Squeezed Light Sensing Patents: Leaders, Trends & White Space 2026
A data-backed look at 282 squeezed light sensing patent families: who leads, how filing activity has shifted since its 2019 peak, and which IPC branches remain under-claimed.
Filing growth = 2021 (14 records) → 2024 (4); 2024 is the last year we treat as complete. Top-5 share = the 5 largest assignees ÷ all 282 records in scope (CR5), not the ranked leaders only.
What the squeezed light sensing patent record shows
Squeezed light sensing sits at the intersection of quantum optics and precision measurement, and the patent record reflects that split: the largest technology clusters are material analysis and testing (G01N) and optical elements and systems (G02B), together anchoring the bulk of active claim coverage. Filing activity across the 282 records in scope peaked in 2019 and has since cooled, though a leader holding 19 records has not translated into control of the field — the top 5 assignees combined hold only 18.4% of all records.
That combination — a visible peak year, a sharp contraction through 2024, and a fragmented ownership structure — points to a field where the core optical-detection architecture is being actively claimed but where downstream applications, particularly in data processing and modulation, remain comparatively open.
Filing trends and technology composition
The 282 records in scope span 2015 through the current data cut-off, with publication lag meaning the most recent one to two years are still filling in.
Filing activity peaked in 2019, then contracted
Annual filings rose from 3 in 2017 to a peak of 20 in 2019, then fell across the following years; the 2021-to-2024 span alone shows a -71% drop, from 14 filings to 4. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, 2025 and 2026 figures are not yet representative and should not be read as a continued decline.
Publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so 2025 onwards are still filling in. Growth rates on this page therefore end at 2024; running them to the last bar would understate the field.
Material analysis and optical elements dominate the claim space
G01N (material analysis & testing) leads at 18.8% of the 282 records, followed by G02B (optical elements & systems) at 13.1% and G01B (measuring length & dimensions) at 9.2%. Because records can carry multiple IPC classes, these shares add up to more than 100% of the record total — that overlap itself signals which branches are being claimed together.
Shares are the percentage of the 282 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Quantum Sensing & Metrology: Squeezed Light Sensing Patent Landscape with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about quantum sensing & metrology: squeezed light sensing patent landscape and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaRepresentative filing and most-cited prior art
Planar Optical Waveguide Device — US20230251549A1
A planar optical waveguide device which has improved resistance to optical loss and improved stability of the entire system of balanced homodyne detection is realized. An embodiment is an optical waveguide device for measurement of squeezed light using balanced homodyne detection, including an amplifier circuit that is connected to a signal light input port for inputting the squeezed light and performs phase-sensitive amplification, and a multiplexing/demultiplexing circuit that is connected to a local oscillator optical input port and an output of the amplifier circuit, has local oscillator light and the amplified squeezed light incident on the circuit, and outputs the light interfering with it.Filed by NTT, Inc.; published 2023-08-10.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US4150744A | Packaging | 243 |
| 2 | US6722771B1 | Hand held traffic control light | 148 |
| 3 | US3600350A | Poly(p-benzamide) composition,process and product | 119 |
| 4 | US4227814A | Optical density detector | 97 |
| 5 | US5989438A | Active blood filter and method for active blood filtration | 95 |
| 6 | US6276485B1 | Device at tiller truck | 89 |
| 7 | US5369713A | Inspection method using area of interest (AOI) analysis | 80 |
| 8 | US8254637B2 | Mask fitting system and method | 74 |
| 9 | US5195162A | Planar polymer light guide methods and apparatus | 74 |
| 10 | US4878407A | Vacuum die mount | 72 |
Citation counts reflect influence within the searched corpus and skew toward older filings; they are not a measure of current commercial relevance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Four figures from the dataset that matter more than the raw record count.
No single company controls the field
The leading assignee holds 19 records against a field of 282, and the top 5 combined reach only 18.4% of all records. That leaves the majority of filing spread across a long tail of smaller entrants.
Activity has cooled since its 2019 peak
Filings peaked at 20 in 2019 and fell from 14 in 2021 to 4 in 2024. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the 2025-2026 figures in the dataset are not yet a reliable read on current activity.
Material analysis and optics dominate claims
G01N (material analysis & testing) and G02B (optical elements & systems) are the two largest IPC subclasses, at 18.8% and 13.1% of the 282 records respectively, marking where claim density is heaviest.
Joint filing is rare
Only 10 co-assignee pairs appear across the entire dataset, and the strongest pair links an organisation to its own affiliate rather than an external partner, indicating most development here is done independently.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to quantum sensing & metrology: squeezed light sensing patent landscape, with the prior art for and against each one.
| Assignee | Co-assignee | Shared families |
|---|---|---|
| OESTERRISCHE ACAD DER WISSENSCHAFTEN | Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH | 6 |
| Koninklijke Philips N.V. | WINTERS ROGIER | 1 |
| Koninklijke Philips N.V. | SEMPEL ADRIANUS | 1 |
| Koninklijke Philips N.V. | SCHOBBEN DANIEL W E | 1 |
| Koninklijke Philips N.V. | KRAAN THOMAS C | 1 |
| Koninklijke Philips N.V. | KORST JOHANNES H M | 1 |
| Koninklijke Philips N.V. | KELLY DECLAN P | 1 |
| Koninklijke Philips N.V. | HOPPENBROUWERS JURGEN J L | 1 |
With only 10 co-assignee pairs across 282 records, most squeezed-light sensing patents are filed by a single organisation acting alone.
Where to take this analysis next
The filing data points to specific follow-up questions worth running before committing R&D or IP spend.
Check freedom-to-operate against the leader
With the top assignee holding 19 of 282 records concentrated in G01N and G02B, a targeted claim chart against that portfolio is the first practical step before designing a new optical-detection path.
Run a claim chart in EurekaScope a claim in the under-filed branches
G03B, G02F and G06F each sit under 5% of records with minimal co-assignee activity, making them the most open branches for a first-mover claim in signal processing or modulation.
Explore white space in EurekaTrack the next 18 months of publications
Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the 2025-2026 figures in this dataset will keep filling in. Re-running this search periodically is the only way to confirm whether the 2021-2024 contraction has continued or reversed.
Set up a monitoring search in EurekaFrequently asked questions
Across the 282 records in scope, the leading assignee holds 19 records, well ahead of the fifth-ranked assignee at 7 and the tenth-ranked at 5. The top 5 assignees combined account for 18.4% of all records and the top 10 combined for 29.4%, which means concentration exists at the very top but the majority of filings are spread across a long tail of lower-volume filers. This pattern suggests no single company has locked down the field, and freedom-to-operate work should focus on the leader's core claims first before checking the broader tail.
Filings rose from 3 in 2017 to a peak of 20 in 2019, then declined; the clearest complete-year comparison in the data is 2021 to 2024, where filings dropped from 14 to 4, a 71% fall. Because patent publication typically lags actual filing by around 18 months, the 2025 and 2026 figures in the dataset are still incomplete and should not be read as evidence the field is continuing to shrink. The honest read is that filing activity peaked in 2019 and has since cooled, but the most recent trend is not yet visible in this data.
The dominant IPC subclass is G01N, material analysis and testing, covering 18.8% of the 282 records, followed by G02B, optical elements and systems, at 13.1%, and G01B, measuring length and dimensions, at 9.2%. Smaller but present categories include A61M (devices for body fluids), G03C (photosensitive materials), G06F (digital data processing), G02F (optical control and modulation) and G03B (photographic apparatus), each under 8% of records. Because a single record can carry multiple IPC classes, these percentages overlap rather than sum to 100%, and the overlap pattern itself shows which technical elements tend to be claimed together.
This filing, assigned to NTT, Inc. and published 2023-08-10, claims a planar optical waveguide device for measuring squeezed light using balanced homodyne detection. Specifically, it ties together a phase-sensitive amplifier circuit connected to a signal light input port and a multiplexing/demultiplexing circuit that combines the amplified squeezed light with local oscillator light. The claim scope is anchored to this specific waveguide integration and circuit topology, not to homodyne detection or squeezed-light sensing as a general category, so alternative architectures that do not use this exact planar integration sit outside what the claim blocks.
The IPC subclasses with the smallest share of the 282 records are G03B (photographic apparatus) at 4.3%, G02F (optical control and modulation) at 4.6%, and G06F (digital data processing) at 5.0%. These branches also show little collaborative filing activity — only 10 co-assignee pairs exist across the entire dataset, and most involve a single organisation and its own affiliate rather than cross-company partnerships. That combination of low filing density and low collaboration marks these subclasses as the most open for a well-scoped first claim, particularly around signal-processing methods rather than optical hardware.
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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.