TOPCon Metallization Patent Landscape 2026
TOPCon metallization IP is concentrated among Chinese materials and cell manufacturers, with CHINT New Energy Technology holding a commanding lead over a fragmented field of challengers. The field is still expanding on a multi-year basis, driven by rapid commercialization of tunnel-oxide passivating-contact cells, though annual volume eased from its 2023 peak.
CHINT leads a China-dominated, moderately concentrated field
CHINT New Energy Technology is the clear leader, holding the top position in the applicant ranking. The next tier clusters around several specialty paste and materials suppliers, each with similar counts, indicating that no single challenger has yet consolidated a second-tier position.
The top five filers account for 23% of the combined output of the hundred largest filers — a moderate concentration level that reflects genuine leadership by CHINT while leaving meaningful room for challengers. The gap between rank one and ranks two through five is substantial, but the mid-table is crowded.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CHINT New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 22 | |
| 2 | Dongfang Huansheng Photovoltaic (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd. | 7 | |
| 3 | SHANGHAI SILVER PASTE SCI & TECH CO LTD | 7 | |
| 4 | Foshan Raynova Materials Technology Co., Ltd. | 5 | |
| 5 | Foshan Haoyu New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 5 | |
| 6 | Jiangsu Riyu Photovoltaic New Material Co., Ltd. | 5 | |
| 7 | Guangdong Nanhai ETETB Technology Co., Ltd. | 5 | |
| 8 | Huaian Jietai New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 5 | |
| 9 | Hanwha SolarOne Qidong Co., Ltd. | 5 | |
| 10 | Hengdian Group DMEGC Magnetics Co., Ltd. | 4 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. | 4 | |
| 12 | Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. Xi’an Solar Power Branch | 4 | |
| 13 | Sunsnyc Co., Ltd. | 4 | |
| 14 | National Electric Power Investment Group Yellow River Upstream Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. | 4 | |
| 15 | Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. Xining Solar Power Branch | 4 | |
| 16 | DK Electronics Materials Inc. | 3 | |
| 17 | Guangzhou Ruxing Technology Development Co., Ltd. | 3 | |
| 18 | Solarspace New Energy (Chuzhou) Co., Ltd. | 3 | |
| 19 | Tianjin Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 3 | |
| 20 | Zhejiang Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 3 |
CHINT’s lead, grounded in H01L semiconductor-device claims, suggests the company is defending broad cell-level process positions rather than focusing exclusively on paste formulation. This makes it a focal point for freedom-to-operate assessments across the metallization stack.
The most recent filing years are likely under-counted due to standard patent-publication lag; apparent activity levels in 2024–2026 should not be read as a slowdown until more applications publish. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Rapid multi-year growth anchored in semiconductor-device and paste-conductor IP
Two charts capture the field’s pace and composition: the annual filing trend reveals a growth story that accelerated sharply after 2020 and peaked in 2023, while the technology breakdown shows that paste-conductor and glass-frit chemistry sit alongside the dominant semiconductor-device class.
Annual filing trend
Filings were negligible before 2019, then surged to a peak in 2023 before easing in 2024. The three-year recent window sits 154% above the prior three-year window, confirming genuine multi-year growth. 2025 and 2026 data are essentially absent due to publication lag and should not be interpreted as a halt in activity.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01L (semiconductor devices) dominates, reflecting the cell-architecture claims that underpin the entire corpus. H01B (cables, conductors and insulators) forms a substantial secondary branch covering conductive paste and electrode formulations, while C03C (glass and enamel compositions) captures the glass-frit chemistry central to low-temperature silver pastes. Remaining branches — H10P, B22F, B82Y, C23C, and others — each hold small shares, signaling under-served adjacent zones.
↗ 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.
Conductive silver paste for sintering by LECO tech…
The present invention discloses conductive silver paste for sintering by LECO technology, a preparation method, an electrode, and a battery. The conductive silver paste comprises silver powder, glass powder, organic carrier, and inorganic additive; in weight percentage, the weight percentage contents of these components are: silver powder 84.0%-92.0%, glass… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
Open this patent in Eureka →| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一种具有双面铝浆电极的N型Topcon电池及其制备方法 | 36 |
| 2 | 用于Topcon电池制作的poly-Si绕镀的去除方法 | 34 |
| 3 | 一种N型TOPCon太阳能电池制备方法 | 26 |
| 4 | 一种用于TOPCON晶体硅太阳能电池背面银浆的玻璃粉及其制备方法 | 23 |
| 5 | 一种TOPCon电池梯度掺杂非晶硅钝化结构及制备方法 | 16 |
| 6 | 一种双面隧穿钝化接触太阳能电池结构及其制备方法 | 15 |
| 7 | 导电浆料及其制备的太阳能电池 | 15 |
| 8 | 一种用银包铜浆的TOPCon太阳能电池金属化方法及太阳能电池 | 12 |
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 and competitive positioning
Four structural readings — maturity, concentration, collaboration, and geography — translate the filing data into actionable signals for teams evaluating where to invest or where to design around.
Growth stage: multi-year expansion, past 2023 peak
The field is classified as Growth. Recent three-year filings sit 154% above the prior three-year window, confirming that commercial adoption of TOPCon cells is still driving new IP. Annual volume has eased from the 2023 peak, which is consistent with an early-growth field that has passed an initial rush but has not yet plateaued. Publication lag means the true recent rate remains uncertain.
Growth stageModerate top-end concentration, fragmented challenger tier
CHINT’s rank-one position is clear, but the top five filers collectively hold only 23% of the hundred largest filers’ output, indicating that no dominant coalition controls the field. The second tier — specialty paste makers and regional cell manufacturers — is fragmented across many applicants with similar patent record counts, which means competitive advantage can shift relatively quickly as new entrants mature.
Moderate concentrationIntra-group and supply-chain partnerships drive co-filing
The most active co-filing pair is Guangdong Nanhai ETETB Technology and Foshan Raynova Materials Technology, with five joint records — a materials-supplier pairing focused on glass-frit and paste formulation. The Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower group (Xi’an Solar and Xining Solar subsidiaries, together with the parent entity and National Electric Power Investment Group’s Yellow River subsidiary) forms a tightly interconnected cluster with four joint records each, reflecting coordinated IP strategy within a state-enterprise group. Chint New Energy and Zhejiang Chint Solar also show a smaller co-filing relationship.
Supply-chain co-filingChina-centric filing with selective international extension
China accounts for the large majority of patent records at the jurisdiction level, reflecting where manufacturing scale and regulatory incentives are concentrated. Europe (EPO) and the United States each have meaningful but much smaller presences, and PCT filings indicate some applicants are preserving international optionality. Australia, Brazil, and India each show a handful of records, suggesting limited but not absent interest in emerging solar markets.
China-led, selective globalGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Guangdong Nanhai ETETB Technology Co., Ltd. | Foshan Raynova Materials Technology Co., Ltd. | 5 |
| Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. Xi’an Solar Power Branch | Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. Xining Solar Power Branch | 4 |
| Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. Xi’an Solar Power Branch | Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. | 4 |
| Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. Xi’an Solar Power Branch | National Electric Power Investment Group Yellow River Upstream Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. | 4 |
| Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. Xining Solar Power Branch | Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. | 4 |
| Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. Xining Solar Power Branch | National Electric Power Investment Group Yellow River Upstream Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. | 4 |
| CHINT New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | Zhejiang Chint Solar Technology Co., Ltd. | 2 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
CHINT anchors the field; materials entrants are accelerating
The ranking separates a clear incumbent leader from a wave of new entrants — mostly paste and materials specialists — whose momentum signals where the competitive frontier is moving.
CHINT New Energy Technology
CHINT New Energy Technology holds 22 patent records, more than three times the count of any immediate challenger. Its technology focus is concentrated in H01L 31 (semiconductor devices), covering broad cell-architecture and process positions rather than paste-specific formulations. Its recent-period momentum shows a decline of 71% versus the prior window, suggesting an early filing burst that has normalized — consistent with a company that established its foundational claims during the 2021–2023 ramp and is now in a maintenance or selective-extension phase.
22 patent recordsShanghai Silver Paste Sci & Tech
Shanghai Silver Paste Sci & Tech holds 7 patent records and is classified as a new entrant, meaning it had no material presence in the prior three-year window. Its focus spans H01L 31 alongside H01B 1 and H01B 13 (conductors and cables), reflecting a paste-formulation-first strategy that complements cell-level claims. As a specialist materials supplier entering with a fresh filing program, it represents the type of challenger most likely to accumulate targeted IP in electrode conductivity and printability.
7 patent records| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| CHINT New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 5 | ▼ -71% |
| Shanghai Silver Paste Sci & Tech Co., Ltd. | 7 | ▲ new entrant |
| TCL Zhonghuan Energy Technology (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd. | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| Hanwha SolarOne Qidong Co., Ltd. | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| Jiangsu Riyu Photovoltaic New Material Co., Ltd. | 5 | ▲ new entrant |
| Guangdong Nanhai ETETB Technology Co., Ltd. | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| Foshan Raynova Materials Technology Co., Ltd. | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| Foshan Haoyu New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 5 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches adjacent to the core metallization stack
Several IPC branches appear alongside the dominant H01L class with low patent-record counts, pointing to areas where technical activity exists but dedicated IP coverage remains sparse relative to the field’s overall growth.
B22F · Powder metallurgy
With only 5 patent records, powder metallurgy sits at the edge of the TOPCon metallization corpus despite its direct relevance to silver and silver-coated copper powder morphology — a key determinant of paste conductivity and sintering behavior. Sparse coverage here suggests that most applicants are claiming paste compositions at the formulation level rather than at the powder-production level. Teams with powder-processing capabilities could find this an accessible entry point with low crowding, provided they can demonstrate differentiated performance on TOPCon contact resistance.
Search this in Eureka →C23C · Coating and surface deposition
Only 3 patent records appear under C23C (coating and surface deposition), which covers thin-film deposition routes — including atomic layer deposition and CVD — that are relevant to alternative metallization schemes such as plated or evaporated contacts. As the industry evaluates copper plating and other non-screen-printed routes to reduce silver consumption, this branch could become more active. Current sparsity reflects the field’s present reliance on screen-printed silver paste, but the technical case for deposition-based metallization is well established outside this corpus.
Search this in Eureka →How leaders differ by technology route
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | H01L 31 · Semiconductor devices | H01B 1 · Cables, conductors & insulators | H01B 13 · Cables, conductors & insulators | C03C 12 · Glass & enamel compositions | H01L 21 · Semiconductor devices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHINT New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | Strong · 22 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Shanghai Silver Paste Sci & Tech Co., Ltd. | Strong · 7 | Strong · 6 | Moderate · 2 | Emerging · 1 | Absent |
| Foshan Raynova Materials Technology Co., Ltd. | Strong · 5 | Strong · 3 | Moderate · 2 | Strong · 4 | Absent |
| Guangdong Nanhai ETETB Technology Co., Ltd. | Strong · 5 | Strong · 3 | Moderate · 2 | Strong · 4 | Absent |
| Jiangsu Riyu Photovoltaic New Material Co., Ltd. | Strong · 5 | Strong · 5 | Strong · 3 | Emerging · 1 | Absent |
| Foshan Haoyu New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | Strong · 5 | Strong · 4 | Moderate · 2 | Moderate · 2 | Absent |
| TCL Zhonghuan Energy Technology (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd. | Strong · 7 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Emerging · 1 |
Frequently asked questions
The evidence covers 163 patent families in scope globally. China accounts for the majority of records at the patent-record level, with Europe and the United States each showing smaller but meaningful presences.
CHINT New Energy Technology holds the top position with 22 patent records, more than three times the count of the next-ranked applicants. Its claims are concentrated in H01L 31 semiconductor-device classifications covering cell architecture and process.
The field is classified as Growth. Recent three-year filings are 154% above the prior three-year window, confirming multi-year expansion. Annual volume has eased from the 2023 peak, and the most recent years are further understated by publication lag.
H01L (semiconductor devices) is the dominant class, covering the full corpus. H01B (conductors and insulators) is the primary secondary branch for paste and electrode formulations. C03C (glass and enamel compositions) captures glass-frit chemistry relevant to low-temperature silver pastes.
Guangdong Nanhai ETETB Technology and Foshan Raynova Materials Technology are the most active co-filing pair with 5 joint records, focused on paste and glass-frit formulations. The Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower group entities form a dense intra-group cluster with 4 joint records across multiple subsidiary pairings.
B22F (powder metallurgy) has 5 patent records and B82Y (nanotechnology applications) and C23C (coating and surface deposition) each have 3, making them the sparsest adjacent branches relative to the core H01L corpus. C03B (glass manufacture and shaping) also holds only 2 records. These branches are observations of relative sparsity, not confirmed commercial opportunities.
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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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