Nanosheet Power-Performance (GAA) Patent Snapshot
The gate-all-around nanosheet transistor field is in a growth stage, with Intel holding the largest filing position among a tight group of semiconductor majors; the top five filers account for 73% of activity among the hundred largest filers. Annual volume peaked in 2022 and has eased since, though the multi-year trajectory remains strongly upward and recent years are further understated by publication lag.
Intel leads a concentrated field of semiconductor incumbents
Intel Corporation holds the top position in this corpus, followed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), Advanced Micro Devices, International Business Machines, and Apple — each a recognized logic-process or chip-design incumbent.
The top five filers together account for 73% of combined activity among the ranked applicants visible in this query, indicating a highly concentrated evidence snapshot where a small number of players define the technical agenda. The gap between the first-ranked filer and the rest is meaningful, with Intel’s count materially ahead of its nearest rival.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intel Corporation | 11 | |
| 2 | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd (TSMC) | 7 | |
| 3 | Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD) | 5 | |
| 4 | International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) | 5 | |
| 5 | Apple Inc | 4 | |
| 6 | Qualcomm Inc | 4 | |
| 7 | University of Notre Dame du Lac | 2 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | DR SUBHA SUBRAMANIAM | 1 | |
| 9 | Vellore Institute of Technology | 1 | |
| 10 | IBM United Kingdom Ltd Intellectual Property Department | 1 | |
| 11 | P S R Engineering College | 1 | |
| 12 | VIT-AP University | 1 | |
| 13 | CVR College of Engineering | 1 |
The incumbents’ dominance signals high barriers to entry: key structural and fabrication claims on GAA nanosheet devices appear to be locked in by firms with established semiconductor process capabilities. New entrants will likely need either novel sub-fields or licensing agreements to operate freely.
The most recent 18–24 months of filing activity are subject to publication lag and will be updated as applications publish; apparent softness at the tail end of the trend 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.
Activity surged from 2022; semiconductor device classes dominate the mix
Two views together reveal both the pace of activity and the technical breadth of the field: the annual filing trend shows when competitive intensity shifted, while the IPC composition shows which technical branches are crowded and which remain sparse.
Annual filing trend
Filings were negligible before 2019, then rose through 2022 — the peak year — before easing in 2023–2025. The three-year recent window sits well above the prior three-year window, confirming net growth on a multi-year basis. The 2025–2026 data points are substantially understated by publication lag and should not be read as a real contraction.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01L (Semiconductor devices) is visible in the IPC mix, reflecting the device-physics and process core of GAA nanosheet work. B82Y (Nanotechnology applications) forms a meaningful secondary cluster, largely driven by Intel’s explicit nanotechnology classifications. H10D (Semiconductor devices, general) is present but smaller, and H10W and C23C (Coating and surface deposition) represent sparse, adjacent branches — the latter pair identified as under-served areas.
↗ 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.
Methods for fabricating strained gate-all-around s…
Strained gate-all-around semiconductor devices formed on globally or locally isolated substrates are described. For example, a semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate. An insulating structure is disposed above the semiconductor substrate. A three-dimensional channel region is disposed above the insulating structure. Source and drain regions… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vertical gate-all-around field effect transistors … | 139 |
| 2 | Strained gate-all-around semiconductor devices for… | 22 |
| 3 | Methods for fabricating strained gate-all-around s… | 17 |
| 4 | Group iii-nitride compound heterojunction tunnel f… | 12 |
| 5 | Leakage Reduction in Gate-All-Around Devices | 9 |
| 6 | Strained gate-all-around semiconductor devices for… | 6 |
| 7 | Vertical gate-all-around field effect transistors | 6 |
| 8 | Leakage reduction in gate-all-around devices | 5 |
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.
Intel Corporation
Intel holds the top position with 11 patent records, the largest count in this corpus. Its technology emphasis spans B82Y (Nanotechnology applications), H01L 21 (semiconductor fabrication processes), and H01L 29 (semiconductor device structures) — a combination that positions Intel across both the nanoscale framing and the device-physics core of GAA. Momentum data places Intel as an established presence rather than a new entrant in the recent window.
11 patent recordsTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC)
TSMC holds 7 patent records and entered the recent filing window as a new entrant (trend: new entrant), indicating its documented GAA nanosheet activity in this corpus is concentrated in the most recent period. Its technical focus is tightly clustered in H01L 29 and H01L 27 (semiconductor device integration), consistent with a process-development and circuit-integration emphasis aligned with its foundry role.
7 patent recordsFrequently asked questions
The current evidence corpus contains 29 patent families in scope for this topic.
Intel Corporation holds the top position with 11 patent records, ahead of TSMC with 7 and AMD and IBM each with 5.
The field is classified as Growth. The recent three-year filing window shows a 300% increase over the prior three-year window. Annual volume peaked in 2022 and has eased since, but the multi-year trajectory remains expansionary. The most recent years are further understated by publication lag.
The United States leads with 24 patent records at the jurisdiction level, followed by India with 6, WIPO (PCT) with 5, Europe (EPO) with 3, and smaller counts in Israel, Singapore, and Germany.
One co-applicant relationship is recorded: International Business Machines Corporation and IBM United Kingdom Ltd Intellectual Property Department filed jointly on at least one record. No cross-company co-filing between independent organizations is observed in this corpus.
H10W (multi-component semiconductor devices) has 3 patent records and C23C (coating and surface deposition) has 1 patent record in this corpus — the two lowest-count branches — making them the most sparsely covered areas adjacent to the visible H01L and B82Y clusters. Technical relevance to GAA fabrication exists in both, but they should be evaluated further before treating them as validated entry points.
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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.