Perovskite Solar Cell Absorber Layer Patent Landscape
Perovskite Solar Cell Absorber Layer Patent Landscape in 2026
The perovskite solar cell absorber layer field has grown sharply on a multi-year basis, with China-domiciled filers holding a commanding lead and CONTEMPORARY AMPEREX TECHNOLOGY CO LTD ranking first among all applicants. The field is moderately concentrated at the top but retains a long tail of university and institute entrants, signalling active technology formation rather than lock-in.
CATL leads a China-anchored, moderately concentrated field
CONTEMPORARY AMPEREX TECHNOLOGY CO LTD (CATL) holds the top position in the applicant ranking, followed closely by HANWHA SOLUTIONS CORP and HUANENG CLEAN ENERGY RES INST. The top five filers’ combined share of the hundred largest filers stands at 18%, indicating that no single player commands a dominant block.
The tier gap between the leader (98 patent families) and the twentieth-ranked applicant (26 patent families) is moderate, with several solar-industry manufacturers and Korean utilities clustered in the 40–80 family range. This compressed mid-tier suggests competitive parity among the second and third tier challengers.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL) | 98 | |
| 2 | Hanwha Solutions Corporation | 79 | |
| 3 | Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute Co., Ltd. | 77 | |
| 4 | Trina Solar Co., Ltd. | 73 | |
| 5 | Tongwei Solar Energy (Chengdu) Co., Ltd. | 54 | |
| 6 | Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) | 45 | |
| 7 | UNIV OF ELECTRONICS SCI & TECH OF CHINA | 43 | |
| 8 | RES & BUSINESS FOUND SUNGKYUNKWAN UNIV | 42 | |
| 9 | Contemporary Amperex Technology (Hong Kong) Limited | 41 | |
| 10 | Huaneng Renewables Corporation Limited | 39 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology | 39 | |
| 12 | Wuxi Utmost Light Technology Co., Ltd. | 37 | |
| 13 | UNIST (ULSAN NAT INST OF SCI & TECH) | 31 | |
| 14 | Nanjing Tech University | 31 | |
| 15 | Wuhan University of Technology | 31 | |
| 16 | Contemporary Amperex Future Energy Research Institute (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. | 31 | |
| 17 | Jilin University | 28 | |
| 18 | HUAZHONG UNIV OF SCI & TECH | 28 | |
| 19 | Soochow University (Suzhou) | 27 | |
| 20 | KOREA UNIV RES & BUSINESS FOUND | 26 |
The presence of both large industrial players—CATL, Hanwha Solutions, Trina Solar, Tongwei Solar—and state-backed research institutes such as HUANENG CLEAN ENERGY RES INST implies that the absorber-layer problem is being attacked from both commercial-deployment and fundamental-materials angles simultaneously.
Filings from the most recent 18–24 months are systematically under-counted due to publication lag and should be treated as floors rather than ceilings. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Rapid multi-year growth, dominated by organic-semiconductor device classifications
The annual filing trend reveals a field in active expansion, while the technology-composition breakdown identifies H10K (organic semiconductors) and H01L (semiconductor devices) as the structural backbone of absorber-layer innovation.
Annual filing trend
Activity was steady in the 2017–2021 range before accelerating sharply from 2022 onward, consistent with the 186% recent-window growth figure. The 2025 and 2026 bars are materially understated by publication lag and should not be read as a slowdown.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H10K (organic semiconductors) accounts for the largest share of classified records, reflecting the perovskite community’s reliance on organic-semiconductor device architectures. H01L (semiconductor devices) forms a significant secondary cluster. Branches such as B82Y (nanotechnology), C07D (heterocyclic compounds), C07F (organo-metallic compounds), and C23C (coating and surface deposition) each hold small but technically relevant shares, pointing to active material-chemistry and deposition-process work at the margins.
↗ 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.
Oxamide ultraviolet absorber-doped perovskite acti…
An oxamide ultraviolet absorber-doped perovskite active layer, including a perovskite film and an oxamide ultraviolet absorber doped therein, where the oxamide ultraviolet absorber is N-(2-ethoxyphenyl)-N′-(2-ethylphenyl) oxamide, and a perovskite structure is represented by ABX<sub>3</sub>. A perovskite solar cell, including a conductive substrate layer, a… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一种钙钛矿太阳能电池及其溶液法制备方法 | 69 |
| 2 | 一种改善钙钛矿太阳电池吸光层性能的方法 | 65 |
| 3 | Crystal Control and Stability for High-Performance… | 63 |
| 4 | 一种具有界面修饰层的钙钛矿太阳能电池及其制备方法 | 59 |
| 5 | 一种平面异质结钙钛矿太阳能电池及其制备方法 | 54 |
| 6 | Perovskite solar cell and preparing method of the … | 53 |
| 7 | 一种钙钛矿太阳能电池及其制备方法 | 51 |
| 8 | Tandem solar cell and method for manufacturing the… | 47 |
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 competitive structure means for R&D investment decisions
Four structural reads—maturity, concentration, collaboration, and geography—frame where entry is feasible and where incumbents are entrenched.
Growth stage: annual filings still expanding
The field is classified as Growth stage, with annual filings still rising and recent-window growth at 186%. The most recent filing years are understated by publication lag, so the true current rate is higher than the raw numbers suggest. Technology formation is ongoing and prior-art density has not yet reached the level that would deter new entrants with differentiated approaches.
Lifecycle: GrowthModerate concentration with a competitive mid-tier
The top five filers account for 18% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, a figure that reflects moderate rather than oligopolistic concentration. The mid-tier (ranks 6–20) is densely populated by Korean utilities, Chinese solar manufacturers, and university spinouts, meaning any single leader’s position could be challenged by a coalition of second-tier players or a well-resourced new entrant with a novel absorber chemistry.
Concentration: ModerateHub-and-spoke co-filing patterns within corporate families and academia
The most active co-filing pair is Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute with Huaneng Renewables Corporation Limited (39 joint families), reflecting a state-enterprise vertical integration strategy. CATL co-files heavily with its own subsidiary CONTEMPORARY AMPEREX FUTURE ENERGY RES INST (SHANGHAI) (31 joint families). On the Korean side, the Research & Business Foundation of Sungkyunkwan University co-files with both the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (6 families) and LG Chem (5 families), illustrating academia-to-industry transfer pathways that could serve as collaboration templates for Western entrants.
Collaboration: ActiveChina-dominant filing, with Korea and PCT as secondary routes
China is the primary filing jurisdiction by a large margin. South Korea is the second-largest destination, followed by WIPO PCT and the United States. European EPO filings are present but modest. This asymmetry means that non-Chinese players relying primarily on US or European protection may face freedom-to-operate constraints in Chinese manufacturing contexts, and that PCT applications by Korean and Chinese filers signal international commercial intent.
Lead office: ChinaGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute Co., Ltd. | Huaneng Renewables Corporation Limited | 39 |
| Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL) | Contemporary Amperex Future Energy Research Institute (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. | 31 |
| Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute Co., Ltd. | Huaneng Qinghai Power Generation Co., Ltd. | 18 |
| 成均馆大学校产学协力团 | Global Frontier Center for Multiscale Energy Systems | 18 |
| Tongwei Solar Energy (Chengdu) Co., Ltd. | Southwest Petroleum University | 6 |
| University of Electronic Science and Technology of China | JA Solar Co., Ltd. | 6 |
| 成均馆大学校产学协力团 | Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology | 6 |
| Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute Co., Ltd. | China Huaneng Group Co., Ltd. | 5 |
| 成均馆大学校产学协力团 | LG Chem, Ltd. | 5 |
| Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology | Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) | 5 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
CATL and Hanwha Solutions lead; both showing strong recent acceleration
The top two applicants are a Chinese battery-and-energy conglomerate and a Korean chemical-materials company, reflecting the cross-sector nature of perovskite absorber R&D. Both have concentrated their classifications within H10K organic-semiconductor device subclasses.
CONTEMPORARY AMPEREX TECHNOLOGY CO LTD
CATL ranks first with 98 patent families and shows a trajectory of 7.7× vs its prior three-year period—the strongest momentum among all tracked applicants. Its technology focus is concentrated in H10K subclasses covering perovskite device architecture and fabrication (87, 49, and 41 families in the three leading subclasses). The scale of recent filing acceleration suggests a deliberate strategic build-out rather than opportunistic filing.
families: 98HANWHA SOLUTIONS CORP
Hanwha Solutions ranks second with 79 patent families and has grown at 3.8× vs its prior three-year period, the second-highest momentum figure in the dataset. Its technology profile mirrors CATL’s H10K emphasis (72, 65, and 31 families across the three leading subclasses), indicating direct competitive overlap at the device-architecture level. Its Korean base positions it well for the South Korean filing jurisdiction, the second-largest in the corpus.
families: 79| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL) | 100 | ▲ 7.7× vs prior 3-yr |
| Hanwha Solutions Corporation | 42 | ▲ 3.8× vs prior 3-yr |
| Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute Co., Ltd. | 36 | ▲ +44% |
| Trina Solar Co., Ltd. | 58 | ▲ new entrant |
| Tongwei Solar Energy (Chengdu) Co., Ltd. | 30 | ▲ new entrant |
| Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) | 34 | ▲ new entrant |
| University of Electronic Science and Technology of China | 18 | ▲ +29% |
| 成均馆大学校产学协力团 | 12 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served adjacent branches worth monitoring
Several IPC branches appear at low share relative to the dominant H10K and H01L clusters. These are observations of relative sparsity; only those with plausible technical relevance and a realistic entry path are framed as potential opportunities.
C23C · Coating & surface deposition
C23C accounts for a small share of classified records despite deposition technique being central to absorber-layer quality and scalability. Vapor-phase and atomic-layer deposition methods are well-established in adjacent thin-film technologies, giving process-equipment and materials companies a realistic entry path through deposition-specific claims. The low count relative to device-architecture filings suggests this process dimension is under-protected and could be a defensible niche for equipment-side players.
Search this in Eureka →C07F · Organo-metallic & non-carbon compounds
C07F covers the organo-metallic precursor chemistry that underlies lead-halide and lead-free perovskite formulations, yet it holds a small share of the corpus. As regulatory pressure on lead content increases, novel non-lead perovskite precursor chemistries (tin, bismuth, antimony-based) represent an expanding problem space with limited prior-art density in this branch. Fine-chemicals and specialty-materials companies with organo-metallic synthesis expertise could establish early positions here.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ by technology subclass emphasis
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | H10K 30 · Organic semiconductors (OLED etc.) | H10K 71 · Organic semiconductors (OLED etc.) | H10K 85 · Organic semiconductors (OLED etc.) | H01L 51 · Semiconductor devices | H01L 31 · Semiconductor devices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL) | Strong · 87 | Moderate · 41 | Strong · 49 | Absent | Moderate · 26 |
| Hanwha Solutions Corporation | Strong · 72 | Moderate · 31 | Strong · 65 | Absent | Absent |
| Trina Solar Co., Ltd. | Strong · 67 | Strong · 50 | Moderate · 29 | Absent | Absent |
| Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute Co., Ltd. | Strong · 39 | Strong · 35 | Moderate · 19 | Strong · 35 | Absent |
| Tongwei Solar Energy (Chengdu) Co., Ltd. | Strong · 52 | Strong · 47 | Moderate · 20 | Absent | Absent |
| Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) | Strong · 32 | Strong · 21 | Strong · 23 | Absent | Moderate · 15 |
| Wuxi Utmost Light Technology Co., Ltd. | Strong · 27 | Strong · 20 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 2,980 patent families in scope globally.
CONTEMPORARY AMPEREX TECHNOLOGY CO LTD (CATL) holds the top position with 98 patent families, followed by HANWHA SOLUTIONS CORP with 79 and HUANENG CLEAN ENERGY RES INST with 77.
The top five filers account for 18% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total. This reflects moderate concentration with a competitive mid-tier, meaning no single player has locked up the field.
China is the dominant filing jurisdiction, followed by South Korea, WIPO PCT, and the United States. European EPO filings are present but at a lower volume.
The field is classified as Growth stage. Annual filings have risen sharply, with recent-window growth at 186%. The most recent filing years are understated by publication lag, so the true current pace is higher than raw numbers indicate.
C23C (coating and surface deposition), C07F (organo-metallic and non-carbon compounds), C07D (heterocyclic compounds), B82Y (nanotechnology applications), and H01G (capacitors) each hold small shares of the corpus relative to the dominant H10K and H01L clusters, representing adjacent areas with limited prior-art density.
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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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