Interconnect Metallization Patents: Leaders & Filing Trends 2026
- Filing has flattened, not grown. Filings peaked at 24 in 2021, dropped back toward the 2022 midpoint of 15, and the trend line shows no renewed climb — this is a mature, occupied claim space rather than an expanding one.
- The most-cited prior art is two decades old. The highest-citation records date to the late 1990s and early 2000s barrier-layer and electroless copper deposition work, meaning new filings must design around foundational claims, not recent ones.
- US filings dominate the receiving-office mix. 352 of the tracked families were filed at the USPTO against 44 at WIPO and 43 at the EPO, so US prosecution history is the first place to check for blocking claims.
What the interconnect metallization patent record shows
Interconnect metallization covers the back-end-of-line steps that wire a chip together after the transistors are built: damascene patterning, barrier and liner deposition, low-k dielectric integration, and the copper or cobalt fill that completes each metal layer. The tracked corpus of 529 patent families spans filings from 2015 through the partial-year 2026 cut-off, concentrated under IPC classes covering semiconductor device structure and coating deposition. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the most recent years in any trend understate real filing activity.
The filing curve rose to a peak of 24 families in 2021, sat at 15 by the 2022 midpoint, and has not recovered since — a pattern consistent with a technology where the core claim space around barrier layers, CMP slurries and diffusion barriers was staked out well before this window opened. Most-cited records in the set date to the late 1990s, which tells a reader that current filings are largely refinements and process integrations layered on top of foundational deposition and barrier chemistry, not attempts to claim new territory.
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Filing trends and technology composition
Two views of the same 529-family dataset: how filing volume has moved year over year, and how those families distribute across IPC subclasses.
Filing trend, 2017-2026
Annual filings rose from 12 in 2017 to a peak of 24 in 2021, then eased back toward the 2022 midpoint of 15 and have not climbed again through the most recent partial year — a flat-to-declining trend once the publication lag is accounted for.
IPC subclass distribution
H01L (semiconductor devices) covers the full 529-family set, with H10P (160) and H10W (82) the next largest groupings; C23C coating and surface deposition (33) and H10D general semiconductor devices (31) mark the process-chemistry and device-integration side of the field, while H05K (14) and G03F (7) show only light overlap into circuit assembly and lithography.
Shares are the percentage of the 529 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Interconnect Metallization Technology Landscape with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about interconnect metallization technology landscape and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe most-cited prior art in interconnect metallization
Method for manufacturing semiconductor devices having copper interconnect and low-K dielectric layer
A dual damascene process for forming semiconductor devices containing a copper interconnect and a low-K dielectric layer on a wafer which allows the copper interconnect to be formed subsequent to the formation of the low-K dielectric layer while preventing the low-K dielectric layer from being degraded by a subsequent plasma etching. The process includes forming a silica glass layer, photolithographically patterning it for the copper interconnect, conformably depositing a spacer dielectric layer, and anisotropic processing to complete the structure.Filed by Winbond Electronics Corp., published 2002-12-19 — illustrates the sequencing problem (dielectric-then-metal versus metal-then-dielectric) that much of the later barrier and liner art works around.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20030059980A1 | Copper interconnect barrier layer structure and formation method | 612 |
| 2 | US5891513A | Electroless CU deposition on a barrier layer by CU contact displacement for ULSI applications | 587 |
| 3 | US5824599A | Protected encapsulation of catalytic layer for electroless copper interconnect | 568 |
| 4 | US6001730A | Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) slurry for polishing copper interconnects which use tantalum-based barrie… | 338 |
| 5 | US6441492B1 | Diffusion barriers for copper interconnect systems | 327 |
| 6 | US6368954B1 | Method of copper interconnect formation using atomic layer copper deposition | 314 |
| 7 | US6016000A | Ultra high-speed chip semiconductor integrated circuit interconnect structure and fabrication method using fr… | 296 |
| 8 | US6607976B2 | Copper interconnect barrier layer structure and formation method | 295 |
| 9 | US5744376A | Method of manufacturing copper interconnect with top barrier layer | 227 |
| 10 | US20030127740A1 | Air gaps copper interconnect structure | 216 |
Citation counts inside a searched corpus favour older filings; treat this as a measure of influence on later prosecution, not of current commercial relevance.
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Browse MCP servers →What the filing pattern means for a freedom-to-operate review
Three signals stand out once the trend and citation data are read together: a flattened filing curve, an old citation core, and a US-centric prosecution footprint.
Growth has stalled since the 2021 peak
Annual filings climbed from 12 in 2017 to 24 in 2021, then fell back to 15 by 2022 with no recovery visible through the latest partial year. That shape is typical of a field where the core process claims — barrier deposition, CMP, damascene sequencing — were filed early in the tracked window and later years are mostly incremental.
The blocking art is two decades old
The five most-cited records in the corpus were all published between 1998 and 2003, covering barrier layer structures, electroless copper deposition and CMP slurry formulations. New entrants are more likely to collide with this foundational layer than with anything filed in the last five years.
US prosecution history carries the most risk
352 records were filed through the USPTO, against 44 at WIPO, 43 at the EPO and smaller counts in South Korea, Singapore and Australia. A design-around search that stops short of full US file-history review on the top-cited barrier and liner patents is incomplete.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to interconnect metallization technology landscape, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who holds the interconnect metallization claim space
Filing activity concentrates among a small group of established semiconductor manufacturers and equipment makers, with co-assignment patterns that point to internal cross-divisional collaboration rather than external joint ventures.
Every leading filer has gone quiet in the most recent year
IBM, TSMC, Intel, Lam Research, Texas Instruments and Qorvo (tracked as Qorvo) all show zero filings in the latest tracked year, with Texas Instruments recording a -100% year-over-year drop. Given the 18-month publication lag, this understates true activity but still marks a clear pullback from the 2021 peak.
Co-assignment is concentrated in a few internal pairings
Of 10 identified co-assignee pairs, the strongest links IBM with Infineon Technologies North America at 13 shared families, followed by two Lam Research pairings with named individual inventors at 7 each. This points to stable internal R&D partnerships rather than a broad web of cross-company alliances.
A recognizable core sits above a long tail of single-filing entrants
The named leaders — IBM, TSMC, Intel, Lam Research, Applied Materials and several device makers — account for a visible share of filings, but the dataset shows the usual long tail of assignees with one or two families each, typically process-integration patents from smaller foundries or equipment suppliers.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| IBM | 0 | — |
| TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) | 0 | — |
| Intel Corporation | 0 | — |
| Lam Research Corporation | 0 | — |
| Texas Instruments | 0 | -100% |
| Qorvo | 0 | — |
| Honeywell International | 0 | — |
| Infineon Technologies North America | 0 | — |
Where to take this next
The trend and assignee data point to a mature, US-centric claim space with specific gaps in newer barrier and dielectric chemistries.
Run a design-around check on the top-cited barrier art
Before filing new barrier liner or CMP slurry claims, review the file histories of the highest-citation records from the late 1990s and early 2000s — they anchor most of what followed.
Explore prior art in EurekaProbe the under-claimed cobalt and ruthenium branches
Cobalt liner adhesion and ruthenium barrier-free fill show lighter coverage than the copper-dominated core; a targeted search will show whether the gap is real or an artifact of this query.
Search white space in EurekaTrack whether the 2021 peak was structural or cyclical
With every top assignee at zero filings in the latest year, the next 18 months of publications will show whether this is a genuine slowdown or simply the reporting lag catching up.
Monitor filing trends in EurekaCommon questions about interconnect metallization patents
The tracked dataset of 529 patent families shows a concentrated group of established semiconductor manufacturers and equipment suppliers at the top of the ranking, including IBM, TSMC, Intel, Lam Research and Applied Materials, alongside device makers like Texas Instruments. These companies also appear in the strongest co-assignment pairings, such as IBM's shared filings with Infineon Technologies North America. Beneath this group sits a long tail of assignees with only one or two families each, typically smaller foundries or process-equipment vendors filing on specific integration steps.
No — filings rose from 12 in 2017 to a peak of 24 in 2021, then fell back toward 15 by the 2022 midpoint and have not recovered since. Every major assignee tracked in this dataset shows zero filings in the most recent year, including a -100% year-over-year drop for Texas Instruments. Because publication lags filing by around 18 months, the very latest year is always undercounted, but the multi-year direction is flat to declining rather than growing.
US20020192937A1 is a Winbond Electronics filing covering a dual damascene process that forms a copper interconnect after the low-k dielectric layer is already in place, specifically to avoid plasma-etch damage to that dielectric. Its core steps are forming a silica glass layer, photolithographically patterning it for the interconnect, depositing a conformal spacer dielectric, and completing the structure with anisotropic processing. Anyone sequencing dielectric formation before metal fill in a damascene flow should check this filing's claims against their own process order.
Relative to the dense core of barrier layer, CMP slurry and copper electroless deposition claims, several adjacent branches show lighter coverage in this dataset: cobalt liner adhesion chemistry, low-k dielectric plasma-damage repair, air-gap interconnect integration, ruthenium barrier-free metal fill, and selective metal capping for electromigration control. These are worth a dedicated freedom-to-operate search rather than an assumption of open space, since a light count in one query can also reflect classification or search-term gaps.
The five most-cited records in this corpus were published between 1998 and 2003 and cover foundational barrier layer structures, electroless copper deposition and CMP slurry chemistry — the building blocks that the entire copper interconnect industry was built on. Citation counts inside any searched corpus structurally favour older documents because they have had more years to accumulate references. This means high citation counts signal historical influence on later prosecution, not that these patents are more commercially relevant today than recent filings.
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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.