QD / Nano Emitters Patent Snapshot 2026
The QD / Nano Emitters space is highly concentrated, with 3M Innovative Properties Co commanding the dominant share of patent activity and Europe (EPO) serving as the primary filing jurisdiction. The field reached a multi-year expansion peak in 2023 and recent-window growth remains positive, though annual volume has eased from that peak.
3M dominates a tightly held QD / Nano Emitters field
3M Innovative Properties Co holds the top position with 13 patent records, placing it decisively ahead of every other filer in this corpus. Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials ranks second with 2 patent records, and four other applicants each hold 1 patent record.
The top five filers account for 95% of the combined total across the ranked applicants visible in this query — an extremely high concentration ratio that leaves little room for challengers to mount a near-term position without either licensing or targeted technical differentiation.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3M Innovative Properties Co | 13 | |
| 2 | KOREA INST OF MACHINERY & MATERIALS | 2 | |
| 3 | Zhejiang Brilliant Optoelectronic Technology Co Ltd | 1 | |
| 4 | Korea Institute of Industrial Technology | 1 | |
| 5 | Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) | 1 | |
| 6 | Sri Eshwar College of Engineering | 1 |
3M’s emphasis spans nanotechnology applications (B82Y), semiconductor devices (H01L), and optical elements and systems (G02B), suggesting a broad platform rather than a single-application focus. Smaller entrants tend to occupy narrower sub-spaces such as OLED organic semiconductors or crystal growth materials.
The most recent 18–24 months of filings are likely under-counted due to standard patent publication lag, so apparent inactivity in 2024–2026 should not be read as a slowdown. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2023 activity spike and a nanotechnology-dominant IPC mix
The filing trend reveals an irregular but net-positive multi-year trajectory, with a clear 2023 spike, while the IPC composition is anchored by nanotechnology and semiconductor device classifications.
Annual filing trend
Annual filings were sporadic from 2017 through 2022, then jumped to 3 patent records in 2023 — the peak year. Figures for 2024 onwards reflect publication lag and should not be interpreted as a real cessation of activity. The recent three-year window sits 50% above the prior three-year window, confirming multi-year expansion despite the post-2023 easing.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B82Y (Nanotechnology applications) and H01L (Semiconductor devices) together account for the largest share of IPC records, confirming that quantum-dot and nano-emitter work is primarily framed as a nanotechnology and semiconductor problem. G02B (Optical elements and systems) and H05B (Electric heating and lighting circuits) form a secondary tier, while H10K (Organic semiconductors/OLED), C09K, C30B, F21V, and H10H each represent sparse coverage.
↗ 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.
OLED display with improved color uniformity
Organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays having an emissive OLED layer and a nanostructured interface configured to reduce variability of color with view angle are described. An optical stack having first and second layers with differing refractive indices includes the nanostructured interface between the first and second layers. The second layer is… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | OLED display with improved color uniformity | 7 |
| 2 | Display device with random NANO pattern and manufa… | 6 |
| 3 | Display device with random NANO pattern and manufa… | 5 |
| 4 | Organic light-emitting device with nano-structured… | 4 |
| 5 | Optical stack for improved color uniformity in OLE… | 2 |
| 6 | Emissive article with light extraction film | 2 |
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.
Assignee snapshot from the current evidence set
The applicants below are visible in this query result. Because the evidence set is relatively small, read this section as a directional snapshot rather than a full competitive ranking.
3M Innovative Properties Co
3M holds 13 patent records — more than six times the next-ranked filer. Its technology focus spans B82Y (Nanotechnology applications), H01L (Semiconductor devices), and G02B (Optical elements and systems), indicating a platform-level approach to nano-emitter integration for display and lighting applications. No momentum data is available for 3M in the recent-window comparison, consistent with its status as the established incumbent rather than a new entrant.
13 patent recordsKorea Institute of Industrial Technology
Korea Institute of Industrial Technology holds 1 patent record and is flagged as a new entrant in the recent filing window, with its activity concentrated in B82Y (Nanotechnology applications) and C09K (Materials for miscellaneous applications). Its entry alongside Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials signals coordinated Korean public-sector interest in nano-emitter materials, particularly luminescent materials under C09K.
1 patent record · new entrantFrequently asked questions
The corpus covers 7 patent families. This is a focused corpus, so conclusions about concentration and lifecycle should be read in that context, and trend signals from any single year are magnified relative to a larger dataset.
3M Innovative Properties Co is the leading filer with 13 patent records, more than six times the count of the second-ranked applicant, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, which holds 2 patent records.
Europe (EPO) leads with 9 patent records, followed by the United States with 6, South Korea with 3, and India with 1. The EPO lead is consistent with 3M’s filing behavior as the visible applicant.
The field is in a Growth stage. The recent three-year filing window is 50% above the prior three-year window. Annual volume peaked in 2023 and has eased since, though figures for 2024 and beyond are likely under-counted due to publication lag.
B82Y (Nanotechnology applications) leads with 16 patent records, followed by H01L (Semiconductor devices) with 15, G02B (Optical elements and systems) with 9, and H05B (Electric heating and lighting circuits) with 8. Several other classes each hold 4 or fewer records.
No co-applicant filing relationships are present in the current evidence. All active filers appear to be operating independently, and no joint-development agreements are reflected in the patent data available.
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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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