CPC technology class · G21

G21K - Techniques For Handling Particles Or Ionising Radiation

Techniques for handling particles or ionising radiation not otherwise provided for; irradiation devices; gamma ray or x-ray microscopes. 3,019 US utility patents granted 2015–2025, with the leading assignees and year-by-year grant trajectory.

Compiled by PlainPatent · May 15, 2026

3,019
US patents granted: #1/8
in G21: 33.6%
G21 class share: -22%
5-yr velocity

The verdict

According to USPTO PatentsView, Techniques For Handling Particles Or Ionising Radiation ranks #313 of 670 CPC technology areas - 3,019 US patents granted since 2015, with recorded grant volume down 22% over five years.

#313
of 670 CPC technology areas: 3,019
US patents granted, 2015–2025: Carl Zeiss Smt
leading assignee (130): -22%
grant velocity, last 5 yrs

How G21K's grant cadence moved

Between 2020–2024, G21K recorded 1,143 grants versus 1,466 in 2015–2019 (-22% equal-window velocity). Across complete years, output peaked in 2015 at 321 grants and bottomed in 2023 at 188 (+71% peak-over-trough). Lead assignee Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH holds 4.3% of the class ; the top three share 8.7%.

Leaderboard read

G21K concentration, lead at 4.3%

Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH leads this historical grant record at 4.3% of G21K - foreign corporation assignees hold 57% of class grants (862 of 1,515). Figures describe granted US utility patents in this CPC subclass, not current investment or legal strength.

Leader's share: 4.3%
Top three share: 8.7%
Lead over #2: 45

Where G21K sits inside G21

Among 8 subclasses in G21 (Nuclear PHYSICS; Nuclear Engineering), G21K ranks #1 and holds 33.6% of the parent class's 8,981 recorded grants. Sibling chips below are the other subclasses in the same parent class, not the nationwide volume/lead-share peers further down.

G21C 2,434 G21F 1,599 G21D 744 G21G 629 G21B 372 G21H 179 G21J 5

Rising assignees active in G21K

Company-wide grant multiples (2022–2024 vs 2019–2021) among assignees with ≥5 patents in this subclass. Growth is company-wide; class patent counts are subclass-specific.

#1 Quantinuum LLC 24x 0 → 24 company-wide · 8 in G21K
#2 Argospect Technologies Inc. 9.00x 0 → 9 company-wide · 8 in G21K
#3 Quantum Source Labs Ltd. 7.00x 0 → 7 company-wide · 9 in G21K
#4 Neuboron Therapy System Ltd. 6.00x 0 → 6 company-wide · 7 in G21K
#5 Energetiq Technology, Inc. 5.50x 2 → 11 company-wide · 5 in G21K

G21K grants by year, peak 2015 (321)

US utility-patent grants per year in G21K, 2015–2025 - recent five years are down 22% versus 2015–2019.

Carl Zeiss Smt

130
Asml Netherlands B V

85
Xyleco

48
Varian Medical Systems

44
Shanghai United…

42
Gigaphoton

42
Hamamatsu Photonics K…

38
Siemens Healthcare

33
Sigray

28
Nuctech

26
Uchicago Argonne

25
Rapiscan Systems

23

What this shows Carl Zeiss Smt is the most active filer in G21K, holding 130 of the 3,019 patents in this class. Concentration at the top signals how contestable this technology area is for new entrants.

View data table

Top patent holders in CPC subclass G21K
Rank	Company	Patents in G21K
#1	Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH	130
#2	Asml Netherlands B.V.	85
#3	Xyleco, Inc.	48
#4	Varian Medical Systems, Inc.	44
#5	Shanghai United Imaging Healthcare Co., Ltd.	42
#6	Gigaphoton Inc.	42
#7	Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.	38
#8	Siemens Healthcare Limited	33
#9	Sigray, Inc.	28
#10	Nuctech Company Limited	26
#11	Uchicago Argonne, LLC	25
#12	Rapiscan Systems, Inc.	23
#13	Neuboron Medtech Ltd.	23
#14	IonQ, Inc.	22
#15	Light Field Lab, Inc.	20
#16	Rigaku Corporation	18
#17	Accuray Incorporated	18
#18	Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.	17
#19	ColdQuanta, Inc.	17
#20	Hologic, Inc.	14

Footprint here vs. claim strategy

Each dot is a leading G21K assignee, placed by how many patents it holds in this class (horizontal) against its company-wide average claims per patent (vertical) - a read on whether the class is led by broad-but-shallow filers or focused deep-claim players.

Top 14 G21K assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in G21K. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Classes near G21K's 3,019-grant footprint

Nationwide nearest neighbors for G21K (#313 of 670 by volume ; lead share 4.3%) - not the G21 parent-class siblings above.

Nearest by grant volume

A01M 3,032 B62B 3,039 A46B 2,997 B64G 2,994

Nearest by lead-assignee share

B33Y 4.3% B23P 4.3% B05C 4.3% B42D 4.3%

Questions about G21K

Which company holds the most patents in G21K?

Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH leads G21K with 130 patents (4.3% of the subclass). By PatentsView assignee type, foreign corporations account for 57% of class grants.

Which G21K assignees grew fastest recently?

Among assignees with ≥5 grants in G21K, Quantinuum LLC shows the highest company-wide grant multiple (24x: 0 grants in 2019–2021 → 24 in 2022–2024) while holding 8 patents in this subclass. Growth is company-wide, not class-only.

How does G21K compare inside parent class G21?

Inside G21 (Nuclear PHYSICS; Nuclear Engineering), G21K ranks #1 of 8 subclasses by grant volume and holds 33.6% of the parent class total. The largest sibling is G21C (2,434 grants).

What to do with this data

G21K in context - here's where to go next.

Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH leads G21K with 130 grants in this class. See full portfolio
G21K ranks #313 of 670 by grant volume among all tracked CPC technology areas. See the ranking
Inside parent class G21, the largest sibling subclass is G21C with 2,434 grants. Explore G21C

Figures reflect USPTO PatentsView grant data through 2026-05-15; pending applications not yet granted are not counted.

Methodology - G21K figures are USPTO PatentsView granted-utility totals for this subclass (3,019 grants in the tracked window).

Every figure on PlainPatent is rendered directly from USPTO source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on USPTO source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.