核心技術創新持續性與專利廣度及深度─以半導體產業為例

Abstract

若公司或機構能夠掌握核心的技術，除了可能影響其在產業中的地位；更可能影響其未來發展的前景。從Gilbert P. Hyatt的例子及半導體產業的歷史一再顯示核心技術在此產業中尤其重要；掌握核心技術將可能帶來龐大的獲利。本研究利用半導體產業在USPTO的專利作為廠商技術革新的指標；並透過專利引文網絡作為研究方法，探討半導體產業廠商在不同專利佈局下與其核心技術掌握能力間的關係。本研究的研究結果顯示，在幾個時間區段下半導體產業主要技術軌跡有移轉或變革的可能；且由迴歸分析結果顯示，專利廣度與核心創新者的創新生存能力之間有正向且顯著的關係。本研究認為公司或機構未來發展專利時，若能夠廣泛地在各技術領域下有所琢磨，將增加其掌握核心技術能力的可能性。除了以專利的角度探討半導體技術發展歷史外，本研究為廠商在專利策略上提供一個更明確的佈局方向。並建議未來研究可改善迴歸分析以提升研究結果之強度。此外，亦可建立預測模型，加以探討半導體產業中核心技術變化的可能性。

Histories show that firms or inventors contribute to the mainstream industrial evolution by contributing key technologies as have been proven by many well known patent applications. This dissertation; thus, start by defining the main innovations owned by firms utilizing the patents owned by firms with best centrality in the evolving patenting networks. Utilizing United Stated Patent and Trademark Office dataset this research then shows that firms own the patents with better generality will survive better in the consecutive innovative path. That is to say technologies patented with more supportive background knowledge are easier to find later on applications to be disseminated into more future innovative fruits. This insight could be expected to shed some light for the evaluation of the patent qualities own by firms.