VCSEL Beam-Shaping Metasurface Patent Snapshot 2026
SOS LAB Co., Ltd. holds a commanding position in this nascent field, accounting for the largest single-applicant share across 28 patent families in scope, with the United States as the primary filing jurisdiction. The field is in a growth phase, with filing activity expanding on a multi-year basis and LiDAR sensing as the dominant application pull.
SOS LAB leads a highly concentrated, early-stage field
SOS LAB Co., Ltd. sits at the top of the applicant ranking with 11 patent families, more than three times the count of any other filer. Beijing University of Technology ranks second with 3 patent families, followed by a cluster of applicants — Zhejiang Eagle Semiconductor, Intel, Samsung Electronics, Shenzhen Berxel Photonics, and ams OSRAM — each holding 2 patent families.
The top five filers account for 71% of the combined total among the ranked applicants visible in this query, signaling a sharply concentrated visible assignee structure. The gap between the leader and the second tier is wide enough that no immediate challenger can close it through incremental filing alone.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SOS LAB Co., Ltd. | 11 | |
| 2 | Beijing University of Technology | 3 | |
| 3 | Zhejiang Eagle Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd. | 2 | |
| 4 | Intel Corporation | 2 | |
| 5 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | 2 | |
| 6 | Shenzhen Berxel Photonics Co., Ltd. | 2 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | ams OSRAM International GmbH | 2 | |
| 8 | Hangzhou Najing Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 9 | Chen Wei Ting | 1 | |
| 10 | Lumentum Operations LLC | 1 | |
| 11 | Neurophos LLC | 1 |
SOS LAB’s position, grounded in LiDAR sensing (G01S) and laser device (H01S) classes, reflects a deliberate vertical integration strategy linking VCSEL source design to metasurface beam-shaping for time-of-flight and distance-measurement applications. The diversity of entrants — spanning Korean, Chinese, American, and German entities — suggests the technology is attracting cross-regional interest despite low absolute volumes.
Filing counts for 2024–2025 are likely understated due to the typical 18–24 month patent publication lag; the true level of recent activity is higher than the raw numbers indicate. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Sustained multi-year growth with a LiDAR-dominant technology mix
The annual filing trend and the IPC technology composition together reveal a field that is growing steadily from a small base, with laser and optical elements classes overwhelmingly visible and sensing applications driving demand.
Annual filing trend
Filings were negligible before 2018, then established a consistent presence through 2023, with a visible step-up in 2024. The 2025 figure should be read as a floor, not a ceiling, given publication lag. The 22% recent-window growth rate confirms the field is expanding on a multi-year basis.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01S (Lasers and stimulated emission) and G02B (Optical elements and systems) are the two visible IPC branches, reflecting the core physics of VCSEL emission and metasurface optics. G01S (Radar, sonar and positioning) is the third-largest branch, confirming that LiDAR and 3D sensing are the primary application contexts pulling innovation. Downstream digital processing (G06F) and measurement branches (G01B, G01C) appear at low counts, marking adjacent but as-yet-sparse territory.
↗ 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.
Micro vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSE…
Devices and systems with lasers, such as vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), and methods of forming the same, are disclosed herein. In one example, a laser includes multiple mirrors and one or more quantum wells between the mirrors, where the mirrors include at least one metasurface mirror. (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lidar device | 26 |
| 2 | Eye safe vcsel illuminator package | 22 |
| 3 | Laser emitting unit and lidar device using the same | 21 |
| 4 | Lidar device | 13 |
| 5 | LiDAR device | 9 |
| 6 | Lidar device | 8 |
| 7 | Laser emitting unit and lidar device using the same | 5 |
| 8 | Visible light-emitting semiconductor laser device … | 3 |
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.
SOS LAB Co., Ltd.
SOS LAB Co., Ltd. holds 11 patent families, the largest position in this corpus. The applicant’s technology focus spans G01S (radar, sonar and positioning), H01S (lasers and stimulated emission), and G02B (optical elements), reflecting an end-to-end approach from VCSEL source to beam-shaped LiDAR output. Momentum is classified as a new entrant pattern, consistent with rapid accumulation from a standing start.
patent families: 11Intel Corporation
Intel Corporation holds 2 patent families with a focus spanning H01S (lasers and stimulated emission), G01B (measuring length and dimensions), and G06K (data recognition and presentation), pointing toward integration of VCSEL metasurface optics into sensing and machine-vision pipelines. Intel’s momentum is also classified as a new entrant, suggesting recent strategic interest rather than a long-established program.
patent families: 2Frequently asked questions
The evidence covers 28 patent families in scope for this topic, filed across the United States, China, and via the WIPO PCT route.
SOS LAB Co., Ltd. is the leading filer with 11 patent families, more than three times the count of the next-ranked applicant, Beijing University of Technology, which holds 3 patent families.
LiDAR and 3D sensing are visible in the application context. G01S (Radar, sonar and positioning) is the third-largest IPC branch after H01S and G02B, and multiple top-cited patents carry LiDAR device titles, confirming sensing as the primary application pull.
The United States accounts for the largest share of jurisdictional records at 19, followed by China at 8, and WIPO (PCT) at 1. PCT use is limited, suggesting international protection strategies are still in early development for most filers.
The field is classified as Growth stage. Annual filings are still rising and the most recent years are understated by publication lag. The recent-window growth rate stands at 22%, confirming multi-year expansion from a small base.
G01B (Measuring length and dimensions) and G01C (Distance, navigation and gyroscopes) each hold only 2 patent records, and F21K (Light sources) and F21Y (Light-source form index) also hold 2 records each. G06F (Electric digital data processing) appears in 4 records. These branches are sparse relative to the visible H01S and G02B classes and represent adjacent areas where VCSEL metasurface technology has plausible technical relevance.
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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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