A survey found that Korea is leading technology in the ferroelectric field, a next-generation device called a "game changer" in the artificial intelligence (AI) memory industry.
The Ministry of Intellectual Property on Jan. 18 announced the results of an analysis of ferroelectric device patents filed over 12 years from 2012 to 2023 in Korea, the United States, China, the European Union (EU) and Japan. During this period, Korea filed 395 patents, accounting for the highest share (43.1%). The average annual growth rate was also No. 1 at 18.7%.
Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are actively working to secure technology in this field. Samsung Electronics filed 255 patents during this period, ranking first (27.8%). Intel (United States, 193 cases, 21.0%), SK hynix (Korea, 123 cases, 13.4%), TSMC (Taiwan, 93 cases, 10.1%) and Nanya (Taiwan, 49 cases, 5.3%) followed with high numbers of patent applications. Looking at the most recent three years (2021–2023), Samsung Electronics (139 cases) and SK hynix (86 cases) ranked first and second, respectively.
Ferroelectrics can be used in memory semiconductors because they maintain electric polarization without an applied electric field, providing nonvolatility. As a dielectric material that achieves fast charge response speed through polarization switching, it is drawing attention in the AI era, which requires rapid processing of large amounts of data. Hafnia (HfO₂), one of the ferroelectric materials, is a representative example. Because existing semiconductor equipment can be used as is, it can be applied to production processes without new facility investments. Compared with other next-generation technologies that require process changes, it is advantageous for application in actual industrial settings.
Ferroelectrics also maintain ferroelectric properties even at thin thicknesses on the nanometer (nm; 1 nm = one-billionth of a meter) scale. As a device that offers miniaturization performance that overcomes the physical limits of existing materials, it is considered suitable for manufacturing high-density AI chips and is drawing industry attention.
The memory market related to ferroelectrics is also growing rapidly. According to market research firm Global Market Insights, the global 3-dimensional (D) NAND flash memory market is expected to grow from $21.8 billion (about 32.166 trillion won) in 2024 to $149.4 billion (about 220.44 trillion won) in 2034. The compound annual growth rate is forecast to be around 21.8%. The ferroelectric memory (FeRAM) market is also expected to grow at an average annual rate of 3.8% from 2021 to form a market of $380 million (about 560.7 billion won) in 2028.
By applicant nationality, following Korea were the United States with 28.4% (260 cases), Japan with 18.5% (170 cases), China with 4.6% (42 cases) and the European Union with 4.1% (38 cases), indicating active technology development. The patent filing growth rate was tallied in the following order after Korea: China (14.7%), the United States (12.5%), the European Union (5.8%), and Japan (down 19.8%).
Kim Hee-tae, head of the Semiconductor Examination Promotion Team at the Ministry of Intellectual Property, said, "As the technology maturity of ferroelectric devices increases, competition to secure patent rights for an edge in commercialization technologies is intensifying," and added, "We will build a cooperation system with related agencies such as the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, and actively support by sharing the patent analysis results with industry so that our corporations can lead the next-generation AI memory technology field."