Rapid Thermal Processing Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
Rapid Thermal Processing Uniformity Patents: Ramp Rate, Pyrometer Calibration and Slip-Dislocation Control
41.5% of all 123 records sit with just five assignees, so the core ramp-rate and uniformity claim space is already occupied at the top. Annual filings peaked so far at 4 in 2023. Measured on the last two complete years, 2021 to 2024 growth sits at 0% — flat rather than declining. Treat 2025 and 2026 counts as incomplete: publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so the most recent years always understate real activity.
- 1SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD25
- 2APPLIED MATERIALS INC8
- 3VEECO INSTRUMENTS INC6
- 4TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO LTD6
- 5CORNELL RES FOUNDATION INC6
See the full rapid thermal processing uniformity analysis in Eureka
- The complete ranking, not just the top five
- Every IPC branch with its share of the corpus
- The most-cited records, and where claim space is still thin
Common questions on rapid thermal processing uniformity patents
Who holds the most patents on rapid thermal processing uniformity?
The assignee ranking in this dataset of 123 records is led by a single company with 25 records, well ahead of the fifth-ranked assignee at 6. The top five assignees combined hold 41.5% of all 123 records, meaning a small group of equipment makers, device manufacturers and wafer suppliers control a disproportionate share of the ramp-rate, temperature-uniformity and pyrometer-calibration claim space. Anyone assessing freedom to operate should start with this cluster rather than the long tail of single-filing entrants that make up most of the ranked list.
Is patent filing in rapid thermal annealing growing or slowing down?
On the last two complete filing years, growth from 2021 to 2024 sits at 0% — the field is flat rather than clearly growing or shrinking. The peak year so far is 2023 with 4 filings, and several of the largest historical assignees recorded zero filings in the most recent tracked year. Figures for 2025 and 2026 should be read as incomplete, since publication typically lags actual filing by around 18 months.
What technology areas does rapid thermal processing uniformity patent activity cover?
Most records classify under semiconductor devices (H01L, 64.2% of the 123 records) and a closely related processing subclass (H10P, 57.7%), meaning uniformity control is usually framed as part of device fabrication or process tooling. Crystal growth (C30B), coating and surface deposition (C23C), memory device manufacture (H10B) and photolithography (G03F) all appear but at much lower shares. Because a single record can carry multiple IPC classes, these percentages add up to more than 100%, and the thinner classes are worth checking as areas of lighter claim density.
Disclaimer. This analysis is based on Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent records and is provided for general information and reference only. Patent data carries inherent limitations — recent filings are under-counted because of publication lag, counts may be on a record or family basis, classification and applicant-name data may contain errors or duplicates, and the underlying search query defines the scope shown — so the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing here is an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Verify independently and review with qualified patent and legal professionals before acting on it.
Method: Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Rapid Thermal Processing Uniformity covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish. Every share divides by all records in scope. Data: Patsnap Eureka. See the full landscape report.