Micro-LED Inspection & Repair Patent Snapshot 2026
The Micro-LED inspection and repair patent space is nascent and extremely concentrated, with just 14 patent families on record and the top three applicants holding all meaningful positions. Activity is still expanding on a multi-year basis — recent-window growth sits at 80% versus the prior period — though annual volume has eased from its 2022 peak, and the United States anchors the overwhelming majority of filings.
Elux Inc dominates a field where three players account for the entire top tier
Elux Inc leads the ranking with 8 patent families, followed by Applied Materials Inc with 3 and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd with 2 — together these three applicants represent the entirety of the top-ranked filers in this space.
The top five filers collectively hold 100% of the combined total among the ranked applicants visible in this query, confirming an extreme concentration with no meaningful second tier. The gap between Elux Inc and the next-closest competitor is substantial, suggesting a deliberate and focused IP build-out rather than a broad industry race.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elux Inc | 8 | |
| 2 | Applied Materials Inc | 3 | |
| 3 | Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | 2 |
Elux Inc’s lead signals either an early-mover advantage or proprietary process know-how that the company has chosen to protect aggressively; for any new entrant, this creates a meaningful freedom-to-operate challenge in the core semiconductor device classes.
The most recent filing years are further understated by typical patent publication lag; the apparent absence of filings in 2024–2026 should not be read as a halt in activity. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Filing activity surged in 2022 before easing; semiconductor device classes dominate the technology mix
Two charts capture the temporal and technical shape of this field: the annual filing trend reveals a field that emerged sharply around 2020 and peaked in 2022, while the technology composition chart shows an overwhelming concentration in semiconductor device classifications.
Annual filing trend
The field was dormant through 2019, then saw its first meaningful cohort in 2020 (5 families) and its peak in 2022 (7 families), followed by a step-down to 2 families in 2023. Years 2024–2026 show zero recorded filings, which is consistent with publication lag rather than a real cessation of activity; the 80% recent-window growth rate confirms underlying expansion on a multi-year view.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01L (Semiconductor devices) accounts for all 14 patent families, making it the defining class. G01N (Material analysis and testing) appears in 4 records, reflecting inspection and characterization methods. H10P, B08B (Cleaning), B32B (Layered products), B41M (Printing and marking), and G09G (Display control circuits) each appear in 3 or fewer records, indicating these as peripheral or adjacent branches rather than primary axes of competition.
↗ 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.
Method for manufacturing micro LED display, and mi…
Proposed is a method for manufacturing a micro-LED display, the method including a transfer step of absorbing, by a transfer head, a micro-LED on a first substrate and transferring, by the transfer head, the absorbed micro-LED to a second substrate. (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | System and Method for the Selective Harvest of Emi… | 22 |
| 2 | Method for manufacturing micro LED display, and mi… | 22 |
| 3 | System and Method for the Characterization and Dis… | 13 |
| 4 | System and method for the selective harvest of emi… | 4 |
| 5 | System configurations for fabrication of micro-led… | 3 |
| 6 | Emissive Element Harvest | 2 |
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.
Assignee snapshot from the current evidence set
The applicants below are visible in this query result. Because the evidence set is relatively small, read this section as a directional snapshot rather than a full competitive ranking.
Elux Inc
Elux Inc holds 8 patent families — more than the rest of the ranked field combined — with technology emphasis concentrated across H01L 25 (assemblies of semiconductor devices), H01L 33 (LED-specific semiconductor devices), and H01L 23 (semiconductor device details). The applicant momentum signal is ‘new entrant,’ consistent with the field’s post-2020 emergence. This breadth across multiple H01L sub-classes indicates a platform-level IP strategy rather than a single-process claim.
families: 8Applied Materials Inc
Applied Materials Inc holds 3 patent families, with focus on H01L 21 (semiconductor manufacturing processes), H01L 33, and H10P 72, reflecting its equipment and process-tool heritage applied to Micro-LED fabrication and inspection. The momentum signal is also ‘new entrant.’ Samsung Electronics Co Ltd holds 2 patent families emphasizing H01L 25, H01L 27, and H01L 33, consistent with its display system integration perspective.
families: 3Frequently asked questions
The current evidence covers 14 patent families in scope globally. This is a nascent corpus, and given typical publication lag, filings from the most recent 18–24 months are likely understated in the current count.
Elux Inc leads with 8 patent families, followed by Applied Materials Inc with 3 and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd with 2. These three players represent all of the top-ranked filers in this space.
The United States is the visible filing jurisdiction, accounting for 11 of the patent records. Europe (EPO) holds 2 and WIPO (PCT) holds 1, indicating limited international coverage beyond North America at this stage.
The field is assessed as being in the Growth stage. Multi-year filing volume grew 80% versus the prior window. Annual filings peaked in 2022 and have eased since, though the most recent years are further understated by publication lag.
H01L (Semiconductor devices) is present across all 14 patent families, making it the defining class. G01N (Material analysis and testing) appears in 4 records, and H10P in 3. Classes such as B08B, B32B, B41M, and G09G each appear in only 1 record.
No co-applicant activity is detected in the current evidence. All three active players appear to be building their portfolios independently, with no cross-licensing or joint-development filing signals present at this time.
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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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