PERC Anti-Reflective Texturing Patent Landscape 2026
The PERC anti-reflective and texturing patent space is heavily concentrated, with the Aiko Solar group alone commanding the largest share of filings among the top hundred filers. Annual filing volume peaked in 2019 and has since contracted sharply, signalling a maturing, post-peak technology field where incremental improvement work is replacing foundational invention.
Aiko Solar leads a concentrated, China-dominated field
Zhejiang Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. sits at the top of the applicant ranking, followed by two sister entities — Guangdong Aiko and Tianjin Aiko — making the consolidated Aiko group the dominant force in this space. The top five filers account for 38% of the combined patent records held by the hundred largest filers.
A clear two-tier structure exists: the Aiko entities, Hengdian Group DMEGC Magnetics, and Tongwei Solar (Chengdu) form a top tier separated by a material gap from the remaining applicants, most of which hold fewer than ten records each. This concentration reduces the field’s breadth and limits the diversity of technical approaches represented in the prior art.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zhejiang Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 53 | |
| 2 | Guangdong Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 42 | |
| 3 | Tianjin Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 20 | |
| 4 | Hengdian Group DMEGC Magnetics Co., Ltd. | 18 | |
| 5 | Tongwei Solar Energy (Chengdu) Co., Ltd. | 15 | |
| 6 | Zhuhai Fushan Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 15 | |
| 7 | Suzhou Talesun Solar Technology Co., Ltd. | 10 | |
| 8 | Tongwei Solar Energy (Meishan) Co., Ltd. | 9 | |
| 9 | Jiangsu Shunfeng New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 7 | |
| 10 | Hanwha Solarone (Qidong) Co., Ltd. | 7 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Jiangsu Jingwang New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 6 | |
| 12 | JinkoSolar Co., Ltd. | 6 | |
| 13 | Zhejiang JinkoSolar Co., Ltd. | 6 | |
| 14 | HUNAN RED SUN PHOTOELECTRICITY SCI & TECH | 6 | |
| 15 | CSI Cells Co., Ltd. | 6 | |
| 16 | Chint New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 5 | |
| 17 | Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. | 5 | |
| 18 | Shanxi Lu’an Photovoltaics Technology Co., Ltd. | 5 | |
| 19 | Changzhou Shichuang Energy Co., Ltd. | 5 | |
| 20 | Trina Solar Co., Ltd. | 4 |
The leaders’ positions imply that any entrant seeking to practise novel PERC surface-passivation or light-trapping texturing processes must navigate a dense thicket of Aiko and Tongwei filings centred on semiconductor device and coating/deposition classifications, particularly H01L 31 and C23C 16.
Filings from approximately 2023 onward are likely under-represented due to standard patent-publication lag; apparent low volumes in those years should not be read as definitive activity levels. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2019 filing peak followed by steep decline; semiconductor device IP dominates the class mix
The annual filing trend and IPC technology composition together reveal both the temporal trajectory of inventive activity and the technical scope in which it has concentrated. Filing volume surged from 2017 through 2019 before falling sharply, while the technology mix shows overwhelming focus on a single IPC branch.
Annual filing trend
Filings grew from 22 records in 2017 to a peak of 64 in 2019, then fell to 44–45 in 2020–2021 before dropping steeply to 16 in 2022 and single digits thereafter. The 2023–2026 data points are subject to publication lag and understate true recent activity; the underlying trend is nonetheless clearly post-peak. The multi-year window through 2021 showed sustained elevated volume, but the decline from the 2019 peak is well-established.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01L (semiconductor devices) accounts for the large majority of IPC-tagged records, confirming that cell-level device architecture dominates the patent claims. C23C (coating and surface deposition) is the second branch, reflecting thin-film passivation and anti-reflection coating processes. All other branches — including C30B (crystal growth), B23K (welding/laser), and H10F (photovoltaic devices) — are sparsely populated, indicating narrow technical coverage outside the core device and deposition axes.
↗ 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.
A process for preparing passivated emitter rear co…
A process for preparing a passivated emitter rear contact solar cell, which includes the steps as follows: removing the damaged layer on the surface of the silicon wafer and at the same time polishing both surfaces, texturing, forming PN junction, etching, removing the glass impurity, depositing a passivation film on the back surface, depositing a… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
Open this patent in Eureka →| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一种三层介电钝化膜PERC太阳电池及制作工艺 | 56 |
| 2 | 一种双面PERC太阳能电池结构及其制备工艺 | 52 |
| 3 | 一种高效晶硅太阳电池的表界面钝化层及其钝化方法 | 43 |
| 4 | 一种碱抛光高效PERC电池及其制备工艺 | 40 |
| 5 | Methods of manufacturing a low cost solar cell dev… | 40 |
| 6 | 一种PERC电池背面钝化工艺 | 33 |
| 7 | 正面栅线钝化接触的PERC太阳能电池及其制备方法 | 29 |
| 8 | 一种PERC电池的制备方法 | 27 |
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 patent structure means for PERC R&D investment decisions
The combination of high concentration, a post-peak filing curve, and geography skewed heavily toward. China shapes both the risk and opportunity profile for any organisation evaluating investment in PERC surface engineering. Four structural dimensions stand out.
Decline stage: peak passed in 2019, annual volume easing
The lifecycle evidence places this field in a Decline stage: annual filings peaked in 2019 at 64 records and have eased steadily since. For R&D planners, this signals that PERC anti-reflective/texturing is a mature technology area where foundational invention windows have largely closed and residual filing is focused on incremental process refinement. Investment rationale should shift from establishing foundational positions toward freedom-to-operate analysis or next-generation surface-passivation approaches.
Lifecycle: DeclineTop five filers hold 38% of the top-100 combined records
The Aiko group entities collectively dominate the ranking, and the top five filers as a group hold 38% of the combined records among the hundred largest filers. This level of concentration means that a new entrant working on PERC texturing or anti-reflection coating processes faces a dense prior-art landscape controlled by a small number of Chinese manufacturers. Design-around strategies or differentiation via adjacent branches (e.g., C30B crystal growth or C23F etching) offer more viable entry paths than direct competition in the core H01L 31 space.
High concentrationCo-filing is almost entirely intra-group within Aiko and Tongwei
The most active co-filing pairs are Zhejiang Aiko with Guangdong Aiko (38 joint records), Zhejiang Aiko with Tianjin Aiko (18), and Guangdong Aiko with Tianjin Aiko (17), all within the same corporate group. Tongwei Solar’s subsidiaries show similar internal co-filing behaviour. There is no evidence in the data of cross-group or industry–academia collaboration at scale, suggesting the ecosystem is vertically consolidated rather than open. Independent research organisations or equipment suppliers seeking partnerships may find the major players largely self-sufficient.
Intra-group onlyChina accounts for the overwhelming majority of filings; international coverage thin
China is the lead jurisdiction by a wide margin, with 211 records, followed distantly by the United States (14), India (11), and Europe via the EPO (9). PCT filings stand at 7. This geographic skew means that IP protection outside China is sparse, and a non-Chinese manufacturer or research organisation could file meaningfully in the US, European, and Indian markets with relatively lower opposition risk from existing art. The thin PCT coverage also suggests most filers have not pursued broad international protection strategies.
China-dominantGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Zhejiang Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | Guangdong Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 38 |
| Zhejiang Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | Tianjin Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 18 |
| Guangdong Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | Tianjin Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 17 |
| Zhejiang Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | Zhuhai Fushan Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 13 |
| Guangdong Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | Zhuhai Fushan Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 13 |
| Tianjin Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | Zhuhai Fushan Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 13 |
| Tongwei Solar Energy (Chengdu) Co., Ltd. | Tongwei Solar Energy (Meishan) Co., Ltd. | 5 |
| Tongwei Solar Energy (Anhui) Co., Ltd. | Tongwei Solar Energy (Jintang) Co., Ltd. | 3 |
| Tongwei Solar Energy (Anhui) Co., Ltd. | Tongwei Solar Energy (Hefei) Co., Ltd. | 2 |
| Tongwei Solar Energy (Chengdu) Co., Ltd. | Tongwei Solar Energy (Jintang) Co., Ltd. | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Aiko Solar entities lead on volume; Hengdian DMEGC and Hanwha Solarone are recent entrants
The leading applicants are defined by their concentration in semiconductor-device and coating/deposition classifications. Momentum data show the established leaders have experienced sharp recent-period declines consistent with the field’s overall lifecycle stage, while a handful of entrants have begun filing for the first time.
Zhejiang Aiko Solar Energy Technology
The top-ranked applicant with 53 patent records, Zhejiang Aiko Solar’s portfolio is concentrated in H01L 31 (semiconductor devices, 52 records) and C23C 16 (coating and surface deposition, 18 records), reflecting deep coverage of both cell architecture and thin-film passivation processes. Recent-period momentum shows a sharp contraction of –92% versus the prior window, consistent with the field’s post-peak trajectory rather than a strategic withdrawal. The entity co-files extensively with its sister companies in Guangdong and Tianjin, reinforcing group-level IP consolidation.
Patent records: 53Hengdian Group DMEGC Magnetics
Ranked fourth with 18 patent records, Hengdian Group DMEGC Magnetics enters this landscape as a new entrant in the recent period, with momentum trend flagged as ‘new entrant’ — meaning prior-window filings were negligible. Its technical focus mirrors the field’s dominant axis (H01L 31, 17 records; C23C 16, 2 records), suggesting it is building a foundational position in PERC device and coating IP. As a diversified magnetics and electronic-materials manufacturer expanding into photovoltaics, its entry may signal broader materials-sector interest in PERC process IP.
Patent records: 18| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Zhejiang Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 3 | ▼ -92% |
| Guangdong Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 3 | ▼ -88% |
| Tianjin Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 3 | ▼ -81% |
| Hengdian Group DMEGC Magnetics Co., Ltd. | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Zhuhai Fushan Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 3 | ▼ -70% |
| Tongwei Solar Energy (Meishan) Co., Ltd. | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Hanwha Solarone (Qidong) Co., Ltd. | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches adjacent to the dominant PERC device core
Several IPC branches adjacent to the dominant H01L semiconductor-device axis carry very low filing counts in this corpus, indicating relative sparsity. Whether that sparsity represents a genuine technical gap or simply out-of-scope activity requires further investigation, but two branches are worth noting for their plausible technical relevance to PERC surface engineering.
C30B · Crystal growth processes
With only 9 records in this corpus and a 3% share of the technology composition, C30B (crystal growth, including silicon wafer preparation and surface crystallography) is sparsely covered relative to its technical relevance: substrate crystal quality and surface microstructure directly influence the effectiveness of PERC texturing and passivation. Tongwei Solar (Meishan) is currently the only applicant visible in this branch (C30B 29 and C30B 31 sub-classes). An entrant with expertise in monocrystalline or quasi-mono silicon growth could build a differentiated position here, particularly for next-generation wafer-level surface preparation ahead of the anti-reflection and passivation steps.
Search this in Eureka →C23F · Chemical etching and corrosion removal
C23F (corrosion inhibition and chemical/electrochemical metal removal) holds only 3 records in the corpus, representing 1% of the technology mix. Wet-chemical etching — including alkaline pyramid texturing and acid polishing — is a central step in PERC anti-reflection surface preparation, yet this classification is almost absent from the prior-art base. This may reflect classification practice (such work often lands in H01L), but it could also indicate genuine under-filing in the chemical process dimensions of texturing. Organisations developing novel etch chemistries or etch-stop layers for PERC texturing could explore whether claims drafted under C23F attract less prior-art competition.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ across technology routes
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | H01L 31 · Semiconductor devices | C23C 16 · Coating & surface deposition | H01L 21 · Semiconductor devices | H10P 72 | C30B 33 · Crystal growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zhejiang Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | Strong · 52 | Moderate · 18 | Emerging · 5 | Emerging · 4 | Emerging · 1 |
| Guangdong Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | Strong · 41 | Moderate · 17 | Emerging · 5 | Emerging · 4 | Absent |
| Tianjin Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | Strong · 19 | Moderate · 6 | Emerging · 2 | Absent | Absent |
| Hengdian Group DMEGC Magnetics Co., Ltd. | Strong · 17 | Emerging · 2 | Emerging · 2 | Emerging · 1 | Absent |
| Zhuhai Fushan Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | Strong · 13 | Moderate · 6 | Emerging · 2 | Absent | Absent |
| Tongwei Solar Energy (Anhui) Co., Ltd. | Strong · 8 | Absent | Strong · 5 | Moderate · 2 | Absent |
| Suzhou Talesun Solar Technology Co., Ltd. | Strong · 10 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 240 patent families in scope. Filing activity peaked in 2019 and has contracted significantly since, placing the field in a Decline lifecycle stage.
Zhejiang Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. is the top-ranked applicant by patent record count, followed by Guangdong Aiko and Tianjin Aiko. Consolidated across the Aiko group’s entities, this group represents the single largest block of filings in the corpus.
The top five filers account for 38% of the combined patent records held by the hundred largest filers. A two-tier structure is evident, with the Aiko and Tongwei entities forming the first tier and a long tail of applicants holding fewer than ten records each.
China is the dominant jurisdiction with 211 records, far ahead of the United States (14 records), India (11), and Europe via the EPO (9). PCT filings stand at 7, indicating limited pursuit of broad international protection by most filers.
H01L (semiconductor devices) accounts for the majority of IPC-tagged records, with C23C (coating and surface deposition) as the second branch. All other branches — including C30B (crystal growth), B23K (welding/laser processing), and C23F (chemical etching) — are sparsely represented.
C30B (crystal growth and wafer surface preparation) and C23F (chemical etching processes relevant to texturing) each carry very low filing counts in the corpus. These branches sit adjacent to the dominant H01L device axis and may warrant closer examination by organisations developing upstream substrate preparation or etch-chemistry solutions, though the sparsity should be validated against broader patent databases before treating it as a confirmed opportunity.
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