Perovskite/SHJ Tandem Solar Patent Snapshot 2026
The perovskite/silicon heterojunction tandem field is heavily concentrated, with Swift Solar Inc. holding a dominant share of a still-small but fast-growing corpus. The field is in a growth phase on a multi-year basis, though annual volume has eased from its 2023 peak.
Swift Solar leads a highly concentrated emerging field
Swift Solar Inc. is the clear leader, holding the largest position among the ranked applicants. The top five filers collectively account for 85% of the combined total among the ranked applicants visible in this query, signalling extreme concentration for a field of this size.
There is a steep tier gap between the leader and the rest of the field: a single commercial startup holds more than twice the patent families of any academic or industry challenger. The remainder of the top five are a mix of U. S. universities and one Chinese manufacturer, each holding a fraction of the leader’s position.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swift Solar Inc. | 14 | |
| 2 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 5 | |
| 3 | Tongwei Solar Energy (Chengdu) Co., Ltd. | 4 | |
| 4 | Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona | 4 | |
| 5 | Solarca LLC | 2 | |
| 6 | King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals | 2 | |
| 7 | Solaria Corporation | 2 | |
| 8 | Maxeon Solar Pte. Ltd. | 1 |
Swift Solar’s dominance implies that any entrant or challenger faces a well-fortified core around perovskite/SHJ tandem device architecture, particularly in organic semiconductor and device structure claims. Academic filers such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Arizona Board of Regents provide a secondary layer of foundational IP that could underpin licensing activity.
The most recent 18–24 months are subject to publication lag and likely undercount actual filing activity; the apparent dip in 2024–2025 data should not be read as a real-terms decline. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2023 filing spike and an organic-semiconductor-heavy technology mix
The annual filing trend reveals a field that emerged from near-zero activity before 2020 and reached a pronounced peak in 2023, while the technology composition is anchored in organic semiconductor and semiconductor device classifications.
Annual filing trend
Filings were negligible through 2019, then stepped up from 2020 onward, with a sharp concentration in 2023. The apparent drop in 2024 and near-zero in 2025–2026 reflects publication lag rather than a real slowdown; the multi-year growth rate remains strongly positive. Read 2023 as the observable peak year; actual recent-period volumes will be higher once pending publications clear.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
The H10K organic semiconductors class is visible in the technology mix, reflecting the perovskite absorber layer’s classification. H01L semiconductor devices forms a significant secondary branch, covering device structure and cell integration claims. H10F photovoltaic and light-sensitive devices, though directly relevant to the application, accounts for a smaller share, suggesting that many core claims are framed around materials and device physics rather than PV-specific classifications. H01G capacitors and C09D coatings each represent minor but distinct branches.
↗ 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.
Silicon/perovskite tandem solar cell and preparati…
The present disclosure relates to a silicon/perovskite tandem solar cell and a preparation method thereof and belongs to the technical field of perovskite tandem cells. The silicon/perovskite tandem solar cell includes a silicon bottom cell and a perovskite top cell, in which a seed crystal silicon layer and a tunneling layer are sequentially arranged… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Perovskite/silicon tandem photovoltaic device | 9 |
| 2 | Perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell | 7 |
| 3 | Module Layup for Perovskite-Silicon Tandem Solar C… | 3 |
| 4 | Perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell | 3 |
| 5 | Mechanically Strong Connections for Perovskite-Sil… | 2 |
| 6 | Photovoltaic structure and method of fabrication | 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.
Swift Solar Inc.
Swift Solar Inc. holds the leading position with 14 patent families and entered the corpus as a new entrant, showing all recent activity concentrated in the most recent window. Their technology emphasis is tightly focused on H10K organic semiconductor subclasses (H10K30, H10K39, H10K71), consistent with deep claims around perovskite absorber design and device stack engineering. This concentration of filings in a single commercial entity gives them a structurally visible position in the field.
families: 14University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill holds 5 patent families, with its recent filings trending as a new entrant in the current window. Their technology focus spans H01L31 semiconductor devices, H10F77 photovoltaic and light-sensitive devices, and H10K30 organic semiconductors — a broader and more device-integration-oriented profile than Swift Solar. Their active collaboration with the Arizona Board of Regents adds 4 jointly filed families, making this academic axis a meaningful secondary IP cluster.
families: 5Frequently asked questions
The current corpus comprises 30 patent families in scope, making this an early-stage field by patent volume standards. The small corpus size means individual filers can achieve structurally visible positions, as Swift Solar Inc. has done with 14 patent families.
Swift Solar Inc. is the leading filer with 14 patent families, more than double the next-ranked applicant. Their portfolio is concentrated in H10K organic semiconductor classifications covering perovskite absorber and device stack engineering.
The field is classified as Growth, with recent three-year filing volume approximately 90% higher than the prior three-year window. Annual volume peaked in 2023 and has eased since, partly due to publication lag in 2024–2025 data. The multi-year trend remains expansionary.
The United States leads with 16 patent records, followed by Europe via the EPO with 6, and WIPO PCT filings with 5. China has only 2 patent records and India 1, indicating limited protection in major Asian manufacturing markets outside the U.S.-anchored core.
The evidence shows one identified co-filing relationship: the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona have jointly filed 4 patent families. No commercial co-filing partnerships are visible in the current corpus.
The two sparsest IPC branches are H01G capacitors, with 2 patent records, and C09D coatings, paints and inks, with 1 patent record. These branches are adjacent to the visible H10K and H01L classes and relate to charge storage integration and functional layer deposition respectively — areas where differentiated claims may be achievable with limited freedom-to-operate risk.
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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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