Semiconductor Metrology Patents: Who Leads, Where Gaps Are 2026
- Concentrated at the top. The five largest assignees hold 498 of 731 records in scope (68.1%), and the top ten hold 81.7% — a small group of equipment makers controls most of the documented claim space.
- Filing has plateaued, not grown. Complete-year filings held flat at 40 records in both 2021 and 2024, a 0% change over that span, after peaking at 59 in 2017.
- Photolithography and materials analysis dominate. H01L semiconductor-device claims cover 43.4% of records and G03F photolithography claims cover 38.6%, leaving measurement-adjacent classes like G06N (4.9%) comparatively thin.
Filing growth compares 2021 (40 records) with 2024 (40) — 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 731 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this landscape covers
This landscape maps 731 published patent records filed between 2015 and 2026 that sit at the intersection of wafer metrology, process yield analysis and semiconductor metrology methods, cross-referenced against transistor structure, wafer substrate, mask layer, circuit pattern, sensor signal and calibration reference claims. The scope captures both measurement-tool patents and the process-control claims that depend on their outputs, which is why lithography equipment makers and pure metrology vendors both appear among the leading assignees. Publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so the most recent one or two years in any trend understate real filing activity.
The dataset draws from US, PCT/WIPO, Israeli, European, Singaporean and German filings, giving a cross-jurisdictional view rather than a single-country snapshot. Because a record can carry more than one IPC subclass, the technology composition figures below describe overlapping claim territory rather than mutually exclusive buckets.
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Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 731 records: how filing activity has moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses carry the claim density.
Filing trend: a 2017 peak followed by a plateau
Filings peaked at 59 in 2017 and have since settled into a flatter pattern; the complete-year comparison shows 40 records in 2021 against 40 in 2024, a 0% change over that three-year span. Years after 2024 are still filling in as publications catch up with filing dates, so treat the tail of the chart as a floor, not a ceiling.
Technology composition: lithography and device claims lead
H01L (semiconductor devices) and G03F (photolithography and photomechanics) each cover more than a third of the 731 records, with G01N (material analysis and testing) and G01B (length and dimension measurement) following behind. AI-adjacent classification under G06N appears in only 4.9% of records, a comparatively small footprint given how much measurement data these systems generate.
Shares are the percentage of the 731 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Semiconductor Metrology & Yield Patent Landscape with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about semiconductor metrology & yield patent landscape and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaMost-cited records and a representative claim
US20180144936A1 — Assistant Pattern for Measuring Critical Dimension of Main Pattern In Semiconductor Manufacturing
The filing addresses a specific limit of wafer metrology tools: when a main IC layout pattern's dimension exceeds a metrology tool's critical-dimension measurement upper limit, the method adds paired assistant layout patterns on either side of the main pattern, sized and spaced so the tool can measure the assistant patterns as a proxy for the main one.Filed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., published 2018-05-24.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US7587704B2 | System and method for mask verification using an individual mask error model | 880 |
| 2 | US5889593A | Optical system and method for angle-dependent reflection or transmission measurement | 472 |
| 3 | US20060228897A1 | Rapid thermal processing using energy transfer layers | 315 |
| 4 | US6480285B1 | Multiple layer confocal interference microscopy using wavenumber domain reflectometry and background amplitud… | 237 |
| 5 | US20150110249A1 | Small-angle scattering x-ray metrology systems and methods | 187 |
| 6 | US20150117610A1 | Methods and apparatus for measuring semiconductor device overlay using x-ray metrology | 179 |
| 7 | US20050195398A1 | Continuously varying offset mark and methods of determining overlay | 166 |
| 8 | US20170133202A1 | Computer addressable plasma density modification for etch and deposition processes | 162 |
| 9 | US20140316730A1 | On-device metrology | 155 |
| 10 | US20150046118A1 | Differential methods and apparatus for metrology of semiconductor targets | 141 |
Citation counts accumulate over time, so older records such as the mask-verification and angle-dependent reflection patents naturally lead; treat citation rank as a signal of historical influence rather than of current commercial relevance.
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Browse MCP servers →What the data means for filing strategy
Three read-outs from the concentration, trend and classification figures above, aimed at teams deciding where to file or partner next.
A small group controls most of the documented claim space
The five largest assignees combined hold 498 of the 731 records in scope. That level of concentration means a new entrant filing broad wafer-metrology or process-yield claims is very likely to run into prior art from an established equipment maker, and freedom-to-operate work should start with those portfolios specifically rather than a generic prior-art sweep.
Activity has plateaued rather than declined
Complete-year filings were identical in 2021 and 2024 at 40 records each, after a 2017 peak of 59. That flat pattern, not a falling one, is the honest read once the under-reported final years are set aside — it points to a mature, contested claim space rather than a shrinking one.
Device and lithography claims dominate; AI-adjacent claims are thin
H01L and G03F together anchor the classification picture, each touching more than a third of records. G06N appears in only 4.9% of records, suggesting that despite growing use of machine-learning models in yield analysis, the claims explicitly tying those models to metrology or yield outcomes remain a comparatively small slice of the filed record.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to semiconductor metrology & yield patent landscape, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and where the gate sits
The ranked leaders account for the bulk of filing activity, but recent-year momentum figures show even the largest names posting no activity in the latest tracked year — a reminder that publication lag, not a slowdown, is the likely explanation.
One assignee sits well ahead of the field
The leading assignee's 212 records dwarf the fifth-place figure of 29 and the tenth-place figure of 11, a steep drop-off that is typical of equipment-vendor-led fields where one company's tool platform generates a large share of the documented claims.
Beyond the leaders, filing activity thins quickly
The ranking covers 100 companies in total, and the steep gap between 1st place and 5th place shows most of that list holds a handful of records each. For smaller filers, this points toward defensible niche claims rather than head-on competition with the top assignees.
Recent-year figures understate real activity
Multiple leading assignees show zero filings and -100% year-over-year change in the most recent tracked year. Given the roughly 18-month lag between filing and publication, this reflects incomplete data for that year rather than an actual halt in filing.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| KLA Corp | 0 | -100% |
| ASML Netherlands BV | 0 | -100% |
| Lam Research Corp | 0 | -100% |
| KLA-Tencor Technology Corp | 0 | — |
| Tokyo Electron Ltd | 0 | -100% |
| Zetetic Institute | 0 | — |
| NOVA MEASURING INSTRUMENTS INC | 0 | -100% |
| FemtoMetrix Inc | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The figures above describe the field as filed; turning that into a filing or freedom-to-operate decision means going deeper on specific claims and assignees.
Run a freedom-to-operate check against the top assignees
With 68.1% of records held by five assignees, a targeted FTO search against those specific portfolios will surface more relevant prior art than a broad keyword sweep across all 731 records.
Explore assignee portfolios in EurekaPressure-test claims in the under-claimed branches
The gate chips above point to sub-areas with comparatively thin filing density; drafting a first claim there means checking those specific IPC and keyword combinations against the full corpus, not just the leaders.
Search white space in EurekaTrack the plateau into its next inflection
Filing held flat from 2021 to 2024; whether that continues, rises or falls will only become clear as 2025-2026 publications complete, given the 18-month lag.
Set up filing alerts in EurekaCommon questions about this landscape
The dataset's ranked leader holds 212 of the 731 records in scope, well ahead of the fifth-place assignee at 29 and tenth place at 11. The top five assignees combined account for 68.1% of all records, and the top ten account for 81.7%, so filing activity in this field is concentrated among a small group of equipment makers and metrology specialists rather than spread evenly across the 100 companies in the ranked list. Anyone assessing competitive position should treat that handful of leaders as the primary reference set.
Complete-year data shows filings were flat, not falling: 40 records in 2021 and 40 records in 2024, a 0% change over that span, after an earlier peak of 59 records in 2017. Years after 2024 show lower counts in the raw data, but that reflects the roughly 18-month lag between filing and publication rather than an actual drop in activity. The fair reading is a mature, plateaued field rather than a declining one.
H01L (semiconductor devices) and G03F (photolithography and photomechanics) are the two largest IPC subclasses, covering 43.4% and 38.6% of the 731 records respectively. G01N (material analysis and testing) and G01B (length and dimension measurement) follow at 32.7% and 22.0%. Because a single record can carry multiple IPC classes, these shares overlap rather than sum to 100%, which is expected given how measurement claims often reference the device or lithography structures they inspect.
Classification data points to comparatively thin coverage in classes like G06N (AI-based computing), which appears in only 4.9% of the 731 records despite growing interest in applying machine learning to yield analysis. Specific technical branches such as sensor-signal calibration references and AI-tied metrology-to-yield claims show lower filing density than the core H01L and G03F territory. That does not guarantee an easy claim, but it does suggest less prior art crowding than the dominant lithography and device classes.
US20180144936A1, filed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. and published 2018-05-24, covers adding paired assistant layout patterns beside a main IC layout pattern so a wafer metrology tool can measure a proxy pattern when the main pattern exceeds the tool's critical-dimension measurement upper limit. It blocks approaches that rely on the same paired-assistant-pattern technique for working around a tool's CD measurement ceiling. It does not block metrology methods that solve the measurement-limit problem a different way, such as through tool calibration changes or alternative pattern geometries outside the specific claimed arrangement.
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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.