SiC Wafer-Level Characterization Patent Snapshot
The SiC wafer-level characterization patent corpus is very small and highly concentrated, with activity peaking in 2019 and no recorded filings since. Three assignees — University of South Carolina, Sigray Inc, and Resonac Corp — account for the entirety of the top-ranked filers, signaling a niche field with limited active investment at present.
Three applicants hold the entire top-ranked position in a highly concentrated niche
University of South Carolina and Sigray Inc share the top rank, each with 5 patent records, followed by Resonac Corp with 2 patent records. These three organizations represent the complete population of ranked applicants in this corpus.
The top five filers account for 100% of the ranked applicants visible in this query’ combined total, indicating extreme concentration with no meaningful second tier. The field is defined by two distinct contributor types: an academic institution focused on crystal growth and semiconductor processing, and instrument-focused commercial players.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of South Carolina | 5 | |
| 2 | Sigray Inc | 5 | |
| 3 | Resonac Corporation | 2 |
This concentration implies that any new entrant with a differentiated characterization approach faces minimal direct patent competition from incumbents, but also that the field currently lacks the broad industrial participation that typically drives rapid follow-on innovation.
Filings from the most recent 18–24 months are subject to publication lag and may be under-represented; the apparent absence of recent activity should be interpreted cautiously. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A single 2019 filing spike defines the trend; material analysis and semiconductor device branches dominate the technology mix
The annual filing trend reveals a pronounced but isolated peak in 2019, with no activity recorded before or after in the tracked window. The technology composition chart shows that material analysis and semiconductor device branches together account for the bulk of classified activity.
Annual filing trend
All recorded activity is concentrated in 2019, with 7 filings that year and 2 in 2017; all other years show zero. Given publication lag, any filings from 2024–2026 may not yet be visible, but the sustained zero count from 2020 onward is consistent with the lifecycle assessment of a field past its peak.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
G01N (material analysis and testing) and H01L (semiconductor devices) each carry 7 patent records, with H10P close behind at 6 and C30B (crystal growth) at 5. H01J (electron and discharge tubes) and H10D (semiconductor devices, general) are the sparsest branches, each with 2 and 1 patent records respectively — making them the most under-served areas relative to the visible classes.
↗ 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.
SiC SUBSTRATE EVALUATION METHOD, SiC EPITAXIAL WAF…
Provided is an SiC substrate evaluation that includes irradiating a first surface of an SiC substrate which is cut out from an SiC ingot with excitation light before an epitaxial film is laminated on the first surface to perform photoluminescence measurement. (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | System and method for depth-selectable x-ray analy… | 32 |
| 2 | Pretreatment Method for Reduction and/or Eliminati… | 14 |
| 3 | System and method for depth-selectable x-ray analy… | 4 |
| 4 | Pretreatment method for reduction and/or eliminati… | 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.
University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina holds 5 patent records with a technical emphasis on crystal growth (C30B 25 and C30B 29) and semiconductor device processing (H01L 21). As an academic institution, its filings are oriented toward foundational process and material science rather than commercial instrument design. No applicant momentum data is available for trend assessment.
patent records: 5Sigray Inc
Sigray Inc also holds 5 patent records and concentrates its portfolio in X-ray material analysis (G01N 23) and electron and discharge tube technology (H01J 35), consistent with its position as an X-ray instrumentation company. Its most-cited patent — a system and method for depth-selectable X-ray analysis — draws 32 citations, the highest in the corpus by a wide margin. No applicant momentum data is available for trend assessment.
patent records: 5Frequently asked questions
The corpus contains 9 patent families in scope. This is a small, specialized corpus reflecting the niche nature of wafer-level characterization techniques specific to silicon carbide.
University of South Carolina and Sigray Inc are joint leaders, each with 5 patent records. Resonac Corp follows with 2 patent records. These three organizations account for all ranked applicants in the corpus.
The field is assessed as being in Decline, with annual filings easing back from a peak in 2019. No filings have been recorded in the years following that peak within the tracked window, though publication lag may affect the most recent period.
G01N (material analysis and testing) and H01L (semiconductor devices) each account for 7 patent records, followed by H10P with 6 and C30B (crystal growth) with 5. H01J and H10D are the sparsest branches.
The United States leads with 9 patent records. WIPO PCT filings number 2, and China carries 1. International coverage is minimal, reflecting the predominantly US-based origin of this research activity.
The most-cited work is a patent titled ‘System and method for depth-selectable x-ray analysis,’ which has accumulated 32 citations — substantially more than any other record in the corpus. A ‘Pretreatment Method for Reduction and/or Elimination’ patent is the second most-cited, with 14 citations.
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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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