臺灣IC產業專利發明人的合作網絡機制

Abstract

IC(積體電路)產業是台灣過去三十多年來發展最完整、且在世界上最具有競爭力的\r\n創新型產業。研發與技術專利成長快速，也代表這個產業的技術創新成果。台灣IC 產\r\n業技術創新和專利的研究累積了一些成果，但較缺乏使用研發創新發明人網絡所做的分\r\n析。本研究使用IC 產業專利發明人網絡資料，從結構洞(structural holes)和地位訊號\r\n(status signal)這兩個過去西方半導體和生物科技等創新產業研究中，最能解釋創新行動\r\n者與網絡系統和創新表現理論機制的學術研究累積成果出發，並反省台灣特有IC 產業\r\n分工技術利基位置、流動型勞力市場，發展出專利發明人網絡對專利發明成果影響機制\r\n之模型。研究發現，分析結果支持發明人地位訊號、結構洞網絡理論機制有助於專利創\r\n新發明的假設。而比較特殊的例外是，上游的專利發明網絡，結構洞低的類型反而有比\r\n較好的專利創新。這是由於上游的IC 設計產業技術特性，需仰賴同一團隊的人重複合\r\n作方能完成設計，所以大多與重疊的人合作，結構限制較高，因此呈現與結構洞理論不\r\n同的情況。此外，研究發現，流動並不一定帶來較佳的技術創新，台灣IC 產業專利人\r\n才流動對於技術發展與創新的正面影響，較多是在上游的IC 設計產業。 因此創新發明\r\n鑲嵌在台灣特有半導體的不同技術利基環境中，還必須考慮到不同產業位置的技術特\r\n性，與產業技術發展所在的階段，才能正確解釋台灣IC 產業的創新發明機制。

The IC (integrated circuit) industry has been the most complete, competitive and\r\ninnovative industry in Taiwan over the past three decades. The rapid growth of patents in this\r\nfield demonstrates the marvelous outcomes of technological innovations. A huge amount of\r\npatent-based research has been accumulated in this industry, but only a little is related to the\r\ninventor network. Structural holes and status signal are two competing perspectives in\r\nexplaining the dynamic mechanisms between innovative actors and network systems of the\r\nmost innovative industries, semiconductor and biotechnology, in advanced countries. We use\r\nthese two theories and network data of patent-based inventors to discuss the specific niche of\r\nvertical disintegration and fluid labor market in Taiwan IC industry, and develop models on\r\nmechanisms of how inventors’ networks affect the outcome of inventors’ patents. The\r\nfindings reveal that the hypothesis on the effects of status signals and structural holes in\r\ninventors’ collaboration networks on the citations of inventors’ patents was supported.\r\nHowever, the patent inventions of the upstream IC design firms, the collaborative invention\r\nteams seem to be small or high structural constraints. Most of the patents of these newly\r\ngrowing firms in IC design industry are specialized in consumption products. The structural\r\nconstraints are high, but the impact of is large. Besides, inventors’ fluidity would not\r\nnecessarily create more influential patents. The fluidity of patent-based inventors was\r\npositive impact to the patent inventions, more was found in the IC designs company. The IC\r\nindustry has been vertically differentiated into three sectors: the IC designs, the IC foundry,\r\nthe package and test. In principle, these three sectors demand different levels of technology.\r\nThe maturity of technological niches will affect the impacts of the patents.