SHJ Transparent Conductive Oxide Patent Landscape 2026
The SHJ transparent conductive oxide field is at a maturity stage, with annual filings plateaued near the 2018 peak and activity heavily concentrated in China. Jiangxi Diantou New Energy Technology leads by patent records, with IBM and the Tongwei Solar group forming a distinct second tier.
Jiangxi Diantou leads a moderately concentrated, China-centric field
Jiangxi Diantou New Energy Technology holds the top position among ranked filers, followed by IBM and Tongwei Solar Energy (Chengdu). The top five filers together account for 24% of the combined total across the hundred largest filers, signalling moderate concentration rather than outright dominance by a single actor.
A clear tier gap separates the leader from the next cluster: IBM and the Tongwei Solar entities (Chengdu, Jintang, Anhui, Hefei, Meishan) collectively form a dense mid-tier. Below rank five, activity disperses rapidly across research institutes and universities, indicating that no single challenger has yet consolidated a rival portfolio.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jiangxi Diantou New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 17 | |
| 2 | IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) | 12 | |
| 3 | Tongwei Solar Energy (Chengdu) Co., Ltd. | 11 | |
| 4 | Tongwei Solar (Jintang) Co., Ltd. | 8 | |
| 5 | 48th Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation | 6 | |
| 6 | ENN Solar Energy | 6 | |
| 7 | Giga Solar Materials Corporation | 6 | |
| 8 | JIANGSU WANJI DRIVE SCI & TECH CO LTD | 6 | |
| 9 | Tongwei Solar (Anhui) Co., Ltd. | 5 | |
| 10 | Tongwei Solar (Hefei) Co., Ltd. | 5 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Tongwei Solar Energy (Meishan) Co., Ltd. | 5 | |
| 12 | Institute of Electrical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences | 5 | |
| 13 | Diantou New Energy Technology (Longgang) Co., Ltd. | 5 | |
| 14 | Nanchang University | 4 | |
| 15 | Zhejiang University | 4 | |
| 16 | Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute | 4 | |
| 17 | Delft University of Technology | 4 | |
| 18 | LONGi Green Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 4 | |
| 19 | Jineng Clean Energy Technology Ltd. | 3 | |
| 20 | Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences | 3 |
The leader’s position, built in part through active collaboration with affiliated entities such as State Power Investment Corporation Research Institute, suggests a coordinated portfolio strategy rather than isolated invention. This makes the lead both broader and potentially harder to design around than a single-assignee portfolio of comparable size.
Filing counts for 2025 and 2026 are substantially under-reported due to the 18–24 month patent publication lag and should not be interpreted as a slowdown. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Activity has plateaued near its 2018 peak; semiconductor device patents dominate the mix
The annual trend and technology-composition charts together reveal a field that peaked in 2018, has since moved sideways rather than growing, and remains technically anchored in semiconductor device engineering with a thin but notable tail of adjacent branches.
Annual filing trend
Filings peaked at 20 records in 2018 and have oscillated in the mid-teens through 2024. The multi-year window shows modest positive growth of 12% in recent activity, consistent with a plateau rather than expansion. Data for 2025–2026 reflects publication lag and should be read as incomplete.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01L (semiconductor devices) dominates the IPC mix with 163 records, dwarfing C23C (coating and surface deposition) at 26. Smaller branches — B82Y nanotechnology, H01B conductors, H10K organic semiconductors, and H10P — each account for fewer than 10 records, marking them as currently under-served relative to the core.
↗ 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.
Transparent Conductive Oxide In Silicon Heterojunc…
Devices and methods for reducing optical losses in transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) used in silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells while enhancing series resistance are disclosed herein. In particular, the methods include reducing the thickness of TCO layers by about 200% to 300% and depositing hydrogenated dielectric layers on top to form double… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一种钙钛矿/硅异质结太阳能叠层电池结构及其制作方法 | 40 |
| 2 | Silicon heterojunction solar cells and methods of … | 35 |
| 3 | 一种具有电镀电极的硅异质结太阳能电池及其制作方法 | 32 |
| 4 | 一种高效硅异质结太阳能电池及其制备方法 | 22 |
| 5 | 硅异质结太阳电池及其制备方法 | 22 |
| 6 | 一种全背电极P型晶硅异质结太阳电池的制备方法 | 19 |
| 7 | 硅异质结太阳电池及其制备方法 | 17 |
| 8 | 具有叠层减反特性的晶体硅异质太阳电池及其制备方法 | 17 |
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.
What the structure means for R&D investment decisions
The combination of plateau-stage filings, moderate concentration, active intra-group collaboration, and near-exclusive. China filing creates a specific risk-opportunity profile for new entrants and incumbents alike.
Field is at the maturity stage with annual volume near but eased from its 2018 peak
Annual filings have plateaued near their peak rather than declining or accelerating. On a multi-year basis the recent-window growth is still positive at 12%, but the 2018 high of 20 records has not been re-tested. For R&D planners this signals that incremental TCO optimization is well-covered; differentiation increasingly requires working at the boundaries of the dominant H01L class or in adjacent branches.
Maturity stageModerate top-tier concentration with a fragmented mid-field
The top five filers hold 24% of the combined records across the hundred largest filers. Below that threshold, activity spreads across more than 90 additional entities — universities, national labs, and smaller manufacturers — none of whom has assembled a portfolio large enough to anchor a sub-field. This fragmentation suggests that a focused, well-scoped filing campaign in an adjacent branch could establish a recognizable position relatively quickly.
Moderate concentrationCo-filing is concentrated within corporate families, not across sector boundaries
The most active co-filing pairs are State Power Investment Corporation Research Institute with Jiangxi Diantou New Energy Technology (6 joint records) and multiple Tongwei Solar subsidiaries cross-filing with one another (5 records each pair). These patterns reflect coordinated portfolio building within affiliated groups rather than open ecosystem collaboration. Independent researchers or equipment vendors looking to form alliances will find few established cross-sector co-filing precedents to join.
Intra-group co-filingChina accounts for the dominant share of filing activity; international coverage is thin
China leads jurisdiction coverage with 128 records, while the United States reaches 20, Europe (EPO) 6, and WIPO (PCT) 6. Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and India together account for 8 records. This geographic skew means that much of the portfolio may carry limited enforceable protection in key manufacturing and end-market jurisdictions outside China — a potential opening for non-Chinese filers to establish priority in those markets.
China-concentratedGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
| Applicant | Collaborator | Co-filings |
|---|---|---|
| State Power Investment Corporation Research Institute | Jiangxi Diantou New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 6 |
| Tongwei Solar (Jintang) Co., Ltd. | Tongwei Solar Energy (Meishan) Co., Ltd. | 5 |
| Tongwei Solar (Jintang) Co., Ltd. | Tongwei Solar Energy (Chengdu) Co., Ltd. | 5 |
| Tongwei Solar (Jintang) Co., Ltd. | Tongwei Solar (Anhui) Co., Ltd. | 5 |
| Tongwei Solar (Jintang) Co., Ltd. | Tongwei Solar (Hefei) Co., Ltd. | 5 |
| Tongwei Solar Energy (Meishan) Co., Ltd. | Tongwei Solar Energy (Chengdu) Co., Ltd. | 5 |
| Tongwei Solar Energy (Meishan) Co., Ltd. | Tongwei Solar (Anhui) Co., Ltd. | 5 |
| Tongwei Solar Energy (Meishan) Co., Ltd. | Tongwei Solar (Hefei) Co., Ltd. | 5 |
| Jiangxi Diantou New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | Diantou New Energy Technology (Longgang) Co., Ltd. | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Jiangxi Diantou leads; IBM brings a distinct nanotechnology angle
Two entities define the top of the ranking: Jiangxi Diantou New Energy Technology through volume and group collaboration, and IBM through a technically differentiated portfolio that spans both core semiconductor device and nanotechnology IPC classes.
Jiangxi Diantou New Energy Technology
Ranked first with 17 patent records, Jiangxi Diantou focuses almost entirely on H01L 31 semiconductor devices (10 records) with secondary coverage in C23C 14 coating and deposition and C25D electroplating. Its momentum is classified as a new entrant on a recent-period basis, meaning the portfolio was assembled rapidly rather than accumulated over many years. The entity co-files actively with State Power Investment Corporation Research Institute, reinforcing its position within a coordinated state-affiliated group.
17 patent recordsIBM (International Business Machines Corporation)
IBM ranks second with 12 patent records and is the only top-tier filer with meaningful coverage in B82Y 20 nanotechnology applications (6 records), alongside its core H01L 31 semiconductor device patents (12 records). This dual-class footprint differentiates IBM technically from the Chinese solar manufacturing cluster and suggests an interest in nano-engineered TCO layers beyond conventional sputtered films. No momentum trend data is available for IBM in the evidence.
12 patent records| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| State Power Investment Corporation Research Institute | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Jiangxi Diantou New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 5 | ▲ new entrant |
Nanotechnology and conductor engineering are under-served relative to core device work
Several IPC branches adjacent to the dominant H01L class carry low record counts and low share figures; two in particular combine relative sparsity with plausible technical relevance to SHJ TCO performance.
B82Y · Nanotechnology applications in TCO
With 10 records and a 4% share, the nanotechnology branch is sparse relative to the 163 records in H01L. Nano-structured or nanocomposite TCO layers — such as nano-silver networks or nanoparticle-doped indium tin oxide — have documented potential to reduce sheet resistance without sacrificing optical transmittance, which is directly relevant to SHJ cell efficiency. IBM is currently the only ranked filer with meaningful coverage here, leaving room for materials scientists and equipment suppliers to establish positions. Entry would require expertise in nano-synthesis and characterization alongside conventional thin-film deposition.
Search this in Eureka →C25D · Electroplating and electroforming for TCO contacts
Only 3 records appear under C25D (electroplating and electroforming), giving it the smallest share among whitespace branches at 1%. Electroplated copper or nickel contact grids are an emerging alternative to silver-paste screen printing in HJT cells and require TCO surface engineering that straddles C25D and H01L. Jiangxi Diantou holds 1 record here, and no other filer in the top tier has staked a position. A focused electrochemical deposition strategy for TCO-compatible metallization could represent an adjacent entry path for electrochemical or advanced-manufacturing specialists.
Search this in Eureka →How leading filers differ by IPC technology route
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | H01L 31 · Semiconductor devices | C23C 14 · Coating & surface deposition | H01B 1 · Cables, conductors & insulators | H01L 21 · Semiconductor devices | C23C 16 · Coating & surface deposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) | Strong · 12 | Absent | Absent | Moderate · 3 | Absent |
| State Power Investment Corporation Research Institute | Strong · 12 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Jiangxi Diantou New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | Strong · 10 | Emerging · 2 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Giga Solar Materials Corporation | Strong · 6 | Absent | Strong · 6 | Absent | Absent |
| Tongwei Solar (Jintang) Co., Ltd. | Strong · 8 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| ENN Solar Energy | Strong · 7 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 129 patent families in scope. The applicant ranking uses patent records, which can exceed the family count because a single family may be counted under multiple jurisdictions or IPC classes.
Jiangxi Diantou New Energy Technology leads with 17 patent records, followed by IBM at 12 and Tongwei Solar Energy (Chengdu) at 11.
The field is at a maturity stage. Annual filings have plateaued near the 2018 peak of 20 records and the multi-year recent-window growth stands at 12%, indicating the field is neither rapidly expanding nor declining. Data for 2025 and 2026 is substantially under-reported due to publication lag.
China dominates with 128 patent records. The United States follows at 20, then Europe (EPO) and WIPO (PCT) at 6 each. Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and India each account for 3 or fewer records.
The highest-cited document (40 citations) covers a perovskite/silicon heterojunction tandem cell structure. A document on silicon heterojunction solar cells and methods follows at 35 citations, and a patent on electroplated-electrode silicon heterojunction cells reaches 32 citations.
H01L semiconductor devices dominates at 163 records. The sparsest adjacent branches are B82Y nanotechnology applications (10 records, 4% share), H01B conductors and insulators (8 records, 4% share), H10K organic semiconductors (6 records, 3% share), H10P (5 records, 2% share), and C25D electroplating (3 records, 1% share).
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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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