in 2017 to a peak of 28 in 2022, then eased off. With 2026 only partially represented, the near-term trend line reads flat to declining rather than growing — a signal that early broad claims have already been staked and later entrants are filing narrower, more defensive applications.
G03F dominates; secondary classes reveal the supporting chemistry
Every record in the dataset carries a G03F photolithography classification, as expected given the search scope. The next-largest classes — inorganic compounds (C01B), nanotechnology (B82Y) and semiconductor devices (H01L) — point to where the harder materials-science problems live: membrane chemistry, coating structure and integration with the exposure tool, rather than the optical requirement itself.
Shares are the percentage of the 153 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on EUV Pellicle Membranes with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about euv pellicle membranes and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe prior art still shaping freedom-to-operate
EUV pellicle structure and method for manufacturing same
A method for manufacturing an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) pellicle structure may include preparing a pellicle membrane that includes an intermediate layer structure in which EUV transmission layers and heat dissipation layers are alternately stacked, a first thin layer disposed on a top surface of the intermediate layer structure, and a second thin layer disposed on a bottom surface of the intermediate layer structure and having a heat emissivity lower than that of the first thin layer, and disposing a cooling structure for absorbing heat from the pellicle membrane on an edge sidewall of the pellicle membrane at which the heat dissipation layers are exposed.Filed by IUCF-HYU, the industry-university cooperation arm of Hanyang University, this filing structures the membrane as an alternating stack of transmission and heat-dissipation layers rather than a single homogeneous film.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20080152873A1 | EUV pellicle and method for fabricating semiconductor dies using same | 91 |
| 2 | US20050048376A1 | Mounting a pellicle to a frame | 49 |
| 3 | US7767985B2 | EUV pellicle and method for fabricating semiconductor dies using same | 47 |
| 4 | US20050045262A1 | Attaching a pellicle frame to a reticle | 45 |
| 5 | WO2021037662A1 | Pellicle membrane for a lithographic apparatus | 39 |
| 6 | US20170090278A1 | EUV pellicle film and manufacturing method thereof | 38 |
| 7 | US20150168824A1 | EUV pellicle frame with holes and method of forming | 34 |
| 8 | WO2008060465A1 | EUV pellicle with increased EUV light transmittance | 25 |
| 9 | US20220276553A1 | Pellicle membrane for a lithographic apparatus | 20 |
| 10 | US20210191255A1 | Method for Forming an Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography Pellicle | 19 |
Citation counts favour older filings simply because they have had more time to accumulate citations within the searched corpus; treat this table as a map of influence, not of current commercial relevance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Browse MCP servers →What the data means for filing strategy
Three patterns in the dataset carry direct implications for anyone deciding where to file, litigate or license.
The build-out phase is behind, not ahead
Filings climbed steadily from 2017 and topped out at 28 in 2022. No subsequent year has matched it, and the most recent year is only partially captured. That shape is consistent with a technology whose core architectural claims — membrane stack composition, frame attachment, cooling structure — have already been staked out by early movers.
Filing geography tracks fab and tool deployment
The United States leads by a wide margin, with PCT, European and Israeli filings forming the next tier — Israel's presence reflecting the concentration of pellicle and optics suppliers headquartered there. Japan and Canada trail well behind, suggesting either later entry or a preference for filing through PCT and US routes instead.
Historic leaders have gone quiet in the latest year
Several assignees with substantial filing histories, including large lithography and foundry players, show zero filings in the most recent year and a full year-over-year drop from their prior activity. That does not necessarily mean disengagement — publication lag means recent filings may not yet be visible — but it does mean the current public record understates whatever those firms are working on now.
The oldest filing is still the most-referenced
A 2008 filing on EUV pellicle fabrication for semiconductor dies carries far more citations than any later record, including several from the 2020s. That reflects time-in-corpus more than technical primacy, but it also means any new entrant's freedom-to-operate analysis still has to clear that filing first.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to euv pellicle membranes, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who holds the claim space, and where it is thin
Assignee activity in this dataset is concentrated among a small set of lithography tool makers, foundries, materials suppliers and university research arms, with a long tail of single or low-frequency filers.
Leading lithography players show no recent activity in this cut
Assignees associated with EUV exposure tools and pellicle supply appear prominently in the historic filing record but register no filings in the most recent year captured, alongside a full year-over-year decline. Given publication lag, this is more likely a visibility gap than a strategic exit.
Foundry-side filing has also gone quiet in this window
A major foundry assignee shows the same flat latest-year signal as the tool makers, consistent with pellicle IP maturing into narrower, more defensive filings rather than broad architecture claims.
Co-assignment clusters around a Belgian research consortium
The strongest co-assignee relationships in the dataset link a microelectronics research centre with a Belgian university's research and development office, appearing together on multiple families. Cross-institutional filing here suggests foundational materials work rather than product-specific claims.
A film and adhesives supplier is still filing
Unlike the tool makers and foundries above, one materials-side assignee registers a filing in the most recent year — a rare sign of continued active prosecution in a dataset otherwise dominated by lapsed momentum.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Lintec of America, Inc. | 1 | — |
| ASML Netherlands B.V. | 0 | -100% |
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (TSMC) | 0 | -100% |
| Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) | 0 | — |
| Intel Corporation | 0 | — |
| Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) | 0 | — |
| IUCF-HYU (Industry-University Cooperation Foundation Hanyang University) | 0 | — |
| GlobalFoundries Inc. | 0 | — |
Where to take this next
The filing record raises questions that a static landscape view cannot answer on its own.
Check freedom-to-operate against the 2008 baseline
The most-cited record in this dataset predates most current pellicle chemistry work by over a decade, yet still anchors citation networks for newer filings. Any new membrane stack or frame design should be checked against it directly rather than assumed clear.
Run a freedom-to-operate search in Eureka →Track the quiet leaders for renewed filing
Several historically active assignees show no filings in the latest year captured. Given normal publication lag, renewed activity from these players may already be in the pipeline and worth monitoring as it surfaces.
Set up assignee monitoring in Eureka →Probe the under-claimed branches before committing R&D
Hydrogen plasma resistance coatings and heat-dissipation layer materials show thinner patent density than core membrane-stack claims. That gap is worth testing against internal roadmaps before assuming it is open.
Explore white space with Eureka →Frequently asked questions
An EUV pellicle membrane is an ultra-thin film, typically tens of nanometres thick, suspended over an EUV photomask to protect it from particle contamination during extreme ultraviolet lithography exposure. It must transmit EUV light with minimal loss, survive hydrogen plasma cleaning cycles, and dissipate the heat generated by high-power exposure without degrading. Those combined optical, chemical and thermal requirements are unusual enough that the patent activity around them forms a distinct cluster within broader photolithography filings, concentrated in IPC class G03F alongside supporting materials chemistry classes.
The dataset shows filing activity concentrated among a small number of lithography tool makers, foundries, materials suppliers and university research groups, with a long tail of lower-frequency filers. Several of the historically most active assignees, including major tool and foundry players, show no filings in the most recent year captured and a full year-over-year drop in activity. Because patent publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, this recent quiet is likely a visibility gap rather than a sign these organisations have stopped working on pellicle technology.
No, filing activity peaked at 28 families in 2022 and has not returned to that level since, based on the years captured in this dataset. The trend from 2017 onward shows steady growth into that 2022 peak followed by a plateau or decline, which typically signals that broad architectural claims — membrane stack composition, frame attachment, cooling structure — have already been filed by early movers, and later entrants are filing narrower, more defensive applications around the edges.
The most-cited record in this dataset is a 2008 filing covering EUV pellicle fabrication for semiconductor dies, cited far more than any other record including several filed in the 2020s. Other heavily cited records cover pellicle-to-frame mounting and reticle attachment methods, dating from the mid-2000s. Any freedom-to-operate review for a new membrane stack, frame design or attachment method should check against these foundational records first, since their citation weight indicates they are frequently treated as baseline prior art in later filings.
Relative to the dense filing around core membrane-stack composition and frame attachment, this dataset shows thinner representation in hydrogen plasma resistance coatings, heat-dissipation layer materials, particle-protection edge sealing, membrane-to-frame bonding methods, and in-situ thermal load monitoring. These narrower branches sit downstream of the foundational architecture claims and may offer more room for a defensible first claim, though that should be confirmed against a fresh freedom-to-operate search before committing R&D resources.
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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.