In the week of February 15, 2026, Canon received five of the ten highest-rated patents out of all 8,947 reviewed grants. Three of them directly concern nanoimprint lithography (NIL): US12546973, US12547069, and US12547070. Canon's average quality score was 71 — the highest of all companies with more than 50 patents that week.
What Nanoimprint Lithography Is
NIL is an alternative to EUV lithography (Extreme Ultraviolet), currently dominated by ASML. Instead of projecting light through masks, NIL presses a physical template into a resist material on the wafer — similar to a stamp. The result: structures below 5 nm, at significantly lower costs.
The Three Core Patents
- US12546973: Optical system for sub-5 nm resolution — describes the precision optics for aligning imprint templates
- US12547069: Template manufacturing for NIL — process for producing nano stamps with atomic precision
- US12547070: Multi-layer alignment in high-throughput imprint systems — solution for the critical problem of layer alignment in multi-layer chips
Why This Affects ASML
An EUV system from ASML costs over 150 million dollars. Canon's NIL systems are estimated at 40 million dollars — less than one third. For second-tier foundries (not TSMC or Samsung, but GlobalFoundries, UMC, or Chinese manufacturers), this becomes a relevant factor.
Canon's expertise from cameras, medical imaging, and semiconductor equipment translates directly into lithography precision. The patents position Canon as a potential supplier for Intel, TSMC, and Samsung — or as an alternative for anyone who cannot afford or does not want EUV.
Limitations
NIL has known limitations: defect rate from physical contact, throughput in mass production, and template wear. Canon's patents address some of these, but whether the technology can compete with EUV in volume production remains open. For specialized applications (memory chips, sensors, research), it is already commercially viable.
Sources: USPTO US12546973, US12547069, US12547070. ReadyDone Notable Patents Report CW7/2026 (1,972 notable patents out of 8,947 grants). Canon Score: 71 average, highest value of all top companies.