Perovskite Solar Cell Anti-Reflective Coating Patent Landscape
Perovskite Solar Cell Anti-Reflective Coating Patent Landscape in 2026
The perovskite solar cell anti-reflective coating space is a growth-stage field dominated by Korean and Chinese research institutions, with 233 patent families in scope and the top five filers accounting for one-quarter of the hundred largest filers’ combined output. Filing activity expanded strongly on a multi-year basis, peaking in 2023, with China and South Korea together accounting for the overwhelming majority of jurisdictional activity.
Korean universities and Chinese solar manufacturers lead a moderately concentrated field
Sungkyunkwan University’s research and business foundation holds the top position with 20 patent records, followed closely by the Global Frontier Center for Multiscale Energy Systems at 19 patent records and Seoul National University R&DB Foundation at 14 patent records — all three are Korean academic institutions.
The top five filers hold 25% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, indicating moderate concentration: a clear lead tier of Korean universities sits above a secondary tier of Chinese solar manufacturers such as Trina Solar and Jinko Solar, with no single applicant commanding an overwhelming share.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RES & BUSINESS FOUND SUNGKYUNKWAN UNIV | 20 | |
| 2 | Global Frontier Center for Multiscale Energy Systems | 19 | |
| 3 | SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY R&DB FOUNDATION | 14 | |
| 4 | Trina Solar Co., Ltd. | 11 | |
| 5 | UNIST (ULSAN NAT INST OF SCI & TECH) | 7 | |
| 6 | Xidian University | 6 | |
| 7 | LG Electronics Inc. | 6 | |
| 8 | Caelux Corp | 6 | |
| 9 | Korea Electric Power Corporation | 5 | |
| 10 | HEE Solar LLC | 5 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Shangrao Jinko Solar Technology Development Co., Ltd. | 5 | |
| 12 | KOREA INST OF SCI & TECH | 4 | |
| 13 | Dongjin Semichem Co., Ltd. | 4 | |
| 14 | Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology | 4 | |
| 15 | Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute | 4 | |
| 16 | Yonsei University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation | 4 | |
| 17 | Nankai University | 4 | |
| 18 | Mecaroenergy Co., Ltd. | 4 | |
| 19 | POSTECH Academy-Industry Foundation | 4 | |
| 20 | Shenzhen Hiking PV Technology Co., Ltd. | 3 |
The dominance of academic institutions at the top of the rankings suggests that fundamental coating chemistry and device architecture remain primary research battlegrounds, while commercial manufacturers are beginning to file with growing momentum, signaling an emerging transition toward applied and production-oriented IP.
The most recent filing years (2025–2026) are subject to publication lag and substantially undercount actual activity; trend readings for those years should be treated with caution. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2023 filing surge anchors multi-year growth; semiconductor device IP dominates the technology mix
The annual filing trend reveals a field that expanded significantly on a multi-year basis before easing from its 2023 peak, while the IPC technology composition shows a concentrated core in semiconductor device IP with a long tail of adjacent chemical and materials branches.
Annual filing trend
Filings climbed from 29 records in 2017 to a peak of 39 records in 2023, representing the clearest single-year surge in the dataset. The three-year window ending at the peak sits 25% above the prior comparable window. The 2024 figure of 27 and the nascent 2025 figure of 14 are both affected by publication lag and should not be read as a structural decline.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01L (semiconductor devices) accounts for 258 patent records — the dominant branch by a wide margin — followed by H10K (organic semiconductors / OLED) at 101 records. More sparsely populated branches such as H01G (capacitors, 26 records), C03C (glass and enamel compositions, 22 records), and C01G (compounds of other metals, 21 records) represent adjacent areas where coverage is comparatively thin.
↗ 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.
Perovskite solar cell with silicon dioxide antiref…
A three-tandem (3T) perovskite/silicon (PVT)-based tandem solar cell (TSC) includes an antireflection coating (ARC), a first transparent conductive oxide layer (TCO), a hole transport layer (HTL), a perovskite (PVT) layer, a second transparent conductive oxide layer (TCO), an electron transport layer (ETL), a plurality of buried contacts, a p-type Si layer… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tandem solar cell, tandem solar cell module compri… | 55 |
| 2 | Perovskite solar cell and preparing method of the … | 53 |
| 3 | Perovskite-based solar cell | 51 |
| 4 | Tandem solar cell and method for manufacturing the… | 47 |
| 5 | 光转化效率高的两端钙钛矿异质结晶硅叠层太阳能电池及其制备方法 | 37 |
| 6 | Tandem solar cell and method of manufacturing the … | 31 |
| 7 | 一种串联型钙钛矿/同质结硅叠层太阳能电池及其制备方法 | 30 |
| 8 | 一种高质量无机钙钛矿薄膜及其制备方法和在太阳能电池中的应用 | 30 |
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 IP structure means for R&D investment decisions
Four structural dimensions — lifecycle stage, concentration, collaboration patterns, and geographic filing emphasis — together shape the strategic context for any new entrant or incumbent seeking to extend or defend a position in this space.
Growth stage with easing annual pace
The field is classified as Growth: recent three-year filings sit 25% above the prior three-year window, confirming multi-year expansion. However, annual volume has eased from its 2023 peak of 39 records and the most recent years are further understated by publication lag. New entrants still have room to establish foundational positions, but the window of low-competition filing is narrowing as commercial players accelerate.
Growth · post-2023 peakModerate concentration with a clear academic-to-industry transition
The top five filers hold 25% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total — a moderate concentration level that leaves meaningful space for challengers. The lead tier is composed entirely of Korean academic institutions, while Chinese solar manufacturers (Trina Solar, Jinko Solar, Huaneng) occupy the second tier. The presence of commercial entrants such as Caelux Corp and HEE Solar signals that the field is beginning to attract dedicated commercial IP builders alongside academic foundational research.
Moderate concentrationA tight Korean academic consortium drives co-filing activity
The most active co-filing pair is the Global Frontier Center for Multiscale Energy Systems and Sungkyunkwan University’s foundation, with 14 jointly filed records. That same center also co-filed 12 records with Seoul National University R&DB Foundation. A smaller collaboration exists between UNIST and the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (1 joint record). The collaboration network is tightly concentrated within Korea’s university ecosystem, with limited cross-border or academic-industry co-filing visible in the data.
Korean consortiumChina and South Korea dominate; US and Europe are secondary filing offices
China leads all jurisdictions with 133 patent records filed, followed by South Korea at 90 records. The United States ranks third at 27 records and WIPO PCT filings account for 18, indicating selective international prosecution. Europe (EPO) has only 6 records and Japan 3, suggesting that patent protection in major Western manufacturing markets is sparse relative to the volume of innovation documented in the corpus — a potential gap for applicants seeking broader global coverage.
CN + KR 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Global Frontier Center for Multiscale Energy Systems | Sungkyunkwan University Research & Business Foundation | 14 |
| Global Frontier Center for Multiscale Energy Systems | Seoul National University R&DB Foundation | 12 |
| Sungkyunkwan University Research & Business Foundation | Seoul National University R&DB Foundation | 6 |
| Global Frontier Center for Multiscale Energy Systems | University of Pittsburgh (Federal System of Higher Education) | 1 |
| UNIST (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology) | Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Sungkyunkwan University and the Global Frontier Center lead with overlapping but distinct technology emphases
The top two filers are both Korean research institutions with closely aligned technology profiles centered on semiconductor device IP, yet differ in their secondary focus areas and their relationship to the broader collaborative network.
Sungkyunkwan University R&B Foundation
The top-ranked applicant holds 20 patent records, concentrated in H01L 31 (semiconductor devices, 20 records), H10K 99 (organic semiconductors, 9 records), and C01G 23 (compounds of other metals, 6 records). Its secondary focus on metal compound chemistry distinguishes it from its closest rival. The institution is the anchor of the field’s most active collaboration pair, co-filing 14 records with the Global Frontier Center, reinforcing its central role in the Korean academic IP network. Momentum data does not flag it as a new entrant, indicating an established and sustained filing posture.
patent records: 20Global Frontier Center for Multiscale Energy Systems
The second-ranked applicant holds 19 patent records across H01L 31 (21 records), H10K 99 (9 records), and C07F 7 (organo-metallic compounds, 6 records). Its emphasis on organo-metallic chemistry as a secondary focus — rather than the metal compound angle favored by Sungkyunkwan — suggests a complementary rather than purely duplicative research agenda. As the hub of the field’s most active collaboration pairs (14 records with Sungkyunkwan and 12 with Seoul National University), it functions as the primary connector in the Korean research consortium.
patent records: 19| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Xidian University | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| UNIST (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology) | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| Trina Solar Co., Ltd. | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| Caelux Corp | 5 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served IPC branches adjacent to the dominant semiconductor device core
Several IPC branches appear in the corpus at low counts relative to the H01L and H10K core, representing areas where patent coverage is thin and where technical relevance to anti-reflective coating in perovskite devices is plausible.
C03C · Glass & enamel compositions (22 records)
Glass-based anti-reflective coatings are a well-established route for silicon PV but remain sparsely covered in this corpus at 22 patent records and a 4% share of the IPC distribution. For perovskite cells requiring encapsulation and front-surface light management, glass composition IP is technically adjacent and could support module-level differentiation. Researchers with strengths in sol-gel or fluoride-based glass coatings could establish early positions with limited direct competition from the dominant Korean academic cluster, whose focus sits firmly in semiconductor device and organic semiconductor classes.
Search this in Eureka →C09D · Coatings, paints & inks (12 records)
The C09D branch — covering coating formulations, binders, and film-forming materials — appears in only 12 patent records, representing a 2% share of the IPC distribution. Functional anti-reflective coatings deposited by solution processes (spin-coating, blade-coating) are directly relevant to scalable perovskite manufacturing, yet this branch is among the thinnest in the corpus. Applicants with expertise in polymeric or nanoparticle-based coating formulations could address a genuine technical need — reducing reflection losses through scalable wet-chemistry routes — in a branch that remains largely unclaimed by the current leading filers.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ across technology routes
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | H01L 31 · Semiconductor devices | H01L 51 · Semiconductor devices | H10K 30 · Organic semiconductors (OLED etc.) | H10K 71 · Organic semiconductors (OLED etc.) | H10K 99 · Organic semiconductors (OLED etc.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global Frontier Center for Multiscale Energy Systems | Strong · 21 | Emerging · 4 | Absent | Absent | Moderate · 9 |
| Sungkyunkwan University Research & Business Foundation | Strong · 20 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Moderate · 9 |
| Seoul National University R&DB Foundation | Strong · 14 | Moderate · 3 | Absent | Absent | Moderate · 5 |
| LG Electronics Inc. | Strong · 13 | Moderate · 3 | Absent | Absent | Moderate · 6 |
| HEE Solar LLC | Strong · 5 | Strong · 3 | Absent | Absent | Strong · 5 |
| Trina Solar Co., Ltd. | Strong · 4 | Absent | Strong · 4 | Strong · 3 | Absent |
| Caelux Corp | Strong · 6 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus contains 233 patent families in scope for this topic, spanning filings from 2017 through 2026 across major global jurisdictions.
Sungkyunkwan University’s Research and Business Foundation is the top-ranked applicant with 20 patent records, narrowly ahead of the Global Frontier Center for Multiscale Energy Systems at 19 patent records.
China leads all filing jurisdictions with 133 patent records, followed by South Korea at 90 patent records. The United States ranks third at 27 records, with WIPO PCT filings at 18 and Europe (EPO) at only 6 records.
The field is in a Growth lifecycle stage: recent three-year filings are 25% above the prior three-year window on a multi-year basis. Annual volume peaked in 2023 at 39 records and has since eased, though the most recent years are further understated by publication lag and should not be read as a structural decline.
The Global Frontier Center for Multiscale Energy Systems and Sungkyunkwan University’s foundation are the most active co-filing pair with 14 jointly filed records. The same center co-filed 12 records with Seoul National University R&DB Foundation, forming a tightly connected Korean academic consortium.
The IPC branches C03C (glass and enamel compositions, 22 patent records) and C09D (coatings, paints and inks, 12 patent records) are among the most sparsely covered areas relative to the dominant H01L semiconductor device core, representing under-served adjacent branches with plausible technical relevance to scalable perovskite module manufacturing.
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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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