The technology industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by the increasing demand for vibrant and energy-efficient displays, rising adoption of quantum dot-enhanced products in the consumer electronics sector, and advancements in quantum dot manufacturing techniques. This has resulted in the growing importance of technologies such as quantum dot synthesis, encapsulation, quantum dot-enhanced liquid crystal display (LCD) and quantum dot light-emitting diodes (LED). In the last three years alone, there have been over 1.5 million patents filed and granted in the technology industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Quantum computing in technology: quantum dots. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 1.6 million patents to analyze innovation intensity for the technology industry, there are 185+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Quantum dots is a key innovation area in quantum computing
Quantum dots are nanosized semiconductor crystals with unique optical and electronic properties, enabling them to emit or process light. Ranging from 2 to 10 nanometres in diameter and consisting of a few hundred to a few thousand atoms, quantum dots find applications in diverse fields such as displays, lighting, solar cells, lasers, and photodetectors. Their nanoscale size and exceptional characteristics make them highly valuable in these areas of technology.
GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 220+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established technology companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of quantum dots.
Key players in quantum dots – a disruptive innovation in the technology industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of applications identified for each patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of countries each patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to quantum dots
| Company | Total patents (2010 - 2022) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| International Business Machines (IBM) | 457 | Unlock Company Profile |
| D-Wave Quantum | 314 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Northrop Grumman | 301 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Microsoft | 214 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Alphabet | 159 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Intel | 140 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Toshiba | 68 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Honeywell International | 55 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Hewlett Packard Enterprise | 53 | Unlock Company Profile |
| IonQ | 35 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Element Six | 33 | Unlock Company Profile |
| IQM Finland | 26 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Rigetti | 23 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Hitachi | 23 | Unlock Company Profile |
| U.S. Department of Defense | 22 | Unlock Company Profile |
| CEA | 18 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Japan Science and Technology Agency | 18 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Tencent | 17 | Unlock Company Profile |
| NEC | 17 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Global Foundries | 16 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Element Six | 15 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Empire Technologies | 15 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Raytheon Technologies | 14 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Zapata Computing | 13 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Corning | 13 | Unlock Company Profile |
| River Lane Research | 12 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Quantum Motion Technologies | 11 | Unlock Company Profile |
| National Research Council of Canada | 11 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Kyndi | 11 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Parity Quantum Computing | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Q-CTRL | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Quantum eMotion | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| STMicroelectronics | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Boeing | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Samsung Group | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast-Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Quantum Machines | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| PsiQuantum | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Nokia | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Spanish National Research Council | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Teknologian Tutkimuskeskus VTT | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Atom Computing | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Forschungszentrum Julich | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| MITRE | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Terra Quantum | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Administrators of Tulane Educational Fund | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Lockheed Martin | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Huawei Investment & Holding | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
International Business Machines (IBM) is the leading patent filer in the field of quantum dots. One of the company’s patents describes a technique introducing a chip-based structure for a vertical transmon qubit device. The structure consists of two superconducting materials connected to crystalline substrates, and it includes a vertical Josephson junction within the substrate. Additionally, the structure incorporates a transmon qubit that utilizes the vertical Josephson junction and a capacitor positioned between the two superconducting materials.
Other prominent patent filers in the space include Northrop Grumman and Microsoft.
By geographic reach, Cbn Nano Technologies leads the pack, followed by Kyndi and Corning. In terms of application diversity, International Business Machines (IBM) holds the top position, followed by Intel and Northrop Grumman.
Quantum dots are gaining significance across various industries due to their exceptional colour purity, tunability, and high efficiency in applications such as displays, lighting, and solar cells. They are typically encapsulated with a protective coating to enhance their stability, prevent degradation, and improve their optical properties. Accurate characterisation techniques such as spectroscopy, microscopy, and electrical measurements are employed to analyse quantum dot size, emission spectra, quantum yield, and charge carrier dynamics.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the technology industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Quantum Computing.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
