Introduction:
The concept of photonic crystals originates from the intersection of wave optics and solid-state physics. Photonic Crystals (also known as photonic band-gap materials) are periodic dielectric structures that have a band gap that forbids propagation of a certain frequency range of light. This property enables one to control light with amazing facilities and produces effects that are impossible with conventional optics.
The 1930s and 1940s have been termed as “the golden age” of wave mechanics. However, it took five decades for the band concepts to be extensively applied to periodic structures in electromagnetism – a domain now identified by the words “photonic crystal”.
The technologies of photonics are merged with optics and electronics, wherein photonic crystals are used in the information & telecommunication industry, healthcare, optics manufacturing, education & research, optical sensing energy and energy & displays.
The photonic crystals are actually nano-structures having an arrangement of dielectric materials that have different refractive indices and it is mostly used in novel applications such as optics, optoelectronics, quantum engineering, bio-photonics etc.
The photonic crystal market is segmented as per the application areas, such as Optical Fibers, LEDs, Image Sensors, Solar and PV Cells, LASERs and Optical Components. Further, ‘Solar & PV Cells’ is the most lucrative application segment in the market; ‘Image Sensors’, ‘Optical Fibers’ are the next most promising application segments in the market. The photonic crystals are utilized to stimulate enhanced light trapping to make efficient use of solar energy in the case of ‘Solar & PV Cells’. Solar energy is the next big thing that can replace fossil fuel to decrease the exceeding demand for steady power supply, thereby, the industry players in the domain of photonic crystals would have a crucial role to play in the near future.
Notable Assignees/Companies/Players
As per our market analysis, we have found that the key players in the field of Photonic Crystal research are; Canon, Massachusetts Inst. Technology, Univ, Samsung Electronics Co LTD, Corning INC, LG Innotek Co LTD, IMRA America INC, Epson Corp., Fujitsu LTD, AT & T, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Nippon Telegraph & Telephone, Snaptrack INC and Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP.
Canon has around 500+ active patents in this field and it is visible that Canon has several patents on photonic crystal for the improvement of medical imaging. Also, researchers from China Institute of Metrology, President and Fellows of Harvard College, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Medlumics S.L, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harbin Engineering University etc. are working on the same concept i.e., Photonic Crystal used in medical imaging. It is notable that most of the patents related to photonic crystals have been filed during the period 2015-2020. This indicates that most of the research work related to photonic crystals has taken place recently in the last few years.
Notable Inventors
The important inventors who have been working in the domain of Photonic Crystals are – Noda Susumu, Hyda Roderick, Wood Jr. Lowell L, Joannopoulos John D, Tegreene Clarence T, Soljacic Marin, Myhrvold Nathan P, Kare Jordin T, Ouyang Zhengbiao, Ishikawa Muriel Y.
Notable Law Firms
The prominent law firms who are filing/prosecuting patents related to Photonic Crystals are – Knobbe Martens Olson &Bear LLP, Fish & Richardson PC, Sughrue Mion PLLC, Hoffmann Eitle, Mcdermott Will & Emery LLP and Foley & Lardner LLP.
Market Analysis
The Photonic Crystals Market size was valued at $34,199 million globally in the year of 2015, and it was expected that the valuation would reach $60,230 million by 2022, supported by a CAGR of 8.0% during the forecast period 2014 – 2022. In addition, it has been forecasted that the Photonic Crystals Market size will reach $70.2 billion by 2026 after growing at a CAGR of 11.1% during 2021-2026.
Moreover, we have tracked that researchers from China, USA, Korea, Europe and India are constantly working on a dimension to increase the usability of photonic crystals in case of optical communication. In the case of the Asia-Pacific Photonic Crystal Market, the demand for photonic crystals is very high due to the factors such as growth in a number of research groups and substantial government aid. As per the 2015 market analysis, Japan dominated the market with the highest share.
Where does India stand?
According to a report from the Indian Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) in 2020, the production of electronics hardware has increased from Rs. 1.90 trillion ($ 31.13 billion) in 2014 to Rs 4.58 trillion ($ 65.53 billion) in 2019. Further, the Indian Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology has passed the National Policy on Electronics (NPE) to boost the manufacturing of electronic equipment in February 2019. Therefore, we may witness significant growth in the photonic crystal market in India to keep up with the growing demand in the electronics sector.
According to revenue data corresponding to the last five years (i.e., 2018-2022), it can be observed that the revenue curve is in an upward direction with an average growth rate of 8%.
Acquisitions/Technology Launches
- December 2020- Luna Innovations Inc. acquired OptaSense Holdings Ltd., an industry that provides solutions of fiber optic for pipelines, security, highways, oilfield services, railways, and power & utilities monitoring systems. Luna Innovations will expand its product procurement with this acquisition and increase its footprint in the oil & gas and power industry. Further, this acquisition helps Luna Innovation to create the world’s largest fiber optic sensing company.
- January 2019- IPG Photonics Corp., owned the submarine networks division (SND) of Padtec SA, a company that provides communications equipment based in Brazil. The acquisition enabled the IPG to enhance the core pump laser and fiber amplifier technology to advance the market for submarine networking systems.
Patent Activities
We have tracked the patent activities in the domain for correlating the impact of the growing market of photonic crystals. We have observed that there are almost 20000+ active patents in the domain. According to the analysis, it can be clearly understood that most of the patents have been published in China (32.34%), USA (16.69%) and Japan (12.75%). Hence it is evident that China, USA and Japan have a huge market potential for photonic crystals and its applications.
Historical Analysis of Patent Trends
A twelve-year (2010-2022) analysis of patent filing trends gives us an overview of the market and innovation trajectory in the domain that can be compared with the intensity for the demand of photonic crystals in various jurisdictions.
- For 2010-2015: During the first five years (2010-2015), we observed that Samsung and Cannon played a major role, and most of the patents were published in China (22%).
- For 2015-2020: During the next five years (2015-2020), we witnessed that China Jiliang University and Epson were the leading players, and most of the patents were published in China (31%).
- For 2020-2022: During the last two years (2020-2022), we observed that Hubei University of Science & Technology and Huazhong University of Science & Technology were the top patent filers, and most of the patents were published in China (44%).
Technology Projection
In order to understand the intricacies of the technologies that define photonic crystals, we conducted an analysis of the most frequent patent classification categories (CPC patent classes) that are being cited by patents related to the domain. As per our analysis, we have identified some important CPC classifications used frequently for most of the inventions. Some of the classifications are:
- B82Y20/00 (Nanooptics, e.g., quantum optics or photonic crystals),
- G02B6/1225 (comprising photonic band-gap structures or photonic lattices),
- G02F2202/32 (Photonic crystals),
- G02B1/005 (made of photonic crystals or photonic band gap materials) and
- H01S5/11 (Comprising a photonic bandgap structure).
We have noticed that almost 5000+ patents have been filed with the classification B82Y20/00 and around 4000+ patents have been filed with the classification G02B6/1225.
Focused Application Areas
As per our market analysis, we have seen that ‘Solar & PV Cells’ and ‘Optical Fibers’ are the most trending application segments for photonic crystals. We have identified that the CPC classification B82Y20/00 (nano optics or quantum optics for photonic crystals) is associated with almost 300+ patents related to the application of photonic crystals for ‘Solar & PV Cells’. Similarly, in the application of photonic crystals in optical fiber, the CPC classification B82Y20/00 is associated with around 800+ patents.
In the case of inventions related to the application of photonic crystals in ‘Solar & PV Cells’, we have noticed that most of the patents have been filed during 2010 – 2015; and the key players who are working on this aspect are – Sharp, MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Kyoto University, etc.
In the case of inventions related to the application of photonic crystals in ‘Optical Fibers’, we have noticed that most of the patents have been filed from 2011 onwards, and the key players who are working on this aspect are Nippon, Beijing University of Technology, Mitsubishi, etc.
Conclusion
We can conclude that the Asia-Pacific is a potential market for photonic crystals. A constant uptick in the research & development activities in China, Japan, Australia and Korea has augmented the scope of using photonic crystals in different application areas in the region. Also, it is noticeable that the global photonic crystals market is highly fragmented and competitive in nature. Therefore, if we analyze each jurisdiction separately with a view to identifying key players, growth drivers, market factors, etc., we can understand the demands, requirements, and future scope for that market. At Expertlancing, we can conduct detailed market and technology assessments through our strategic research services. We will be able to dig out useful insights and recommendations that can assist in strategic decision-making related to the domain of ‘Photonic Crystals’.
Reference Source:
- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/press-release/photonic-crystals-market.html
- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/photonic-crystals-market
- https://www.marketintellica.com/report/MI56135-global-photonic-crystal-market-report-2019
- https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/photonic-crystals-market
- https://www.emergenresearch.com/industry-report/photonic-crystals-market
- https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/product/photonic-crystal-fiber-market
- https://www.industryarc.com/Research/Photonic-Crystals-Market-Research-501483
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