TOPCon Passivated Contact Patent Landscape 2026
TOPCon passivated contact solar cell IP is in a clear growth phase, with annual filings more than doubling over the recent multi-year window and China-based applicants holding the dominant position. Activity is moderately concentrated among a tier of utility-affiliated and module-manufacturer filers, with several large players entering the corpus only recently.
China-anchored field with moderate top-tier concentration
CHINT New Energy Technology leads the ranked applicants with 21 patent records, followed closely by Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development at 18 and Yingli Energy Development at 17. The top five filers together account for 21% of the combined total across the hundred largest filers, indicating a moderately concentrated but not monopolized competitive landscape.
The gap between the leader and the third-to-fifth tier is narrow — Trina Solar at rank five holds 14 patent records versus the leader’s 21 — which points to a field where no single entity has established a commanding IP moat. A second tier of applicants, including equipment makers such as Jiangsu Microvia Nano Equipment Technology and cell specialists such as Jolywood, adds further competitive depth.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CHINT New Energy Technology Co Ltd | 21 | |
| 2 | Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co Ltd | 18 | |
| 3 | Yingli Energy Development Co Ltd | 17 | |
| 4 | National Electric Power Investment Group Yellow River Upstream Hydropower Development Co Ltd | 16 | |
| 5 | Trina Solar Co Ltd | 14 | |
| 6 | Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co Ltd Xi’an Solar Power Branch | 13 | |
| 7 | Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co Ltd Xining Solar Power Branch | 13 | |
| 8 | Huaian Jietai New Energy Technology Co Ltd | 12 | |
| 9 | Hanwha SolarOne Qidong | 12 | |
| 10 | Yingli Energy Development (Baoding) Co Ltd | 11 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Jiangsu Microvia Nano Equipment Technology Co Ltd | 11 | |
| 12 | Chuzhou Jietai New Energy Technology Co Ltd | 11 | |
| 13 | Changzhou Shichuang Energy Co Ltd | 10 | |
| 14 | Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA) | 10 | |
| 15 | 3Sun Srl | 9 | |
| 16 | Tongwei Solar Energy (Meishan) Co Ltd | 8 | |
| 17 | Dongfang Huansheng Photovoltaic (Jiangsu) Co Ltd | 8 | |
| 18 | NINGBO INST OF MATERIALS TECH & ENG CHINESE ACAD O… | 6 | |
| 19 | Shanxi Jolywood Solar Cell Technology Co Ltd | 6 | |
| 20 | Jolywood (Taizhou) Solar Technology Co Ltd | 6 |
The composition of leaders — combining utility-scale power developers (Huanghe Hydropower group entities), vertically integrated module makers (Yingli, Trina Solar, CHINT), and equipment suppliers (Jiangsu Microvia) — reflects an ecosystem where IP is being built simultaneously at the cell-process, manufacturing-equipment, and project-deployment levels.
Filings from 2024 and 2025 are expected to be under-counted due to standard patent publication lag; the corpus should be treated as an underestimate for those years. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Sustained growth since 2019 with semiconductor devices dominating the technology mix
The annual filing trend shows when commercial interest crystallized and how fast it has grown; the technology composition chart reveals which IPC branches carry the bulk of activity and which remain comparatively sparse.
Annual filing trend
Filings were negligible through 2018, then accelerated sharply from 2019 onward, reaching a recorded peak of 81 patent records in 2024. The 101% recent-window growth rate confirms a field still in active expansion. The near-zero values for 2025 and 2026 reflect publication lag and should not be read as a slowdown.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01L (Semiconductor devices) overwhelmingly dominates at 329 patent records, consistent with the cell-junction and passivation focus of TOPCon technology. Secondary branches — H10P, C23C (Coating and surface deposition), C03C (Glass and enamel compositions), and H10K — each carry only single-digit or low double-digit counts, highlighting a highly concentrated technology focus with modest activity in adjacent process and materials areas.
↗ 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.
Tunnel oxide passivated contact solar cell
A tunnel oxide passivated contact solar cell includes a semiconductor substrate, an emitter film layer, an anti-reflective layer, a first electrode, a tunnel oxide layer, a semiconductor film layer and a second electrode. The semiconductor substrate is a first type doped semiconductor, and the first surface of the semiconductor substrate includes a zigzag… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一种隧穿氧化层钝化接触太阳能电池及其制备方法 | 61 |
| 2 | 一种激光硼掺杂选择性发射极TOPCon结构电池及其制备方法 | 57 |
| 3 | 一种具有双面铝浆电极的N型Topcon电池及其制备方法 | 36 |
| 4 | 用于Topcon电池制作的poly-Si绕镀的去除方法 | 34 |
| 5 | 一种基于PECVD技术的高效低成本N型TOPCon电池的制备方法 | 30 |
| 6 | 一种钙钛矿/晶硅叠层电池及其制备方法 | 29 |
| 7 | 电池背面结构及双面TOPCon太阳能电池 | 21 |
| 8 | Topcon结构太阳能电池的制备方法 | 21 |
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 IP structure means for R&D investment decisions
Four structural signals — lifecycle stage, competitive concentration, co-filing networks, and geographic spread — frame where risk and opportunity sit in this field.
Active growth phase; annual volume still rising
The lifecycle evidence classifies this field as Growth, with annual filings still rising and recent-window growth of 101%. The technology is past initial proof-of-concept but has not yet entered the plateau or consolidation typical of mature solar technologies such as PERC. New entrants are still establishing foundational claims, making this a window where differentiated process or materials patents can still carve defensible positions.
Growth stageModerate concentration; no dominant IP holder
The top five filers hold 21% of the combined total across the hundred largest filers — enough to signal active investment by leading players but insufficient to signal lock-in. The narrow gap between rank one and rank five means a well-targeted filing program from a new entrant could realistically close the gap within two to three years. Equipment and materials suppliers occupy mid-table positions, suggesting process-level IP remains open.
Moderate concentrationCollaboration concentrated within the Huanghe Hydropower group
The most active co-filing network links Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development, its parent National Electric Power Investment Group Yellow River Upstream Hydropower, and its Xi’an and Xining solar subsidiaries, with up to 18 co-filed records per pair. Yingli Energy Development and its Baoding affiliate form a second, smaller cluster with 10 co-filed records. Outside these two groups, cross-organization collaboration is limited, pointing to an ecosystem that has not yet built broad open-innovation coalitions.
Intra-group networksHeavily China-filed; international coverage thin
China accounts for 266 of the patent records, with WIPO (PCT) at 18, the United States at 9, and EPO at 8 representing the main international channels. Coverage in Japan, South Korea, and most of Europe is sparse. For non-Chinese players — or Chinese players seeking global freedom-to-operate — the thin international filing density creates both a risk (Chinese innovations could be practiced elsewhere freely) and an opportunity (early PCT or national-phase filings in key markets face limited prior art from this corpus).
China-dominantGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co Ltd | National Electric Power Investment Group Yellow River Upstream Hydropower Development Co Ltd | 18 |
| Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co Ltd | Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co Ltd Xi’an Solar Power Branch | 14 |
| Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co Ltd | Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co Ltd Xining Solar Power Branch | 14 |
| National Electric Power Investment Group Yellow River Upstream Hydropower Development Co Ltd | Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co Ltd Xi’an Solar Power Branch | 14 |
| National Electric Power Investment Group Yellow River Upstream Hydropower Development Co Ltd | Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co Ltd Xining Solar Power Branch | 14 |
| Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co Ltd Xi’an Solar Power Branch | Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co Ltd Xining Solar Power Branch | 14 |
| Yingli Energy Development Co Ltd | Yingli Energy Development (Baoding) Co Ltd | 10 |
| CHINT New Energy Technology Co Ltd | Zhejiang CHINT Solar Technology Co Ltd | 4 |
| Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co Ltd | Huanghe Hydropower Xining Solar Power Co Ltd | 4 |
| Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co Ltd | SPIC Xi’an Solar Power Co Ltd | 4 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
CHINT leads by count; Yingli and Hanwha Solar are high-momentum new entrants
The leader board splits between established solar module makers ramping IP activity quickly and utility-affiliated developers building portfolios through intra-group co-filing. Technology focus across all ranked players is anchored in H01L 31 (semiconductor photovoltaic devices), with secondary emphasis varying by organization.
CHINT New Energy Technology
CHINT New Energy Technology leads with 21 patent records and focuses its portfolio on H01L 31 semiconductor device claims — consistent with the cell-architecture and passivation-layer core of TOPCon IP. Momentum data for CHINT specifically is not disaggregated in the evidence, but the company’s overall rank-one position in a fast-growing field indicates sustained filing activity.
patent records: 21Yingli Energy Development
Yingli Energy Development holds 17 patent records and is flagged as a new entrant in the recent momentum window, meaning all or most of its records have been filed in the recent period — a concentrated, fast-moving entry rather than a gradual build. Its technology focus spans H01L 31, H01L 21 (semiconductor fabrication processes), and H10P, suggesting broader process-integration coverage than some peers. Its Baoding affiliate contributes a further 11 records under close co-filing collaboration.
patent records: 17| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| CHINT New Energy Technology Co Ltd | 7 | ▼ -46% |
| Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co Ltd | 8 | ▼ -20% |
| National Electric Power Investment Group Yellow River Upstream Hydropower Development Co Ltd | 8 | ▼ -20% |
| Yingli Energy Development Co Ltd | 17 | ▲ new entrant |
| Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co Ltd Xi’an Solar Power Branch | 8 | ▲ new entrant |
| Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co Ltd Xining Solar Power Branch | 8 | ▲ new entrant |
| Trina Solar Co Ltd | 7 | ▲ new entrant |
| Hanwha New Energy (Qidong) Co Ltd | 11 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches in coating, glass, and surface-cleaning processes
Relative to the dominant H01L semiconductor device branch, several adjacent IPC classes show low patent-record counts, pointing to areas where foundational process and materials work for TOPCon cells is under-represented in the patent record.
C23C · Coating and surface deposition
C23C carries only 18 patent records — 4% of the branch distribution — despite deposition processes (ALD, PECVD, LPCVD) being central to forming the tunnel-oxide and poly-silicon layers in TOPCon structures. The top-cited records reference PECVD-based preparation methods explicitly, yet dedicated coating-process claims under C23C remain sparse. Organizations with deposition-equipment or thin-film expertise could find relatively open ground here, particularly for atomic-layer deposition sequences optimized for sub-2-nm tunnel oxides.
Search this in Eureka →B08B · Cleaning processes
B08B accounts for only 6 patent records despite surface preparation and poly-silicon wrap-around removal being cited as critical yield-limiting steps in top-cited TOPCon patents. The low count suggests that cleaning and etching sequences specific to TOPCon rear-surface passivation have not been aggressively claimed as standalone IP. Equipment suppliers and specialty-chemical companies addressing poly-Si wrap-around removal — a process step referenced directly in the most-cited corpus patents — face limited prior-art density in this branch.
Search this in Eureka →How leaders differ across TOPCon technology routes
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | H01L 31 · Semiconductor devices | H01L 21 · Semiconductor devices | H10P 72 | C23C 16 · Coating & surface deposition | H10K 39 · Organic semiconductors (OLED etc.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yingli Energy Development Co Ltd | Strong · 17 | Strong · 11 | Moderate · 5 | Absent | Absent |
| Trina Solar Co Ltd | Strong · 13 | Moderate · 3 | Moderate · 4 | Emerging · 2 | Absent |
| CHINT New Energy Technology Co Ltd | Strong · 20 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| National Electric Power Investment Group Yellow River Upstream Hydropower Development Co Ltd | Strong · 18 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Emerging · 1 |
| Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co Ltd | Strong · 18 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Jiangsu Microvia Nano Equipment Technology Co Ltd | Strong · 11 | Absent | Absent | Moderate · 4 | Absent |
| Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development Co Ltd Xining Solar Power Branch | Strong · 14 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus analyzed covers 327 patent families. Filing activity began in earnest in 2019 and has grown more than 100% over the recent multi-year window, with 2024 recording the highest single-year count of 81 patent records.
CHINT New Energy Technology Co Ltd leads with 21 patent records among the top-100 filers. The second and third positions are held by Qinghai Huanghe Hydropower Development at 18 and Yingli Energy Development at 17.
China is by far the dominant jurisdiction with 266 patent records. WIPO (PCT) filings stand at 18, the United States at 9, and EPO at 8. Coverage in Japan, South Korea, and most other major markets is limited, meaning international freedom-to-operate is generally less encumbered outside China.
The evidence classifies the field as Growth stage, with annual filings still rising and a 101% recent-window growth rate. The technology has moved well beyond early proof-of-concept but has not yet reached the plateau seen in more mature solar cell architectures.
The most-cited work covers tunnel-oxide passivated-contact cell structures and preparation methods (61 citations), laser-boron-doped selective emitter TOPCon structures (57 citations), N-type TOPCon cells with dual-face aluminum-paste electrodes (36 citations), and poly-Si wrap-around removal methods (34 citations). These citation counts indicate that cell-architecture and wrap-around-removal process patents form the foundational IP layer of the field.
The most notable under-served adjacent branches relative to the dominant H01L class are C23C (Coating and surface deposition) at 18 patent records and B08B (Cleaning processes) at 6 patent records. Both are technically central to TOPCon manufacturing — deposition of tunnel oxides and poly-Si layers, and removal of poly-Si wrap-around — yet carry comparatively few dedicated patent claims. C03C (Glass and enamel) and H10K (organic semiconductor interfaces) are also sparse.
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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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