Integrated Photonics Patents: Top Companies & Filing Trends 2026
Integrated Photonics Patents: Who Files, What They Claim, and Where Filing Has Cooled
Filing has pulled back from its peak. 2022 was the high point at 1,929 filings; the last complete year (2021 to 2024) shows a 24% decline. Filings climbed from 1,182 in 2017 to a peak of 1,929 in 2022, then declined to 1,437 by 2024 — a 24% drop over that three-year span. 2025 and 2026 figures are still filling in due to publication lag and should not be read as a continued fall.
- 1INTEL CORP3.6%
- 2INFINERA CORP3.5%
- 3HUAWEI TECH CO LTD2.8%
- 4CISCO TECHNOLOGY INC2.4%
- 5OPENLIGHT PHOTONICS INC2.0%
See the full integrated photonics patent landscape 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 on the integrated photonics patent landscape
Who holds the most integrated photonics patents?
The dataset ranks 100 assignees by record count, and the leader holds 723 records with the field spread across a long tail behind them. The top 5 combined account for 14.3% of all 20,189 records in scope, and the top 10 combined account for 22.8%, so no single company controls the space. Large semiconductor manufacturers, telecom-equipment makers and one Belgian microelectronics research centre appear among the more active filers, alongside many smaller, single-filing entrants.
Is integrated photonics patent filing still growing?
Filing rose from 1,182 records in 2017 to a peak of 1,929 in 2022, then declined to 1,437 by 2024 — a 24% drop over that three-year span, which is the last period that can be read as complete. Figures for 2025 and 2026 are still filling in because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so they should not be read as evidence of a continuing decline. The honest read is that filing eased after 2022 rather than that it is currently falling.
What technology areas dominate integrated photonics patent claims?
Optical elements and systems, IPC class G02B, appears in 56.1% of all 20,189 records in scope, making it by far the densest claim area. Optical control and modulation (G02F) and general transmission (H04B) each sit around 17%, with lasers (H01S) and semiconductor devices (H01L) both above 10%. Because a single record can carry several IPC classes, these shares add up to more than 100%, and they are not mutually exclusive categories.
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 Integrated Photonics Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. 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.