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Run your analysis now →https://www.patsnap.com/resources/blog/rd-blog/photomask-and-reticle-technology-patent-landscape/ · Patsnap · data cut-off 2026-07-31 · downloaded from the live page
Lithography Patent LandscapePhotomask and reticle patents: mapping who holds phase shift, defect repair and absorber layer claims
- Filings have plateaued, not grown. the peak year so far is 2022 at 276 filings, with the trend essentially flat since 2017 (260) rather than climbing — this is a mature claim space, not an emerging one.
- Ownership sits with a small cluster of mask-blank and mask-house specialists. several of the most active assignees show sharp recent-year pullbacks, some down to zero filings in the latest year, which reads as consolidation of prior claim positions rather than fresh activity.
- One co-filing relationship dominates collaboration. a single assignee pair accounts for 204 joint filings, dwarfing every other co-assignee relationship in the dataset — most other players file solo.
6,374
Published Records
54%
Top-5 Share of All Records
-60%
Filing Growth 2021→2024
US
Leading Jurisdiction
Filing growth compares 2021 (273 records) with 2024 (109) — 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 6,374 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
Published byPatsnap Research··8 min readSourced from Patsnap Eureka
Field Overview
What photomask and reticle patents actually cover
Photomask and reticle patents sit at the intersection of optical lithography and materials engineering: claims cover mask blanks, phase shift film composition, absorber layer stacks, defect inspection and repair methods, and the critical-dimension uniformity techniques needed to print features reliably on a wafer. The search set here is defined tightly around phase shift mask, defect repair, critical dimension uniformity, absorber layer and pattern fidelity language inside G03F, H01L and C23C filings, which keeps the corpus focused on the physical mask and its manufacture rather than the broader lithography tool stack.
The 6,374 families in this dataset span receiving offices led by the United States, Japan, Europe, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore — a filing footprint that tracks the geography of advanced mask-blank and mask-house manufacturing rather than general semiconductor demand.
Filing activity by year, 2017-2026
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee ranking and totals. Derived from a Patsnap search on Photomask and Reticle Technology 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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The Numbers
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same dataset: how filing volume has moved year over year, and how those filings distribute across the IPC subclasses that define the field.
A flat-to-declining filing curve
Filings ran at 260 in 2017 and peaked at 276 in 2022 before the recent-year figures taper toward single digits by 2026 — a pattern consistent with publication lag rather than a genuine collapse in filing activity, since the most recent 18 months of applications have not yet published.
G03F dominates; H01L and C23C are the meaningful adjacents
Almost the entire corpus (6,358 of 6,374 records) sits in G03F, the photolithography and photomechanics subclass, confirming the search is well-targeted. H01L (semiconductor devices, 2,506 records) and C23C (coating and surface deposition, 534 records) are the largest overlapping subclasses, pointing to where mask claims intersect device integration and thin-film deposition. G06F, G03C, G01N and G02B appear in smaller numbers, marking data-processing, photosensitive-material, metrology and optics touchpoints that are secondary to the core mask claims.
Shares are the percentage of the 6,374 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 Photomask and Reticle Technology covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.
Go deeper on Photomask and Reticle Technology with Eureka
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Try EurekaPrior Art To Know
The most-cited photomask patents in this corpus
Representative Recent Filing
Phase shift mask blank, phase shift mask, method for manufacturing phase shift mask, and method for modifying phase shift mask
TEKSCEND PHOTOMASK CORP.
Provided are a phase shift mask blank that can sufficiently suppress the formation of haze on a phase shift film surface, a phase shift mask having reduced haze defects, a method for manufacturing the phase shift mask, and a method for modifying the phase shift mask by electron beam modification etching. The blank includes a transparent substrate and a phase shift film formed on it, targeted at exposure light of 200 nm or less.Filed by TEKSCEND PHOTOMASK CORP., published 2024-05-09 as US20240152045A1.
Highest-citation records, 2015-2026 window
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US7955516B2 | Etching of nano-imprint templates using an etch reactor | 521 |
| 2 | US8967608B2 | Glass substrate-holding tool and method for producing an EUV mask blank by employing the same | 520 |
| 3 | US5563702A | Automated photomask inspection apparatus and method | 449 |
| 4 | US6673638B1 | Method and apparatus for the production of process sensitive lithographic features | 403 |
| 5 | US20040023125A1 | Method for producing a halftone phase shift mask blank, a halftone phase shift mask blank and halftone phase … | 379 |
| 6 | JP1983219023A | Manufacture of resin membrane | 339 |
| 7 | US6509952B1 | Method and system for selective linewidth optimization during a lithographic process | 325 |
| 8 | US8764995B2 | Extreme ultraviolet light (EUV) photomasks, and fabrication methods thereof | 314 |
| 9 | US20080160431A1 | Apparatus and method for conformal mask manufacturing | 313 |
| 10 | US6516459B1 | Integrated circuit design correction using fragment correspondence | 310 |
Citation counts inside this searched corpus skew toward older filings by construction — a high count signals influence on later filers, not current commercial relevance.
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 Photomask and Reticle Technology 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 filing pattern tells a claims strategist
Three signals stand out once volume, geography and citation weight are combined: where the claim space is dense, where it is thin, and what that means for a freedom-to-operate review.
Concentration
6,358 of 6,374 records in G03F
core subclass share
The core is saturated; the overlaps are not
Nearly the entire corpus sits in G03F, meaning direct phase-shift and absorber-layer claim space is dense with prior art. The smaller H01L, C23C and G01N counts mark thinner ground at the device-integration, deposition and metrology boundaries — that is where a genuinely new claim is more likely to clear.
Use IPC composition to route search effort, not just keyword hits.
Momentum
Peak 276 filings in 2022
vs. 260 in 2017
Flat growth over the observed window
The gap between the 2017 baseline and the 2022 peak is narrow, and several leading assignees show year-over-year filing drops of 89-100% into the most recent year. Combined with the ~18-month publication lag, this looks like a mature field consolidating around existing positions rather than one attracting new entrants.
Recent-year counts will revise upward as pending filings publish.
Collaboration
204 joint filings, strongest pair
vs. next-strongest at 36
One partnership dwarfs the rest
Only 10 co-assignee pairs exist in this dataset, and the strongest single relationship accounts for far more joint filings than any other pairing. Most assignees in this field file independently, which suggests mask-blank chemistry and mask-house process know-how are treated as closely held rather than jointly developed.
A dominant pairing is a useful signal of a captive supply relationship.
Geography
US 2,806 · Japan 985 · EPO 609
top receiving offices
Filing footprint tracks mask-blank manufacturing hubs
The United States leads by a wide margin, with Japan, Europe, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore following — a spread that maps closely onto where advanced mask blanks and EUV-capable mask houses are actually built and qualified.
Office selection here is a manufacturing-geography signal, not just a market-size one.
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 photomask and reticle technology, with the prior art for and against each one.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Co-assignee relationships and derived observations. Derived from a Patsnap search on Photomask and Reticle Technology 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
Assignee Landscape
Who holds the ground, and who is pulling back
Filing volume in this field is concentrated among mask-blank materials suppliers, mask houses and the device makers that qualify their processes. Recent-year momentum data shows several of the historically most active assignees filing far less in the latest available year, which is as informative as the raw ranking itself.
Momentum shift
-94% to -100% YoY
latest-year change, leading assignees
Established filers are slowing sharply
Assignees that built large historical positions, including major Taiwanese foundry and Japanese glass and chemical filers, show steep year-over-year declines into the latest partial year. Read this alongside the publication lag: some of the drop is reporting delay, but the direction is consistent across multiple leading filers.
Watch whether this reverses once 2025-2026 filings finish publishing.
Materials specialists
Strongest co-filing pair: 204
joint filings
Mask-blank chemistry drives the tightest partnership
The single strongest co-assignee relationship in the dataset links a major chemical materials producer with a mask-blank and printing group, far ahead of any other pairing. Materials suppliers to mask houses appear repeatedly as secondary assignees, indicating supply-chain-level co-development rather than open licensing.
Secondary pairings around a single glass-and-electronics group also recur across regional subsidiaries.
Long tail
10 co-assignee pairs total
across 6,374 families
Most activity is solo-filed
With only 10 recorded co-assignee pairs across the full corpus, the great majority of families are filed by a single entity. That points to a field where core mask-blank and defect-repair know-how is protected in-house rather than developed through joint ventures.
Solo filing density is itself a barrier to entry for smaller players.
Recent-year filing momentum by assignee
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) | 1 | -94% |
| Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. (AGC) | 1 | -89% |
| HOYA Corporation | 0 | -100% |
| Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. | 0 | -100% |
| Toppan Holdings Inc. | 0 | — |
| Applied Materials, Inc. | 0 | — |
| Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
| Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | 0 | -100% |
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee-level momentum. Derived from a Patsnap search on Photomask and Reticle Technology 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
Next Steps
Where to take this analysis
The ranking, trend chart and citation table on this page are a starting point for scoping a freedom-to-operate review or a whitespace filing strategy, not a substitute for one.
Run a claims-level search on the thin subclasses
G01N, G02B and G06F carry far fewer records than G03F in this corpus. Before assuming open space, check whether that reflects genuinely thin prior art or simply a narrower search vocabulary.
Explore the technology in EurekaTrack the assignees showing sharp pullbacks
Several leading filers show 89-100% year-over-year declines. Confirm with each assignee's broader portfolio whether this is a strategic shift away from photomask claims or an artifact of publication timing.
Monitor assignee activity in EurekaSource: Patsnap Eureka. Forward-looking reading of the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Photomask and Reticle Technology 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
Frequently Asked
Photomask and reticle patents: common questions
This dataset counts 6,374 patent families published between 2015 and mid-2026 that combine photomask, reticle or mask blank terminology with claim language covering phase shift masks, defect repair, critical dimension uniformity, absorber layers or pattern fidelity. Annual filings ran at 260 in 2017 and peaked at 276 in 2022, then taper toward the present. The tail-end drop should be read cautiously: patent publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so 2025 and 2026 figures are still incomplete.
Based on this corpus, filing activity is flat rather than growing — the 2022 peak of 276 is only modestly above the 2017 level of 260, and several of the historically most active assignees show year-over-year declines of 89% to 100% into the latest year. That combination suggests a mature field where existing players are consolidating claim positions rather than one seeing a wave of new entrants. Confirm the trend with a fresh pull once the most recent filing years finish publishing.
The dataset's assignee ranking is dominated by mask-blank materials suppliers, mask houses and the semiconductor manufacturers that qualify them, several of which also show strong recent pullbacks in filing volume. Rather than naming a fixed top list, look at the ranking table on this page directly, since relative position shifts as pending applications publish. Co-assignee data shows one materials-and-mask-house pairing far ahead of all others, which is a useful signal of a captive supply relationship worth investigating separately.
The IPC composition shows G03F absorbing almost the entire corpus, with meaningfully smaller counts in G01N (materials analysis and testing), G02B (optical elements) and G06F (data processing) — these overlaps are thinner and worth a closer claims-level search before assuming they are saturated. Defect classification methods that lean on computational or machine-learning approaches, and multi-layer absorber stack CD uniformity control, are two areas that show up as comparatively under-claimed relative to the core phase-shift and absorber-layer claim territory. Treat these as leads for a targeted search, not confirmed open space.
US20240152045A1, filed by TEKSCEND PHOTOMASK CORP. and published 2024-05-09, claims a phase shift mask blank designed to suppress haze formation on the phase shift film surface, along with methods for manufacturing and modifying the mask using electron beam etching. It matters because haze defects are a persistent yield problem in phase shift mask production at sub-200nm exposure wavelengths, and this filing sits inside a claim family that is already dense with prior art dating back to earlier halftone phase shift mask blank patents in this corpus. Anyone designing a haze-suppression or EB-modification process for phase shift masks should review its specific claim scope directly before assuming a workaround is clear.
Answers are grounded in the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Photomask and Reticle Technology 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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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.