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Run your analysis now →https://www.patsnap.com/resources/blog/rd-blog/phased-array-beamforming-front-ends-patent-landscape/ · Patsnap · data cut-off 2026-07-31 · downloaded from the live page
Patent Landscape · Wireless CommunicationsPhased Array Beamforming Front End Patents: Who Leads and Where the Field Is Still Open
- Concentrated at the top. The top 5 assignees hold 28 of 37 records in scope (75.7%), and the top 10 hold 36 (97.3%) — almost nothing sits outside the ranked leaders.
- Antenna and transmission classes dominate. H01Q (Antennas) appears on 67.6% of records and H04B (Transmission, general) on 54.1%, while radar-specific G01S and waveguide-specific H01P each sit at just 8.1%.
- Filing has not accelerated recently. The 2021-to-2024 span (the last full years available) shows a -25% change, from 4 filings to 3 — a plateau rather than a wave, once the 18-month publication lag is accounted for.
37
Published Records
76%
Top-5 Share of All Records
-25%
Filing Growth 2021→2024
US
Leading Jurisdiction
Filing growth compares 2021 (4 records) with 2024 (3) — a three-year span. 2024 is the most recent year we treat as complete: publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so 2025 onwards are still filling in and any growth rate that ends there would understate the field. Top-5 share is the combined record count of the five largest assignees divided by all 37 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
Published byPatsnap Research··7 min readSourced from Patsnap Eureka
Overview
What this landscape covers
This dataset tracks 37 published records matching phased array front-end and beamforming integrated circuit terminology, filtered to documents that discuss phase shifter resolution, gain, phase error, calibration, power consumption, beam squint or EIRP in the title or claims. Coverage runs from 2015 through the 2026-07-31 data cut-off, with the most recent year necessarily incomplete because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months.
The receiving-office split is heavily US-centric: 28 of the tracked filings came through the United States, with WIPO (PCT), China, Europe and Taiwan accounting for single-digit counts each. That pattern points to a field where the commercial centre of gravity for filing strategy still runs through US prosecution, even as beamforming front ends get designed into radar, satellite and 5G/6G radio hardware worldwide.
Filing activity and technology mix, 2017–2026
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee ranking and totals. Derived from a Patsnap search on Phased Array Beamforming Front Ends covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
The Numbers
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 37-record dataset: how filing activity has moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses the claims actually sit in.
Filing trend, 2017–2026
Filings ran from 6 in 2017 to a peak of 7 in 2025, with 2026 showing 0 so far — expected given the cut-off date. The comparable full-year window, 2021 to 2024, moved from 4 to 3 filings, a -25% change; treat any apparent 2025–2026 dip as a publication-lag artefact rather than a real slowdown.
IPC technology composition
H01Q (Antennas) and H04B (Transmission, general) cover the majority of records at 67.6% and 54.1% respectively. Semiconductor-device classes H10D and H01L each sit near or below 13.5%, and radar/waveguide-specific classes G01S and H01P are the smallest at 8.1% each — since records can carry multiple IPC codes, these shares add to more than 100% of the 37 records.
Shares are the percentage of the 37 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Phased Array Beamforming Front Ends covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.
Go deeper on Phased Array Beamforming Front Ends with Eureka
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Most-cited records in this landscape
Representative Filing
Beamforming integrated circuit, AESA system and method (US11418971B2)
QORVO TEXAS, LLC
A beamforming integrated circuit system is configured to optimize performance. Among other things, the system may run at a lower power than conventional integrated circuits, selectively disable branches to control certain system functions, and/or selectively position ground pads around receiving pads to enhance isolation. The system also may use a beamforming integrated circuit as a distribution circuit for a number of similar or like beamforming integrated circuits.Filed by Qorvo Texas, LLC; granted 2022-08-16.
Highest-citation documents in scope
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20180115356A1 | Flip-Chip Beamforming Integrated Circuit with Integral Thermal Mass | 16 |
| 2 | CN114325603A | 宽带多波束相控阵前端 | 8 |
| 3 | US20190274055A1 | Beamforming integrated circuit, AESA system and method | 8 |
| 4 | US20180183504A1 | Phased Array with Beamforming Integrated Circuit Having Two Signal Chains | 8 |
| 5 | US10587044B2 | Flip-chip beamforming integrated circuit with integral thermal mass | 6 |
| 6 | US10200098B2 | Phased array with beamforming integrated circuit having two signal chains | 6 |
| 7 | US11205846B2 | Beamforming integrated circuit having RF signal ports using a ground-signal transition for high isolation in … | 5 |
| 8 | US20240275058A1 | Apparatus and methods for circularly polarized antenna arrays | 4 |
| 9 | US11699861B2 | Perpendicular Rotman phased array front end device | 4 |
| 10 | US20210044017A1 | Beamforming integrated circuit having RF signal ports using a ground-signal transition for high isolation in … | 4 |
Citation counts inside a searched corpus skew toward older filings simply because they have had more time to accumulate references — read this table as a signal of influence on subsequent art, not as a ranking of current commercial importance.
Patent titles are shown in the language they were filed in, not translated, so that each record stays verifiable against the original filing — a translated title will not match in Eureka or in any national register. Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Citation counts and representative records. Derived from a Patsnap search on Phased Array Beamforming Front Ends covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
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What the data means for a filing strategy
Three read-outs from the concentration, trend and citation figures above, translated into what they mean for someone deciding where to file next.
Concentration
75.7% in top 5
of 37 records in scope
Claim space is held by a small group
With the top 5 assignees accounting for 28 of the 37 records and the top 10 covering 97.3%, this is not a fragmented field. A new entrant is filing directly against a small number of incumbents rather than into open ground.
Based on the 13-company ranked assignee list.
Technology mix
67.6% H01Q
of 37 records carry an antenna-class code
Antenna integration, not just RF chip design, drives the claims
The dominance of H01Q alongside H04B suggests most claims frame the beamforming IC as part of an antenna system rather than as a standalone transmission component — a distinction that matters when drafting around existing art.
IPC shares sum to over 100% because records carry multiple classes.
Filing pace
-25%
2021 to 2024 (4 → 3 filings)
A plateau, not a wave
The last complete filing years show a mild decline rather than acceleration. Combined with a 2025 peak of 7 that is still filling in, this looks like a mature, steady-state filing pattern rather than a technology in an early land-grab phase.
2025–2026 figures will revise upward as publications catch up.
Citation signal
16 citations
highest count in this dataset
Early flip-chip thermal-mass claims anchor the field
The most-cited record concerns flip-chip beamforming ICs with integral thermal mass — a packaging and thermal-management angle that later filings continue to reference, making it a useful starting point for freedom-to-operate review.
Citation counts favour older filings; treat as influence, not current relevance.
Eureka AI Agent
Looking for what nobody has claimed yet?
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to phased array beamforming front ends, with the prior art for and against each one.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Co-assignee relationships and derived observations. Derived from a Patsnap search on Phased Array Beamforming Front Ends covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Players
Who is filing, and what is still open
The ranked assignee list covers 13 companies; recent-year momentum figures show most of them with no filings in the latest tracked year, consistent with the publication lag rather than an actual pullback.
Leader
14 records
leading assignee, of 37 total
One assignee holds a clear lead
The top-ranked assignee's 14 records are more than twice the fifth-place count of 2, showing a steep drop-off rather than a gradual taper — typical of a field anchored by one or two RF semiconductor specialists with sustained internal R&D pipelines.
Ranking counted in patent families/records.
Mid-tier
2 records
fifth-place assignee
A thin but present mid-tier
Positions two through five hold enough volume to matter for competitive tracking but not enough to challenge the leader's claim density, particularly in antenna-integrated beamforming architectures.
Compare against the leader's 14 records.
Long tail
1 record
tenth-place assignee
Single-filing entrants make up the tail
By the tenth position, assignees are down to a single record each. That is where opportunistic or defensive single filings live, and it is also where a well-drafted first claim in an under-served sub-area could still gain ground.
97.3% of all 37 records sit within the top 10 assignees.
Recent-year filing momentum by assignee
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Anokiwave Inc. | 0 | — |
| TMY Technology Inc. | 0 | -100% |
| Analog Devices International Unlimited Company | 0 | — |
| Amazon Technologies, Inc. | 0 | — |
| Sequans Communications | 0 | — |
| Qorvo US, Inc. | 0 | -100% |
| GENERAL RADAR CORP | 0 | — |
| Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. | 0 | -100% |
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee-level momentum. Derived from a Patsnap search on Phased Array Beamforming Front Ends covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
What's Next
Where to take this analysis
The figures above establish concentration, technology mix and pace. The next steps depend on whether the goal is freedom-to-operate, portfolio benchmarking or identifying a filing gap.
Run a freedom-to-operate check against the leader's claims
With one assignee holding 14 of 37 records, a detailed claim chart against that portfolio — starting with the flip-chip thermal-mass family — is the highest-value first step before committing to a design direction.
Explore assignee claims in EurekaMap the under-claimed sub-areas to your roadmap
Beam squint compensation and on-chip calibration show comparatively low record counts against the dominant antenna and transmission classes — worth checking against any features already on a product roadmap.
Search white space in EurekaTrack momentum, not just cumulative totals
Recent-year figures for most tracked assignees show no filings in the latest year; because of the 18-month publication lag, re-run this view in two to three quarters rather than reading it as a slowdown today.
Set up monitoring in EurekaSource: Patsnap Eureka. Forward-looking reading of the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Phased Array Beamforming Front Ends covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
FAQ
Common questions about this landscape
One assignee leads with 14 of the 37 records in scope, more than twice the count held by the fifth-place company at 2 records. The top 5 assignees together account for 75.7% of all records, and the top 10 account for 97.3%, so the field is concentrated among a small group rather than spread evenly. This pattern means competitive tracking can focus on a handful of names rather than a broad field of filers.
Based on the last full comparable years, 2021 to 2024, filings moved from 4 to 3, a -25% change — a mild plateau rather than growth. Later years including 2025's peak of 7 and 2026's figures are still incomplete because publication typically lags actual filing by around 18 months, so they should not yet be read as a trend reversal. The honest read is a mature, steady filing pace rather than either acceleration or genuine decline.
The largest concentration sits in H01Q (Antennas), appearing on 67.6% of the 37 records, followed by H04B (Transmission, general) at 54.1%. Semiconductor-device classes and wireless-network classes appear on a meaningful minority of records, while radar-specific and waveguide-specific classes each sit at 8.1%. Because a single record can carry multiple IPC codes, these percentages add up to more than 100% of the record total and should be read as overlapping coverage, not mutually exclusive buckets.
The smallest IPC categories in this dataset — radar-specific G01S and waveguide-element H01P, each at 8.1% of records — point to comparatively under-claimed technical territory relative to the dominant antenna and transmission classes. Beam squint compensation, on-chip phase error calibration, and waveguide-integrated phase shifter designs are specific sub-areas worth checking against a target claim set. Low relative record counts do not guarantee an easy filing, but they do indicate less-crowded prior art to navigate.
US11418971B2, assigned to Qorvo Texas, LLC and granted 2022-08-16, covers a beamforming integrated circuit system built to run at lower power than conventional designs, selectively disable branches to control system functions, and position ground pads around receiving pads for isolation. It also covers using one beamforming IC as a distribution circuit for multiple similar ICs. Anyone designing a low-power, branch-controllable beamforming chip with this kind of ground-pad isolation scheme should review this filing closely as part of a freedom-to-operate assessment.
Answers are grounded in the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Phased Array Beamforming Front Ends covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
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Go past this page: query the whole phased array beamforming front ends corpus yourself, in your own scope.
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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.
Machine translation. Assignee and organisation names originally recorded in Chinese, Japanese or Korean have been rendered into English by an AI translation step so that the tables stay readable. These renderings are best-effort and may not match a company's registered English name; the original name is what the underlying patent record carries, and it is what any Eureka query launched from this page uses.