Micro-LED Mass Transfer Scale-Up Patent Landscape 2026
The Micro-LED mass transfer scale-up patent field is moderately concentrated, with Chinese display makers and a handful of Taiwanese and US equipment firms occupying the top tier; the field peaked in 2020 and annual volume has eased since, though new entrants from the equipment and academic sectors continue to file. Chongqing Konka Photoelectric Technology Research Institute leads the ranking, but the gap to the second and third positions is narrow, signalling a genuinely contested technology race.
Chinese display makers lead a moderately concentrated field
Chongqing Konka Photoelectric Technology Research Institute heads the applicant ranking with 25 patent families, followed closely by PlayNitride Display (22), BOE Technology Group (21), eLux Inc. (19), and Sakai Display Products (19). The top five together hold 26% of the combined output of the hundred largest filers, indicating a field where leadership is real but not monopolistic.
The tier gap between the top five and the next tier is modest: Applied Materials (18 patent families) and Huazhong University of Science and Technology (15) sit just behind, meaning a challenger can close the gap with a focused filing campaign rather than a massive investment. This structure typically rewards differentiated technical positioning over sheer volume.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chongqing Konka Photoelectric Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd. | 25 | |
| 2 | PlayNitride Display Co., Ltd. | 22 | |
| 3 | BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. | 21 | |
| 4 | eLux Inc. | 19 | |
| 5 | Sakai Display Products Corporation | 19 | |
| 6 | Applied Materials Inc. | 18 | |
| 7 | HUAZHONG UNIV OF SCI & TECH | 15 | |
| 8 | Wuhan China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. | 11 | |
| 9 | Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Semiconductor Display Technology Co., Ltd. | 10 | |
| 10 | Maxwell Technology (Zhuhai) Co., Ltd. | 8 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | General Interface Solution | 7 | |
| 12 | Interface Optoelectronics (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. | 7 | |
| 13 | Intel Corporation | 7 | |
| 14 | Guangdong University of Technology | 7 | |
| 15 | TCL China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. | 7 | |
| 16 | Interface Technology (Chengdu) Co., Ltd. | 7 | |
| 17 | Lextar Electronics Corporation | 6 | |
| 18 | AU Optronics Corporation | 6 | |
| 19 | Xiamen Sanan Optoelectronics Co., Ltd. | 6 | |
| 20 | Merck Patent GmbH | 6 |
The leaders’ positions are grounded in core semiconductor device integration (H01L), covering LED chip design, array packaging, and process flows. A player entering the field today would need to carve out differentiated positions in adjacent branches — such as display signage integration or advanced bonding — to avoid direct collision with the incumbents’ strongest claims.
The most recent 18–24 months of data are subject to publication lag and likely undercount actual filing activity; the apparent drop in 2024–2025 volumes should not be read as a withdrawal by active filers. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Activity peaked in 2020; semiconductor device claims dominate the technology mix
The annual filing trend reveals a field that surged rapidly from 2017 and reached its highest annual volume in 2020, then eased progressively. The technology composition is heavily weighted toward semiconductor device classes, with a long tail of adjacent branches that remain sparsely covered.
Annual filing trend
Filings grew from 6 families in 2017 to a peak of 83 in 2020, then declined to 68 in 2022, 59 in 2023, and 41 in 2024. The 2025 and 2026 figures (5 and 0 respectively) reflect publication lag rather than a real stop in activity and should be interpreted with caution. The multi-year arc confirms the field is past its peak annual rate, consistent with a maturing but still active research community.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01L (semiconductor devices) accounts for the entirety of the 440-family corpus, confirming that mass transfer IP is rooted in chip-level and packaging process claims. The next-largest branches — H10P (83 records), G09F displaying and signage (32), H10H light-emitting semiconductor devices (14), and G09G display control circuits (7) — are substantially smaller, pointing to limited cross-domain integration work relative to the core semiconductor filings.
↗ 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.
Micro light-emitting diode mass transfer apparatus…
The disclosure provides a micro light-emitting diode mass transfer apparatus and method. The micro light-emitting diode mass transfer apparatus includes a solution container, display backplanes, a solution drive assembly and a liquid level control assembly. The solution container contains a transfer solution, and micro light-emitting diodes to be… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一种适用于微型发光二极管的选择性巨量转移方法 | 91 |
| 2 | 一种MicroLED的巨量转移装置及转移方法 | 76 |
| 3 | 一种Micro-LED的巨量转移装置及转移方法 | 53 |
| 4 | Micro-LED巨量转移方法及Micro-LED基板 | 53 |
| 5 | 一种Micro-LED巨量转移的结构及方法 | 45 |
| 6 | 一种Micro-LED芯片的制备及转移方法 | 43 |
| 7 | 基于可控微反射镜阵列的微型发光二极管巨量转移方法 | 41 |
| 8 | 一种基于选择性加热去磁的MicroLED巨量转移装置及方法 | 32 |
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 field’s structure means for R&D investment decisions
Three structural features — a post-peak lifecycle, moderate concentration, active academic entry, and a. China-centric jurisdiction map — define the strategic context for any new or existing participant.
Post-peak field; annual volume has eased from the 2020 high
The lifecycle evidence places this field in decline, with annual filings easing back from the 2020 peak of 83 families. A participant entering now faces a field where the core transfer-mechanism claims are well-populated, making differentiation in adjacent technical branches more important than volume. The easing trend also creates opportunity to acquire or license existing positions rather than filing from scratch.
Lifecycle: Post-PeakTop five hold 26% of the hundred largest filers’ output — contested, not locked
The top five filers’ 26% share of the hundred largest filers’ combined output indicates a genuinely competitive field rather than a dominated one. With the leader at 25 patent families and the fifth-ranked applicant at 19, the spread is narrow. A focused entrant with 15–20 targeted filings could realistically enter the top ten. The practical implication is that IP strategy should emphasize claim quality and breadth over raw count.
Concentration: ModerateBOE group entities are the most active co-filers; broader ecosystem collaboration is limited
The strongest co-filing relationships observed are within the BOE corporate family: BOE Technology Group co-filed with Fuzhou BOE Optoelectronics Technology (2 joint families), with Beijing BOE Display Technology (2 families), and with Hefei BOE Optoelectronics Technology (1 family). Cross-organizational collaboration outside corporate groups is not prominently evidenced, suggesting that the field’s IP is being developed largely within vertically integrated entities rather than through open consortium structures.
Ecosystem: Intra-GroupChina and the US account for the majority of filings; PCT and EPO coverage is limited
China leads jurisdictional coverage with 186 patent records, followed by the United States with 166. WIPO PCT filings (32) and EPO (27) are considerably smaller, with Taiwan (17), India (3), South Korea (3), and Japan (2) trailing further. This distribution suggests that most applicants are currently prioritizing domestic protection in their home market rather than building broad multinational portfolios — a potential opening for players willing to extend filings into underprotected geographies.
Geography: China-US FocusGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. | Fuzhou BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. | 2 |
| BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. | Beijing BOE Display Technology Co., Ltd. | 2 |
| BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. | Hefei BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Konka and BOE lead on volume; Applied Materials emerges as a new equipment-sector entrant
The leading applicants span Chinese display manufacturers, Taiwanese panel makers, a Korean-rooted equipment company, and a US equipment major, reflecting the full supply chain from chip transfer to display integration. Momentum trends diverge sharply between incumbents and new entrants.
Chongqing Konka Photoelectric Technology Research Institute
Ranks first with 25 patent families, concentrated across semiconductor device design, array integration, and process flows (H01L 33, H01L 21, H01L 25). Despite holding the top position, the applicant’s momentum trend shows a sharp recent decline (▼ –96% in the recent period vs. prior), suggesting the bulk of its filing campaign was earlier-stage and may be consolidating rather than expanding.
patent families: 25Applied Materials Inc.
Ranks sixth overall with 18 patent families and is classified as a new entrant in the recent filing window (▲ new entrant), making it the most notable momentum story in the ranking. Its technology emphasis spans LED device structures, array integration, and circuit-level packaging (H01L 33, H01L 25, H01L 27), consistent with its equipment and process-technology positioning. As the only major US-headquartered equipment OEM in the top tier, Applied Materials represents a different entry vector — process tool IP rather than display system IP.
patent families: 18| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Chongqing Konka Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | ▼ -96% |
| PlayNitride Display Co., Ltd. | 4 | ▼ -76% |
| BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. | 1 | ▼ -95% |
| eLux Inc. | 8 | ▼ -27% |
| Applied Materials Inc. | 13 | ▲ new entrant |
| Guangdong University of Technology | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| Huazhong University of Science and Technology | 6 | ▲ new entrant |
| Wuhan China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | ▼ -90% |
Under-served branches adjacent to the dominant semiconductor device core
Several IPC branches appear at low share within the corpus relative to H01L, indicating areas where patent density is thin. These observations flag potential entry points for differentiated filings, though each carries its own technical and commercial feasibility questions.
B23K · Welding, Soldering & Brazing
With only 6 patent records and approximately 1% share among the top branches, advanced bonding and interconnect processes applicable to Micro-LED mass transfer — such as laser-assisted soldering, thermocompression bonding, or transient liquid-phase bonding — are sparsely covered. Bonding yield at scale is a known bottleneck in mass transfer, so this branch has plausible technical relevance. An entrant with process-tool expertise could build differentiated positions here without crowding into the H01L device claims held by the dominant filers.
Search this in Eureka →G09F · Displaying, Advertising & Signs
G09F accounts for 32 patent records (5% share among the top branches), covering downstream display and signage integration. Given that mass transfer yield and throughput directly affect display economics, system-level IP linking transfer process parameters to display panel performance is relatively sparse. A player with display system integration expertise could file in this branch to capture value downstream of the chip-transfer step, creating cross-licensing leverage against both equipment makers and panel OEMs.
Search this in Eureka →Frequently asked questions
The corpus contains 440 patent families in scope. This is the total counted at the family level, so a single invention is counted once regardless of how many national filings it generated.
Chongqing Konka Photoelectric Technology Research Institute leads with 25 patent families, ahead of PlayNitride Display (22), BOE Technology Group (21), eLux Inc. (19), and Sakai Display Products (19).
No. Annual filings peaked in 2020 at 83 families and have eased progressively since. The lifecycle stage is classified as decline, meaning annual volume has retreated from its peak. The 2024–2026 figures are also subject to publication lag and likely undercount recent filings.
China leads with 186 patent records, followed by the United States with 166. WIPO PCT filings (32) and EPO (27) are substantially smaller, indicating that most applicants have not yet pursued broad multinational protection.
Within the corpus, B23K (welding, soldering and brazing, 6 records), G09F (displaying and signs, 32 records), H10H (light-emitting semiconductor devices, 14 records), G09G (display control circuits, 7 records), and G01N (material analysis and testing, 6 records) are the branches with the lowest representation relative to the dominant H01L class.
Yes. Applied Materials Inc., Guangdong University of Technology, and Huazhong University of Science and Technology are all classified as new entrants in the recent filing window, each showing activity where none was recorded in the prior comparison period. Applied Materials is particularly notable as the only major US equipment OEM to enter the top tier.
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