PIC Quantum Photonics Patents: Who Leads, Where Gaps Are 2026
- Filing activity peaked in 2023 at 15 records then fell away — the field shows a single sharp burst rather than sustained growth, and no assignee shows momentum in the latest tracked year.
- 27 families total, but two documents carry most of the citation weight US11493714B1 alone is cited 62 times, five times the next closest record — influence here is concentrated, not distributed.
- G06N (AI-adjacent computing) appears in 21 of 27 records ahead of core optical control (G02F, 14) and transmission (H04B, 10) — the claim language is increasingly computing-framed, not purely optical.
Filing growth compares 2021 (2 records) with 2024 (2) — 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.
What this landscape covers
This dataset tracks patent families at the intersection of photonic integrated circuits and quantum photonics — filings that combine PIC or silicon-photonics hardware claims with quantum-specific subject matter such as single-photon sources, entangled photon generation, and photonic qubits. The search spans 2015 through the 2026-07-31 cut-off, drawing on IPC classes for optical modulation, quantum computing models, and optical transmission.
At 27 families, this is a small, specialist corpus rather than a mature crowded field. That makes individual records — and individual assignees — disproportionately visible in the rankings, and it means conclusions about concentration should be read as directional rather than statistically definitive.
Let an AI agent run this analysis on your own technology
Pick a task. Every answer cites the patents behind it.
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 27-family corpus: how filing activity has moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses the claims actually sit in.
Filing trend, 2017–2026
Filings started at 2 in 2017, sat flat through much of the period, hit a peak of 15 in 2023, then dropped to 0 by 2026. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the 2025–2026 tail understates real activity, but even accounting for that, the 2023 spike reads as an isolated event rather than the start of a sustained trend — the 2022 midpoint sitting at 0 confirms growth here is not linear.
IPC subclass distribution
G06N (AI-based computing models) leads at 21 of 27 records, ahead of G02F optical modulation (14) and H04B transmission (10). The smaller counts in B82Y nanotechnology (5), H01L semiconductor devices (3), H10H light-emitting devices (2) and H04L digital transmission (1) mark the edges of the field — thin enough that a handful of filings could shift the ranking.
Shares are the percentage of the 27 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Photonic Integrated Circuit Quantum Photonics with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about photonic integrated circuit quantum photonics and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe most-cited records
Systems and methods for routing single photons from a trapped ion using a photonic integrated circuit
A system includes a quantum source and an optical device coupled to the quantum source. The quantum source is configured to emit an entangled photon. The optical device is configured to route the entangled photon to one or more outputs. In some aspects, the optical device can include a photonic integrated circuit (PIC). Advantageously the system can provide a routing scheme to route entangled photons from one or more quantum sources between different nodes, plus a quantum frequency conversion scheme to match near-infrared and telecommunication wavelengths.Filed as US20260194784A1, naming HANNEGAN, JOHN, dated 2026-07-09 — one of the most recent records in the corpus.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US11493714B1 | Quantum computing die assembly with thru-silicon vias and connected logic circuit | 62 |
| 2 | US11493713B1 | Photonic quantum computer assembly having dies with specific contact configuration and matched CTE | 12 |
| 3 | US20230393447A1 | Time-bin qubit converter | 10 |
| 4 | WO2017034638A1 | Apparatus and methods for single photon sources | 7 |
| 5 | US12019354B2 | Time-bin qubit converter | 5 |
| 6 | US11550108B1 | Quantum computing die assembly with thru-silicon vias | 3 |
| 7 | US20180314131A1 | Apparatus and Methods for Single Photon Sources | 3 |
| 8 | US10429718B2 | Apparatus and methods for single photon sources | 3 |
| 9 | IN202511067250A | Hyper-entangled quantum lidar system with ai perception and GPS-free quantum navigation | 1 |
| 10 | WO2025245344A1 | Entangled photon generator | 1 |
Citation counts inside a searched corpus favour older records that have had more time to accumulate references — read this as a signal of influence on later filings, not of current commercial importance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
Put your own technology through the same analysis
Eureka on the web
When you want the answer in the next five minutes.
The agent works the prompt against patents and technical literature, citing every source.
Run your analysis now →MCP server & REST API
When it has to run inside your own pipeline.
Patent search, landscape analysis and assignee resolution as MCP tools. Drop them into any agent framework, or call REST directly.
Browse MCP servers →What the numbers mean for a filing decision
Three patterns stand out once the ranking and the trend are read together.
Influence sits on very few documents
US11493714B1's 62 citations are more than five times the next-closest record's 12. A corpus this size with citation weight this concentrated means the foundational claim language was set early and by few hands — new entrants are likely designing around a small set of blocking claims rather than a broad thicket.
Claims are framed as computing, not just optics
The dominance of G06N alongside G02F suggests applicants are drafting quantum photonic hardware claims with computing-model language attached, likely to capture downstream quantum-computing use cases rather than optical-communication ones.
No single assignee is currently pulling ahead
Every assignee in the momentum ranking shows zero filings in the most recent tracked year. Combined with the 2023 peak and subsequent drop-off, this points to a filing wave that has already crested rather than an active land grab in progress.
Filing is US-centred with a thin international tail
The United States receives more than half of tracked filings; WIPO/PCT, Europe, the UK, India and Australia each account for a handful. That leaves most non-US jurisdictions comparatively open for a first local filing.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to photonic integrated circuit quantum photonics, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who holds the claims
Academic and government-linked institutions dominate the assignee list in this corpus, with collaboration pairs pointing to shared research programmes rather than pure competitive filing.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (MIT)
MIT appears at the centre of the strongest co-assignee pairs in this dataset, filing jointly with a university partner and with a US Army research lab. That pattern reads as funded, multi-institution research rather than a single company building a defensive portfolio.
PsiQuantum Corp.
Named among the tracked assignees but showing no filings in the most recent year, consistent with the corpus-wide pattern of activity clustering around the 2023 peak rather than continuing into the present.
A long tail of single-institution filers
Beyond the co-filing cluster around MIT, most named assignees — including Yeda Research and Development Co. Ltd., Orca Computing Limited and University of Southern California — appear without repeated recent activity, characteristic of a niche field where individual research groups file once or twice around a specific result.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| PsiQuantum Corp. | 0 | — |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | 0 | — |
| University of Maryland | 0 | — |
| Yeda Research and Development Co. Ltd. | 0 | — |
| Orca Computing Limited | 0 | — |
| University of Southern California | 0 | — |
| THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AS REPRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE ARMY ARMY RES LAB | 0 | — |
| QUANTUM SOURCE LABS LTD | 0 | — |
Where to take this
The trend and ranking above answer what happened. Two follow-on questions matter more for a live filing decision.
Check freedom to operate against the top-cited claims
US11493714B1 and US11493713B1 carry the bulk of citation weight in this corpus. Any new filing touching quantum computing die assembly or photonic quantum computer packaging should be checked against these specifically, not just against the general art.
Run a freedom-to-operate check in EurekaWatch for the next filing wave
Activity peaked in 2023 and dropped to zero by the most recent tracked year, but the 18-month publication lag means 2025–2026 filings are still arriving. Re-checking this trend in six to twelve months will show whether the field is truly cooling or just under-reported.
Set up ongoing monitoring in EurekaCommon questions
This dataset identifies 27 patent families published between 2015 and the 2026-07-31 cut-off that combine photonic integrated circuit or silicon-photonics claims with quantum-specific subject matter such as single-photon sources or entangled photon generation. That is a small, specialist corpus rather than a broad field, so individual records carry more weight in any ranking than they would in a larger dataset. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the true current total is likely somewhat higher than what has been published so far.
Academic and government-linked institutions dominate this corpus, with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (MIT) appearing in the strongest co-assignee relationships, including joint filings with University of Maryland and a US Army research laboratory. Several other named assignees, such as Yeda Research and Development Co. Ltd. and University of Southern California, appear without sustained recent filing activity. No assignee in the tracked momentum data shows filings in the most recent year, suggesting the leadership positions were established during the 2023 peak rather than through ongoing accumulation.
The filing trend shows a rise to 15 records in 2023 followed by a decline toward zero by 2026. This pattern is consistent with a concentrated research push — likely tied to specific funded programmes — rather than a steadily growing commercial field. It is worth treating the 2025–2026 numbers cautiously, since patent publication typically lags the actual filing date by about 18 months, meaning some of that apparent drop-off is a reporting artefact rather than a real slowdown.
IPC classification shows G06N, covering AI-based computing models, appearing in 21 of the 27 records, ahead of G02F optical modulation and control (14) and H04B general transmission (10). This suggests that many quantum photonic integrated circuit claims are being framed around computing applications rather than purely as optical hardware. Smaller categories like nanotechnology (B82Y), semiconductor devices (H01L) and light-emitting devices (H10H) mark thinner, less-claimed corners of the field.
Branches with comparatively thin IPC coverage — such as light-emitting semiconductor qubit sources (H10H, 2 records) and digital-transmission-layer photonic protocols (H04L, 1 record) — show far less claim density than the dominant G06N and G02F categories. Specific technical routes like trapped-ion-to-PIC photon routing and telecom-band quantum frequency conversion also appear underdeveloped relative to the core. These are plausible entry points for new claims, though a proper freedom-to-operate search against the most-cited records is still necessary before filing.
Research Photonic Integrated Circuit Quantum Photonics in depth with Eureka
Go past this page: query the whole photonic integrated circuit quantum photonics corpus yourself, in your own scope.
Every answer comes back with patent numbers you can open.
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.