Patent Leaderboard
USPTO Patent Rankings Data through Dec 31, 2025
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Optics and photonics Patent Leaders in 2021 2021

Primary CPC class G02 · Section G

Rankings count each patent once by its primary Cooperative Patent Classification. All-time pages aggregate the full database; year pages use patent grant year.

Recent years: 2016201720182019202020212022202320242025

Patents per Year

Patents granted per year, 1996 to 2025Bar chart with a peak of 8,985 patents in 2019.peak 8,9851996: 2,278 patents19961997: 2,459 patents1998: 3,436 patents1999: 3,249 patents19992000: 3,507 patents2001: 3,890 patents2002: 4,204 patents20022003: 4,794 patents2004: 5,388 patents2005: 5,063 patents20052006: 5,602 patents2007: 5,161 patents2008: 5,164 patents20082009: 5,377 patents2010: 6,114 patents2011: 5,831 patents20112012: 5,827 patents2013: 6,265 patents2014: 6,659 patents20142015: 6,748 patents2016: 7,235 patents2017: 7,938 patents20172018: 7,427 patents2019: 8,985 patents2020: 8,699 patents20202021: 7,734 patents2022: 7,685 patents2023: 7,238 patents20232024: 7,518 patents2025: 7,097 patents2025

Top Inventors

Rank ↑ Inventor ↕ Patents ↕ Primary Company ↕
1 Lei Zhang 58 Aac Optics Solutions Pte.
2 Xiaochuan Chen 41 BOE
3 Andrew John Ouderkirk 37 Meta
#4 Kazuyoshi Takano 36 Senko Advanced Components
#5 Yanmei Wang 33 Aac Technologies Pte.
#6 Jifeng Tan 32 BOE
#7 Yusheng Bian 29 Globalfoundries U.S.
#8 Graham J. Woodgate 28 Reald Spark
#9 Hsin-Hsuan Huang 28 Largan Precision Co.
#10 Wei Wang 27 BOE
#11 Ajey Poovannummoottil Jacob 25 Globalfoundries
#12 David A. Fattal 23 Leia
#13 Michael G. Robinson 23 Reald Spark
#14 Brian Wheelwright 22 Meta
#15 Chao-Chang Hu 22 Tdk Taiwan
#16 Jonathan Harrold 22 Reald Spark
#17 Wenqing Zhao 22 BOE
#18 Xianqin Meng 22 BOE
#19 Xiandong Meng 22 BOE
#20 Yong Joo JO 22 Samsung
#21 Kiyoshi Minoura 21 Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
#22 Ying Geng 21 Meta
#23 Brian T. Schowengerdt 20 Magic Leap
#24 Jianke Wenren 20 Zhejiang Sunny Optical Co.
#25 Lu Lu 20 Meta
#26 Yusufu Njoni Bamaxam Sulai 20 Meta
#27 Lin Huang 19 Zhejiang Sunny Optical Co.
#28 Stephen Clark Brown 19 View
#29 Wei-Yu Chen 19 Largan Precision Co.
#30 Xue Dong 19 BOE
#31 Babak Amirsolaimani 18 Meta
#32 Ming-Ta Chou 18 Largan Precision Co.
#33 Tzu-Chieh KUO 18 Largan Precision Co.
#34 Dhairya Shrivastava 17 View
#35 Jacques Gollier 17 Meta
#36 Jimmy Jun-Fu Chang 17 Senko Advanced Components
#37 Jian Gao 17 Beijing Boe Optoelectronics Technology Co.
#38 Kaiyuan Zhang 17 Zhejiang Sunny Optical Co.
#39 Satoshi Ito 17 Seiko Epson
#40 Wanli Chi 17 Meta
#41 Douglas Robert Lanman 16 Meta
#42 Pasi Saarikko 16 Meta
#43 Pushkar Tandon 16 Corning Incorporated
#44 Zhongxiao Li 16 BOE
#45 Chih-Wei Weng 15 Tdk Taiwan
#46 Hajime Kimura 15 Semiconductor Energy Laboratory
#47 Michael Anthony Klug 15 Magic Leap
#48 Scott Charles McEldowney 15 Meta
#49 Shunpei Yamazaki 15 Semiconductor Energy Laboratory
#50 Akira Sakai 14 Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
#51 Anshu A. Pradhan 14 View
#52 Kenji Oinuma 14 Aac Technologies Pte.
#53 Masahiro Yoshida 14 Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
#54 Ming-Jun Li 14 Corning Incorporated
#55 Aaron John Zilkie 13 Rockley Photonics Limited
#56 Chulwoo Oh 13 Magic Leap
#57 Katherine Marie Smyth 13 Meta
#58 Kentaro Okuyama 13 Japan Display
#59 Kishore Sahoo 13 Sterlite Technologies Limited
#60 Nicholas Daniel Trail 13 Meta
#61 Robert A. Ramsey 13 Reald Spark
#62 Tsung-Han Tsai 13 Largan Precision Co.
#63 Chien-Hsun Lai 12 Ability Opto-Electronics Technology Co.
#64 Ephraim Goldenberg 12 Corephotonics
#65 Giuseppe Calafiore 12 Meta
#66 Jeffrey Gniadek 12 Senko Advanced Components
#67 Jia-Sin Jhang 12 Genius Electronic Optical (Xiamen) Co.
#68 Junichi Morinaga 12 Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
#69 Kevin B. Leigh 12 Hewlett Packard Enterprise
#70 Ming Ma 12 Leia
#71 Michael James Ott 12 Commscope Technologies
#72 Robert T. Rozbicki 12 View
#73 Terry L. Smith 12 3M
#74 Wai Sze Tiffany Lam 12 Meta
#75 Yao-Wei Liu 12 Ability Opto-Electronics Technology Co.
#76 Yeong-Ming Chang 12 Ability Opto-Electronics Technology Co.
#77 Chunhuan Fang 11 Aac Optics Solutions Pte.
#78 Chun-Che Hsueh 11 Largan Precision Co.
#79 Dana Craig Bookbinder 11 Corning Incorporated
#80 Darrell R. Childers 11 Us Conec
#81 Guomin Yu 11 Rockley Photonics Limited
#82 Hisao Fukaya 11 Kantatsu Co.
#83 Hitoshi Hirano 11 Kantatsu Co.
#84 Jonathan David Waldern 11 Digilens
#85 Kim Man Wong 11 Senko Advanced Components
#86 Koji Murata 11 Kyocera Document Solutions
#87 Matthew E. Colburn 11 IBM
#88 Milan Momcilo Popovich 11 Digilens
#89 Sin-Jhong SONG 11 Tdk Taiwan
#90 Vipulkumar Patel 11 Sioptical
#91 Vikramjit Singh 11 Magic Leap
#92 Alastair John Grant 10 Digilens
#93 Evan M. Richards 10 Meta
#94 Fenglin Peng 10 Meta
#95 Fujian Dai 10 Zhejiang Sunny Optics Co.
#96 Gal Shabtay 10 Corephotonics
#97 Gen Koide 10 Japan Display
#98 Hee Yoon Lee 10 Meta
#99 Hiroshi Tsuchiya 10 Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
#100 Hongseok Lee 10 Samsung

Top Companies

Rank ↑ Company ↕ Patents ↕
1 Samsung 461
2 BOE 392
3 Meta 213
#4 LG 176
#5 Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha 161
#6 Canon 149
#7 Japan Display 145
#8 Fujifilm 113
#9 Panasonic 101
#10 Seiko Epson 100
#11 Largan Precision Co. 93
#12 Aac Optics Solutions Pte. 90
#13 Sony 88
#14 Apple 84
#15 Magic Leap 81
#16 Commscope Technologies 76
#17 Chongqing Boe Optoelectronics Technology Co. 75
#18 Hkc Corporation Limited 70
#19 Wuhan China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co. 67
#20 Olympus 66
#21 Zhejiang Sunny Optical Co. 60
#22 3M 58
#23 Lg Innotek Co. 54
#24 Corning Incorporated 53
#25 Au Optronics 51
#26 Microsoft 49
#27 Nikon 46
#28 Senko Advanced Components 46
#29 Beijing Boe Optoelectronics Technology Co. 43
#30 Commscope Connectivity Belgium Bvba 43
#31 Sumitomo Electric Industries 43
#32 Google 43
#33 Danaher 42
#34 Innolux 41
#35 Semiconductor Energy Laboratory 41
#36 IBM 41
#37 Ricoh Company 39
#38 Mitsubishi Electric 37
#39 Beijing Boe Display Technology Co. 35
#40 View 35
#41 Essilor International 33
#42 Hefei Xinsheng Optoelectronics Technology Co. 33
#43 Nitto Denko 33
#44 Globalfoundries U.S. 32
#45 Intel 32
#46 Coretronic 30
#47 Nichia 30
#48 Tdk Taiwan 30
#49 Reald Spark 28
#50 E Ink Holdings 27
#51 Kantatsu Co. 27
#52 Cisco 27
#53 Corning Research & Development 26
#54 Genius Electronic Optical (Xiamen) Co. 26
#55 Huawei 26
#56 Carl Zeiss Microscopy Gmbh 25
#57 Hefei Boe Optoelectronics Technology Co. 25
#58 Fujikura 24
#59 Snap 24
#60 Hewlett Packard Enterprise 23
#61 Rockley Photonics Limited 23
#62 Sakai Display Products 23
#63 Leia 22
#64 Lumileds 22
#65 Ordos Yuansheng Optoelectronics Co. 22
#66 Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Semiconductor Display Technology Co. 22
#67 Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. 21
#68 TSMC 21
#69 Tcl China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co. 21
#70 Chengdu Boe Optoelectronics Technology Co. 20
#71 Mitsumi Electric Co. 20
#72 Unknown 20
#73 Disney 20
#74 Johnson & Johnson 20
#75 Denso 19
#76 Viavi Solutions 19
#77 Dai Nippon Printing Co. 18
#78 Gentex 18
#79 KAIST 18
#80 Toppan Printing Co. 18
#81 Carl Zeiss Smt Gmbh 17
#82 Dexerials 17
#83 Foxconn 17
#84 MIT 17
#85 Prysmian S.P.A. 17
#86 Xiaomi 16
#87 CEA 16
#88 Funai Electric Co. 16
#89 Htc 16
#90 Kyocera 16
#91 Lumentum Operations 16
#92 NTT 16
#93 Verily Life Sciences 16
#94 RTX (Raytheon) 16
#95 Corning Optical Communications 15
#96 Maxell 15
#97 Sterlite Technologies Limited 15
#98 Tencent 15
#99 University of California 15
#100 Agc 14