Silicon Photonics Electronic-Photonic Integration Patent Snapshot
Intel Corp holds the largest position among all filers, with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd emerging rapidly as the primary challenger in a field still in a growth stage. Activity is highly concentrated among a small number of well-resourced semiconductor and photonics firms, and the United States remains the dominant filing jurisdiction by a wide margin.
Intel leads a tightly held, early-growth field
Intel Corp ranks first with 5 patent records, followed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd with 4 and Mixx Technologies Inc, Teramount Ltd, and Marvell Asia Pte Ltd each holding 2. The top five filers account for 58% of the combined total across the ranked applicants visible in this query, signaling a highly concentrated visible assignee structure.
The gap between the first-tier incumbents — Intel and TSMC — and the remainder of the ranking is visible but not insurmountable; challenger positions held by Mixx Technologies, Teramount, and Marvell Asia suggest that smaller specialists can carve out meaningful footprints. Below the top five, all remaining applicants hold a single patent record each, confirming that the long tail is broad but thin.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intel Corporation | 5 | |
| 2 | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd | 4 | |
| 3 | Mixx Technologies Inc | 2 | |
| 4 | Teramount Ltd | 2 | |
| 5 | Marvell Asia Pte Ltd | 2 | |
| 6 | Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Ltd | 1 | |
| 7 | KIMERLING LIONEL C | 1 | |
| 8 | FANG YU | 1 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | SOCKIN MICHAEL D | 1 | |
| 10 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 1 | |
| 11 | WONG CHEE WEI | 1 | |
| 12 | Accelink Technologies Co Ltd | 1 | |
| 13 | MCMILLAN JAMES F | 1 | |
| 14 | XU YAN | 1 | |
| 15 | CAI YUECHANG | 1 | |
| 16 | Cisco Technology Inc | 1 |
Intel’s lead, concentrated in semiconductor device packaging (H01L 23 and H01L 25) and H10W70, reflects a system-level integration focus. TSMC’s position in optical elements (G02B 6) alongside semiconductor process classes suggests a foundry-oriented approach to co-packaging. These divergent emphases indicate that no single technical route has yet become canonical.
Filing counts for 2025 and 2026 are likely understated due to publication lag; the field’s true recent-year activity is higher than the raw numbers suggest. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Activity accelerated from 2021 and the technology mix is optics-led
Filing activity was absent through 2020, then stepped up materially from 2021 onward. The technology composition is anchored in optical elements and semiconductor device classes, with several adjacent branches present at lower density.
Annual filing trend
No filings appear from 2017 through 2020; activity opened in 2021 with 4 records, moderated slightly in 2022–2023, rebounded to 4 in 2024, and shows 2 for 2025 — a figure that will rise as applications publish. The overall trajectory supports the growth-stage classification, consistent with a field that did not attract patent activity until around 2021.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
G02B (optical elements and systems) covers all 14 patent records in the corpus, making it the universal classification anchor. H01L (semiconductor devices) appears in 10 records, reflecting the deep reliance on silicon fabrication platforms. H10W, H04B, G01B, G02F, G03F, and H01S each appear in smaller fractions, indicating that transmission, modulation, lithography, and laser classes are present but materially under-served relative to the core optical-semiconductor pairing.
↗ 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.
System and method for a silicon photonic bridge in…
A silicon photonic bridge and method of manufacturing an integrated circuit semiconductor package may be provided. The system may include an interposer layer formed from a combination of organic and inorganic materials. The silicon photonic bridge may be embedded within the interposer layer. The silicon photonic bridge may include an electrical integrated… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Semiconductor chip stacking assemblies | 21 |
| 2 | Semiconductor chip stacking assemblies | 8 |
| 3 | Ultrafast GE/si resonator-based modulators for opt… | 7 |
| 4 | Temperature insensitive distributed strain monitor… | 3 |
| 5 | Semiconductor chip stacking assemblies | 3 |
| 6 | Silicon photonic multiplexer and de-multiplexer | 2 |
| 7 | Semiconductor chip stacking assemblies | 2 |
| 8 | Semiconductor chip stacking assemblies | 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.
Intel Corp
Intel holds 5 patent records — the largest position in the corpus — with a technology focus concentrated in H01L 23 (semiconductor device packaging), H10W 70, and H01L 25 (semiconductor device stacking). The most-cited works in the corpus on semiconductor chip stacking assemblies align with Intel’s packaging-centric approach, reinforcing its depth in heterogeneous integration. Tan Qing co-files with Intel on one record, hinting at an inventor-collaboration model.
patent records: 5Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd
TSMC holds 4 patent records and is classified as a new entrant by momentum evidence, meaning its recent filings represent a step-change from a negligible prior base. Its technology emphasis spans G02B 6 (optical fiber and waveguide elements), H01L 25 (multi-chip assemblies), and H01L 21 (semiconductor fabrication processes), pointing to a foundry-process approach to photonic integration rather than a systems or packaging angle. This differentiated route positions TSMC as a structurally distinct challenger to Intel.
patent records: 4Frequently asked questions
The corpus used for this analysis contains 14 patent families in scope. This is a relatively small but growing body of IP, consistent with a field that only began attracting filings around 2021.
Intel Corp leads with 5 patent records, followed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd with 4. Together they account for the majority of the top-tier filings.
G02B (optical elements and systems) appears across all 14 patent records in the corpus, making it the universal classification anchor. H01L (semiconductor devices) appears in 10 records, reflecting the dependence on silicon fabrication platforms. H10W, H04B, G01B, G02F, G03F, and H01S each appear in smaller numbers.
The United States accounts for 13 patent records, making it the visible protection jurisdiction. WIPO PCT filings number 6, indicating multi-jurisdictional reach by visible assignees. Taiwan appears with 1 record.
Evidence places the field in a growth stage: annual filings began in 2021 and have sustained since, with the lifecycle assessment noting that annual filings are still rising and that the most recent years are understated by publication lag.
G02F (optical control and modulation), H01S (lasers and stimulated emission), G03F (photolithography), G01B (length and dimension measurement), and H04B (transmission) each appear in only 2–3 patent records, making them the sparsest branches in the current corpus relative to the visible G02B and H01L classes.
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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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