본 보고서에서는 세계 주요국의 GaN 일렉트로닉스 특허 동향을 조사하고, 2개의 응용 분야(RF, 전력), 4개공급망 분야(웨이퍼, 에피웨이퍼, 디바이스, 패키징, 모듈, 회로, 용도), 6개의 기술 분야(전류, 코랩스, e-mode, 모놀리식 집적, 열 관리, 수직 디바이스)로 나누어 분석하였습니다. 전류, e-mode, GaN-on-Si, 모놀리식 집적, 열 관리, 수직 디바이스) 별 분석, 주요 기업의 특허 포트폴리오 등을 정리했습니다.
이 보고서에는 이번 조사에서 분석된 15,000개 이상의 특허군을 수록한 광범위한 엑셀 데이터베이스도 포함되어 있습니다. 이 특허 데이터베이스는 다기준 검색이 가능하며, 특허 공개 번호, 최신 온라인 데이터베이스에 대한 하이퍼링크(원문, 법적 지위 등), 우선일, 제목, 요약, 특허 양수인, 특허의 현재 법적 지위, 출원 분류, 공급망 분류 등 다양한 기준을 포함합니다.
Mitsubishi Electric, Toshiba, Toyota Group, Panasonic, Sumitomo Electric, Infineon, Fujitsu, CETC, Sharp, Furukawa Electric, Intel, Rohm, Wolfspeed, Fuji Electric, Innoscience, Samsung, Sanken Electric, Renesas Electronics, NTT - Nippon Telegraph & Telephone, Hitachi, Transphorm, Qorvo, TSMC, Texas Instruments, NXP, Vanguard International, Midea, Macom, Dynax Semiconductor, LG Group, San'an, Enkris Semiconductor, Onsemi , Sumitomo Chemical, Delta Electronics, Ancora Semiconductors, HiWAFER, NexGen Power, NEC, Raytheon Technologies, Huawei, CorEnergy, NGK Insulators, Seoul Semiconductor, STMicroelectronics, Murata, General Electric, UMC, Siemens, Oki Electric, JRC, EPC, Power Integrations, Bosch, Akoustis, HC Semitek, Northrop Grumman, Shenzhen Gancom Technologies, RFHIC, YASC, Navitas, Shindengen Electric, Nuvoton, Shin Etsu, Hanhua Semiconductor, Jiangsu Broadwave Electric Technology, Qualcomm, Zhejiang Jimaike Microelectronics, GaN Systems, WIN Semiconductors, Nexperia, Epistar, Analog Devices, GlobalWafers, CoorsTek, IQE, Richtek Technology, Hatchip, Soitec, SETi, Ingacom Semiconductor, Nichia, BAE Systems, Comba Telecom, ABB, NPP Pulsar, NEXGO, Ampleon, Silan, General Motors, CR Micro, Broadcom, Thales, DOWA, SGCC, GaN Power Tech, Powdec, Kyocera, Qromis, GaNPower, ZTE, Chip Foundation Technology, Daikin Industries, Lattice Power, Taiyo Yuden, SDSX , Runxin Microelectronics, Nokia, Akash Systems, GaNext, GlobalFoundries, Schneider Electric 등
Figure out the IP strategy of main players and newcomers in the emerging power and RF GaN ecosystems.
Focus on national and regional IP adaptation strategies to deal with geopolitical uncertainties.
Review and analyze the global IP competition across the power and RF GaN supply chains.
In this context, the “GaN Electronics Patent Landscape” report aims to understand what is the strategy of players to consolidate their position in the emerging power and RF GaN markets and to limit the risks and uncertainties related to the adoption, industrialization and commercialization of a new power and RF semiconductor technologies (investment, geopolitical and IP risks).
What's more, the report identifies well-established IP players, IP challengers and newcomers, which are not yet in the power or RF GaN markets and thereby may represent either a threat (future IP and market challengers) or an opportunity to access external innovation (M&A targets, partnerships, IP licensing), depending on the perspective.
Eventually, the report positions early market players in the global IP competition, as these players are the most likely to assert their patents against new players entering the power or RF GaN markets, to maintain and expand their market leadership.
The patent search covers inventions across the whole GaN value chain, from materials (wafers and epiwafers) to circuits, targeting any kind of electronic applications. The selection is mainly based on the analysis patent claims:
In recent years, more and more IP players started disclosing high number of generic inventions where the application scope is not limited to a single field of application (e.g., RF, power). This growing IP trend arose from IP players' adaptation strategy in the GaN electronics landscape, aiming to address different markets (power, RF) with a single technology platform (e.g., GaN-on-Si). Such generic inventions were categorized as "Not specified" and were analyzed in both power and RF GaN IP landscapes:
The GaN electronics patenting activities from Japanese players in the 2000s and then from the Chinese players since 2015, have been massive. As such, they mask important IP trends occurring in other countries with significant market opportunities and stand-out companies advancing GaN technology. What's more, IP has become an important component in the adaption strategies of companies and countries to a geopolitical context that can cause volatility. This report unveils these new IP trends and IP strategies by providing a separated analysis of each national or regional ecosystems emerging for power and RF GaN technologies.
For each region are detailed: Time evolution of IP activities, Supply chain from a patent perspective, Status of players' IP activity, Most active IP players and new entrants, Main technical challenges addressed by IP players, IP strategies of players, Recent IP collaborations and IP transfers, and Key players' patent portfolio.
Generally, IP strategies should focus on what a company has identified as most critical to impact the power and RF GaN markets, in terms of logistics (supply), technology (barriers), volatility (regulations, geopolitics) and economics (costs, margins). Accordingly, IP competition analysis should reflect the vision of players with a strategy to enter and develop their business in the power and RF GaN markets. Interestingly, new players looking to a vertical integration strategy may be identified based on their patenting activity, expanding into new parts of the supply chain. What's more, such strategies may leverage different partnerships and acquisitions that involve the IP of other players and that have important implications for the complete ecosystem. This report unveils the IP strategies of main players in the GaN electronics landscape and the potential implications of acquisitions and partnerships between the GaN electronics IP players, leveraging a combined market, supply chain and technology-based analysis.
For each segment of the supply chain are detailed: Time evolution of IP activities, Main patent assignees, most active IP players, and new entrants, IP leadership, Current legal status of their patents, Technical challenges addressed by IP players, Main patent assignees and new entrant by technical challenge.
As the competition grows in the power and RF markets, players may leverage their IP to assert their market position, providing that they have built strong patent portfolios in strategic IP spaces of the technology. The report aims to identify such strategic IP spaces based on the analysis of the IP competition related to critical aspects of the technology. For instance, the realization of e-mode transistors has been a critical issue for the commercialization of GaN technology in power applications. In the GaN Electronics Patent Landscape report, this is one of the most competitive IP space that has been identified in the power GaN supply chain.
Recently, e-mode GaN patents have been at the center of a US-China patent dispute between two of the main IP players in the power GaN patent landscape. EPC is a well-established IP player in this space, while Innoscience is one of the main IP challengers. Such dispute reminds the threat represented by the IP of tiers companies in a particular geopolitical and economic context. It should support the establishment of more IP licensing agreements and partnerships between GaN electronics IP players in the next few years. The report details the complex relationships between GaN electronics IP players (patent co-filings, patent transfers and patent litigations).
This report also includes an extensive Excel database with the 15,000+ patent families (inventions) analyzed in this study. This useful patent database allows for multi-criteria searches and includes patent publication numbers, hyperlinks to an updated online database (original documents, legal status, etc.), priority date, title, abstract, patent assignees, patent's current legal status, and segments (wafers and epiwafers, devices, packaging and modules, circuits and applications, current collapse, e-mode transistor, GaN-on-Si, etc.).
Mitsubishi Electric, Toshiba, Toyota Group, Panasonic, Sumitomo Electric, Infineon, Fujitsu, CETC, Sharp, Furukawa Electric, Intel, Rohm, Wolfspeed, Fuji Electric, Innoscience, Samsung, Sanken Electric, Renesas Electronics, NTT - Nippon Telegraph & Telephone, Hitachi, Transphorm, Qorvo, TSMC, Texas Instruments, NXP, Vanguard International, Midea, Macom, Dynax Semiconductor, LG Group, San'an, Enkris Semiconductor, Onsemi , Sumitomo Chemical, Delta Electronics, Ancora Semiconductors, HiWAFER, NexGen Power, NEC, Raytheon Technologies, Huawei, CorEnergy, NGK Insulators, Seoul Semiconductor, STMicroelectronics, Murata, General Electric, UMC, Siemens, Oki Electric, JRC, EPC, Power Integrations, Bosch, Akoustis, HC Semitek, Northrop Grumman, Shenzhen Gancom Technologies, RFHIC, YASC, Navitas, Shindengen Electric, Nuvoton, Shin Etsu, Hanhua Semiconductor, Jiangsu Broadwave Electric Technology, Qualcomm, Zhejiang Jimaike Microelectronics, GaN Systems, WIN Semiconductors, Nexperia, Epistar, Analog Devices, GlobalWafers, CoorsTek, IQE, Richtek Technology, Hatchip, Soitec, SETi, Ingacom Semiconductor, Nichia, BAE Systems, Comba Telecom, ABB, NPP Pulsar, NEXGO, Ampleon, Silan, General Motors, CR Micro, Broadcom, Thales, DOWA, SGCC, GaN Power Tech, Powdec, Kyocera, Qromis, GaNPower, ZTE, Chip Foundation Technology, Daikin Industries, Lattice Power, Taiyo Yuden, SDSX , Runxin Microelectronics, Nokia, Akash Systems, GaNext, GlobalFoundries, Schneider Electric, etc.
For each country: time evolution of patenting activity, supply chain from a patent perspective, status of players' IP activity, main patent assignees, most active IP players, new entrants, main technical challenges addressed by IP players, IP strategies of players, current legal status of their patents (pending, granted, protected countries, etc.), recent IP collaborations (patent co-filings) and IP transfers (change in ownership), focus on key players' patent portfolio.
For each segment: Time evolution of patent publications from US players, Japanese players, European players, etc., main patent assignees, most active IP players, new entrants, current legal status of their patents (pending, granted), technical challenges addressed by IP players, main patent assignees and new entrant by technical challenge, recent patent litigation.
For each country: time evolution of patenting activity, supply chain from a patent perspective, status of players' IP activity, main patent assignees, most active IP players, new entrants, main technical challenges addressed by IP players, IP strategies of players, current legal status of their patents (pending, granted, protected countries, etc.), recent IP collaborations (patent co-filings) and IP transfers (change in ownership), focus on key players' patent portfolio.
For each segment: Time evolution of patent publications from US players, Japanese players, European players, etc., main patent assignees, most active IP players, new entrants, current legal status of their patents (pending, granted), technical challenges addressed by IP players, main patent assignees and new entrant by technical challenge.