EUV Photoresist Patent Landscape 2026
EUV Photoresist Patent Landscape in 2026
The EUV photoresist patent space is dominated by equipment and process specialists, with Lam Research Corporation and Tokyo Electron Limited together holding a commanding share of the top-ranked applicants. The field has reached a maturity plateau—annual volume peaked in 2021 and has since stabilized—while several new entrants signal continued competitive pressure at the process integration layer.
Equipment makers lead a highly concentrated applicant field
Lam Research Corporation ranks first among all applicants, followed by Tokyo Electron Limited in second and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company in third, with Applied Materials and IBM rounding out the top five.
The top five filers account for 57% of the combined total across the hundred largest filers, indicating a strongly concentrated field with a meaningful gap before the mid-tier cluster that includes Samsung SDI, Samsung Electronics, and ASM IP Holdings.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lam Research Corporation | 185 | |
| 2 | Tokyo Electron Limited | 137 | |
| 3 | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited | 67 | |
| 4 | Applied Materials Inc | 61 | |
| 5 | International Business Machines Corporation | 55 | |
| 6 | Samsung SDI Co Ltd | 40 | |
| 7 | Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | 31 | |
| 8 | ASM IP Holding BV | 28 | |
| 9 | Tokyo Electron US Holdings Inc | 25 | |
| 10 | Brewer Science Inc | 17 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Intel Corporation | 15 | |
| 12 | Merck Patent GmbH | 10 | |
| 13 | LAIR LIQUIDE SA POUR LETUDE & LEXPLOITATION DES PR… | 9 | |
| 14 | GlobalFoundries US Inc | 9 | |
| 15 | DuPont Electronic Materials International LLC | 9 | |
| 16 | Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation | 8 | |
| 17 | SanDisk Technologies LLC | 7 | |
| 18 | Gelest Inc | 7 | |
| 19 | Qualcomm Inc | 7 | |
| 20 | TSMC Nanjing Co Ltd | 7 |
The dominance of etch, deposition, and process-equipment vendors in the top positions suggests that competitive advantage in EUV photoresist has migrated toward process integration and hardware-enabled patterning rather than purely chemical formulation—a structural shift that has lasting implications for IP freedom to operate.
Filing counts for the most recent 18–24 months are subject to publication lag and understate actual activity; apparent softness in 2024–2025 data should not be read as a real decline. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Filing activity plateaued after a 2021 peak; semiconductor device integration dominates the IPC mix
Two signals define the technology structure: a filing curve that climbed from 2017 through 2021 and has since stabilized, and a technology composition overwhelmingly anchored in semiconductor device processing with a secondary cluster in photolithography.
Annual filing trend
Annual filings grew from 48 in 2017 to a peak of 101 in 2021, then settled into the 75–82 range through 2023–2024. The 2025–2026 counts are incomplete due to publication lag and should not be interpreted as a real downturn.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01L (semiconductor devices) and G03F (photolithography and photomechanics) are the two dominant IPC branches, reflecting process-integration focus. Lower-volume branches—C11D (cleaning), H01J (electron and discharge tubes), C07F (organo-metallic compounds), and C23C (coating and surface deposition)—form a sparse second tier that marks the outer boundaries of current activity.
↗ 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.
Extreme ultraviolet lithography patterning with di…
Semiconductor structures fabricated via extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithographic patterning techniques implementing directional deposition on a EUV resist mask improves selectivity and critical dimension control during the patterning of features in multiple layers of the semiconductor substrate. A semiconductor structure includes a substrate structure having… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Methods for making EUV patternable hard masks | 545 |
| 2 | Method of topologically restricted plasma-enhanced… | 503 |
| 3 | Semiconductor processing apparatus | 457 |
| 4 | Method of topologically restricted plasma-enhanced… | 424 |
| 5 | Combined anneal and selective deposition process | 407 |
| 6 | Semiconductor processing apparatus | 389 |
| 7 | Methods for making EUV patternable hard masks | 357 |
| 8 | Structure including a photoresist underlayer and m… | 340 |
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 structural data means for R&D investment decisions
The combination of a maturing filing curve, high top-tier concentration, active intra-group co-filing, and US-dominant jurisdiction coverage frames where the defensible whitespace and entry risks lie.
Field has plateaued near its 2021 peak
Annual filings have plateaued near their peak level, placing the field in a mature stage. The multi-year growth from 2017 to 2021 has given way to a stable, high-volume plateau rather than further expansion. For new entrants, this means core patterning process claims are densely occupied and incremental differentiation requires targeting adjacent branches or next-generation material chemistries.
Lifecycle: MatureTop five hold over half the leading-filer share
The top five filers account for 57% of the combined total among the hundred largest filers, a level of concentration that creates meaningful freedom-to-operate risk for any new applicant working near H01L and G03F subject matter. The tier-two group—Samsung SDI, Samsung Electronics, ASM IP, and Tokyo Electron US Holdings—holds substantially smaller positions, suggesting limited near-term challenge to the top-tier incumbents.
Concentration: HighCo-filing is largely intra-corporate with selective strategic alliances
The most active co-filing pair is Tokyo Electron Limited and its US holding subsidiary Tokyo Electron US Holdings, with 25 joint records—reflecting internal portfolio management rather than external alliance. The second-most active pairing is Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company with TSMC Nanjing, again intra-group. The most strategically notable external collaboration is Lam Research Corporation with IBM (3 joint records), pointing to process-chemistry co-development at the leading edge. ASM IP Holdings and IMEC (Interuniversitair Micro-Electronics Centrum) co-filed 4 records, linking a major equipment vendor to Europe’s premier semiconductor research consortium.
Collaboration: Mostly intra-groupUS filing dominates; PCT and EPO provide secondary coverage
The United States is by far the primary filing jurisdiction, followed by WIPO PCT routes and the European Patent Office. Israel and Singapore appear as secondary destinations, consistent with the advanced-node fab and R&D presence in those jurisdictions. South Korea, China, Taiwan, and Japan together represent a comparatively thin filing footprint given the concentration of EUV-capable fabs in those regions, suggesting potential gaps in geographic coverage that competitors could exploit.
Geography: US-centricGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo Electron Limited | Tokyo Electron US Holdings Inc | 25 |
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited | TSMC Nanjing Co Ltd | 7 |
| Tokyo Electron Limited | Tokyo Electron America Inc | 4 |
| Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | Semes Co Ltd | 4 |
| ASM IP Holding BV | Interuniversitair Micro-Electronics Centrum (IMEC VZW) | 4 |
| Lam Research Corporation | International Business Machines Corporation | 3 |
| International Business Machines Corporation | IBM China Co Ltd | 2 |
| International Business Machines Corporation | IBM United Kingdom Ltd | 2 |
| International Business Machines Corporation | Zeon Corporation | 1 |
| BASF SE | BASF (China) Co Ltd | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Lam Research and Tokyo Electron lead on volume; Applied Materials and Samsung SDI are accelerating
The two top-ranked applicants share a similar IPC focus on semiconductor device processing and photolithography but show diverging momentum; meanwhile, several applicants categorized as new entrants in the recent filing window are reshaping the mid-tier.
Lam Research Corporation
Lam Research leads with 185 patent records, focused on H01L semiconductor device processing, G03F photolithography, and H01J electron and discharge tube applications—reflecting its etch and deposition equipment portfolio applied to EUV patterning. However, its recent-period filings show a downward trend of –51% versus the prior window, indicating a possible portfolio consolidation or strategic prioritization shift rather than continued volume accumulation.
patent records: 185Tokyo Electron Limited
Tokyo Electron Limited holds 137 patent records with a technology emphasis on H01L, G03F, and—to a lesser extent—H01J, closely mirroring the leader’s profile. Unlike Lam Research, Tokyo Electron’s recent filings show a modest upward trend of +8%, suggesting steady continued investment. Its 25-record co-filing relationship with its US holding subsidiary underscores an integrated transatlantic portfolio strategy.
patent records: 137| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Lam Research Corporation | 39 | ▼ -51% |
| Tokyo Electron Limited | 39 | ▲ +8% |
| International Business Machines Corporation | 4 | ▼ -84% |
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited | 20 | ▬ 0% |
| Applied Materials Inc | 33 | ▲ new entrant |
| Samsung SDI Co Ltd | 14 | ▲ new entrant |
| Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | 21 | ▲ new entrant |
| ASM IP Holding BV | 15 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches adjacent to the core EUV patterning cluster
Several IPC branches adjacent to the dominant H01L and G03F core carry low patent-record counts relative to their technical relevance to EUV photoresist performance, marking them as areas of relative sparsity worth monitoring.
C07F · Organo-metallic compounds
With 42 patent records and a 2% share of the IPC mix, organo-metallic and non-carbon compound chemistry is sparsely covered relative to its known technical importance in metal-oxide EUV resist formulations. Samsung SDI’s portfolio shows 17 records in C07F, making it the most active filer in this branch; the remaining field is largely open. Entrants with organometallic synthesis capabilities—particularly tin-based or hafnium-based resist chemistries—could establish differentiated positions here with relatively limited incumbent resistance.
Search this in Eureka →C23C · Coating and surface deposition
C23C (coating and surface deposition) holds 34 patent records and a 2% share—sparse for a branch directly relevant to underlayer and hardmask deposition in EUV patterning stacks. ASM IP Holdings shows activity here with 8 records in C23C 16, and Tokyo Electron US Holdings has 1 record; otherwise the branch is thinly populated. For organizations with ALD or CVD competencies, C23C represents a plausible adjacent entry path that complements existing H01L and G03F positions without directly confronting the dense incumbent clusters.
Search this in Eureka →How top applicants differ across technology routes
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | H01L 21 · Semiconductor devices | G03F 7 · Photolithography & photomechanics | H01J 37 · Electron & discharge tubes | C11D 11 · Detergents & cleaning compositions | G03F 1 · Photolithography & photomechanics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lam Research Corporation | Strong · 185 | Strong · 99 | Moderate · 38 | Absent | Emerging · 9 |
| Tokyo Electron Limited | Strong · 129 | Moderate · 60 | Emerging · 5 | Absent | Emerging · 4 |
| BASF SE | Strong · 51 | Strong · 37 | Absent | Strong · 36 | Absent |
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited | Strong · 63 | Strong · 43 | Absent | Emerging · 7 | Emerging · 1 |
| International Business Machines Corporation | Strong · 63 | Strong · 36 | Emerging · 3 | Absent | Emerging · 12 |
| Applied Materials Inc | Strong · 60 | Strong · 33 | Emerging · 5 | Absent | Emerging · 5 |
| Samsung SDI Co Ltd | Strong · 40 | Strong · 37 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
Lam Research Corporation ranks first with 185 patent records, followed by Tokyo Electron Limited with 137 and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company with 67, based on the top-100 applicant ranking.
Annual filings grew from 48 in 2017 to a peak of 101 in 2021, then stabilized in the 75–82 range through 2023–2024. The field is in a mature plateau stage. Counts for 2025–2026 are incomplete due to publication lag.
The United States is the dominant filing jurisdiction, followed by WIPO PCT routes and the European Patent Office. Israel and Singapore are notable secondary destinations; South Korea, China, Taiwan, and Japan each have comparatively thin filing coverage.
H01L (semiconductor devices) and G03F (photolithography and photomechanics) are by far the most densely covered IPC branches, reflecting the process-integration focus of the leading applicants.
Most co-filing is intra-corporate: the Tokyo Electron group accounts for the highest co-filing count at 25 records between its parent and US holding entities, and TSMC co-files with its Nanjing subsidiary. The most notable external collaboration is between Lam Research Corporation and IBM with 3 joint records.
The sparsest adjacent branches relative to their technical relevance are C07F (organo-metallic compounds, 42 records) and C23C (coating and surface deposition, 34 records). C11D (cleaning compositions, 59 records) and H01J (electron and discharge tubes, 56 records) are also under-served relative to the dominant H01L and G03F clusters.
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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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