Intellectual Property Law

US Patent 7365395 - Dielectric composites including core/shell nanowires

Posted on May 01, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7365395.htmlThis patent from Nanosys teaches the creation of artificial high-k dielectrics formed from nanowire composites. Advantageously by controlling the density and the distribution of the nanowires the dielectric constant of the composite may be tuned to various values depending on the application...

US Patent 7365003 - Low-k dielectric carbon nanotube interconnects formed in diamond interlayer

Posted on April 29, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7365003.htmlThis patent from Intel is directed to fabricating low k dielectric carbon nanotube interconnects for high speed electronics. Claim 1 reads:1. A method of forming a microelectronic structure comprising:depositing a diamond interlayer dielectric (ILD) on an underlying layer;etching a trench opening in the ILD;depositing a liquid crystal host-carbon nanotube solution on the ILD to fill the trench opening; andremoving at least some of the liquid crystal host leaving a carbon nanotube in the trench opening.

US Patent 7364919 - Nanoparticles with carbohydrate ligands

Posted on April 29, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7364919.htmlBiopolymers can be broadly classified into three groups - proteins, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates. While proteins and nucleic acids have been studied extensively, carbohydrates have been less well studied due to their complex construction in cells...

US Patent 7362605 - Nanoelectromechanical memory cell

Posted on April 28, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7362605.htmlNantero and a few other companies have explored using nanostructures in mechanical memory cells. Typically these systems use the nanostructure to operate as a mechanical switch but this patent from Ambient Systems examines using nanomechanical structures such as carbon nanotubes to facilitate charge storage as performed in more conventional electronic memory designs...

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US Patent 7362203 - Multi-tap microelectromechanical inductor

Posted on April 28, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7362203.htmlInductors can be vary useful in communication systems however they can be difficult to produce using microfabrication. This patent from Intel teaches a micromechanical inductor structure have a selective disconnect mechanism that reduces parasitic effects...

US Patent 7361916 - Nanoresonator ion transducer

Posted on April 24, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7361916.htmlThis patent suggests the use of nanostructure arrays to convert ion or electron radiation into electromagnetic energy and includes some broad patent claims covering this concept. Claim 1 reads:1. A coupled nano-resonating structure comprising: a plurality of a nano-resonating substructures constructed and adapted to couple energy from a beam of charged particles into said nano-resonating structure and to transmit the coupled energy outside said nano-resonating structure.

US Patent 7361567 - Nanocrystal nonvolatile memory with graded nitrogen content

Posted on April 24, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7361567.htmlThe use of nanocrystals in some non-volatile memory designs has helped decrease gate leakage. However, electron trapping can be caused due to the nanocrystal layer. This patent from Freescale Semiconductor teaches using a graded nitrogen content to avoid this problem...

US Patent 7361522 - Method of nanowire growth to compensate for lattice mismatch

Posted on April 24, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7361522.htmlThis patent from Intel uses vertical nanowire arrays to deals with the problem of lattice mismatch that occurs when different crystalline materials are deposited on a substrate. Claim 1 reads:1. A method comprising: growing nanowires on a first layer; covering said nanowires with an insulator; planarizing said insulator to form a planarized surface; and resuming the growth of nanowires after planarizing to form a planar second layer over the planarized surface, said first and second layers being lattice-mismatched layers.

US Patent 7361430 - Metal doped CNT/polymer actuator

Posted on April 24, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7361430.htmlThis patent from the U.S. Dept. of Energy teaches a new type of actuator based on carbon nanotubes having potential as artificial muscle used in MEMS and other devices. Claim 1 reads:1. An actuator comprising: at least one electrolyte; at least two electric conducting electrodes separated by said at least one electrolyte; at least one electrode of said electric conducting electrodes providing an electromechanical response upon application of an electronic voltage between said at least two electric conducting electrodes; and at least one electrode of said electric conducting electrodes comprising a carbon nanotube-polymer composite doped with a metal.

US Patent 7361310 - Dip pen nanolithography of nucleic acids

Posted on April 23, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7361310.htmlThis is a fairly fundamental patent to Dr.Chad Mirkin's group based on using dip pen nanolithography to transfer nucleic acids to a substrate. Claim 1 reads:1. A method for generating nanoscale patterns of nucleic acid on a substrate comprising:modifying a scanning probe microscope tip to have a positive charge and form a modified tip;coating the modified tip with an ink composition comprising solvent, nucleic acid and inorganic salt;positioning the modified and coated scanning probe microscopic tip relative to a substrate so that the tip and substrate approach each other at a relative humidity sufficiently high so that nucleic acid is transferred from the tip to the substrate to form a stable nanoscale pattern on the substrate.

US Patent 7361204 - Microparticle to nanoparticle conversion using focused irradiation

Posted on April 23, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7361204.htmlThis patent from the U. of Florida includes some fairly broad claims toward vaporizing microparticles to generate nanoparticles. Claim 1 reads:1. A method of generating nanoparticles from a single microparticle, comprising the steps of:dispensing a target stream of microparticles of material from a source;focusing a light source onto the target stream; heating the target stream with the light source;generating flux-specific bursts of nanoparticles from the heated target stream; andvarying at least one of a size of the microparticle and a repetition rate of the light source to control the flux of nanoparticles generated...

US Patent 7360851 - Feedback adjustment for nanoimprint lithography density control

Posted on April 23, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7360851.htmlNanoimprint lithography is a method of transferring nanoscale patterns onto a variety of substrates. This patent from KLA-Tencor teaches a particular method of nanoimprint lithography based on liquid transfer in which the density of the liquid being transferred is monitored for feedback regulation...

US Patent 7360461 - CNT layer for air transport tubing

Posted on April 23, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7360461.htmlSome air sampling tubes suffer from the problems of absorption or desorption or volatile organic compounds (VOCs) leading to inaccurate senor results. This patent from Aircuity, Inc. teaches using carbon nanotubes to help prevent these problems...

US Patent 7359888 - Nanowire crossbar neural net

Posted on April 21, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7359888.htmlConventionally artificial intelligence is based on software configured for general purpose microprocessors or as application specific integrated circuitry. However, since the underlying materials used for microprocessors and ASICs are based on silicon or other semiconducting crystalline structures there are limits to the flexibility of A...

US Patent 7359694 - CNT RF mixer

Posted on April 21, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7359694.htmlThis patent from Northrop Grumman Corporation teaches forming pn diodes using carbon nanotubes and arranging these nanotube diodes in a quad configuration commonly seen in full wave rectifier circuitry. The benefit of the circuit is taught to be found in high frequency (>terahertz) mixers...

US Patent 7358822 - MEMS oscillator using temperature modulation control

Posted on April 17, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7358822.htmlOne common method to actuate MEMS cantilevers and other structures is to include a thermal heater as part of the MEMS structure and use a bi-layer of material having differing thermal expansion coefficients which causes bending upon heating...

US Patent 7358524 - Electrolyte doping of nanowire junctions

Posted on April 17, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7358524.htmlMost semiconductor devices require doping in order to create diodes, transistors and other active electronic components. Usually such doping includes both n-type doping, which adds material to the semiconductor to create an excess of electrons usable for charge transport, and p-type doping, which adds material to the semiconductor to create a deficit of electrons so that electron "holes" are usable for charge transport...

US Patent 7357906 - Single walled CNT separation

Posted on April 16, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7357906.htmlThis patent originating from research by Richard Smalley's group at Rice University has priority going back to Aug. 8, 1996 and seems fairly basic to single walled carbon nanotube separation by type. Claim 1 reads:1...

US Patent 7357691 - Flat CNT field emission array

Posted on April 16, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7357691.htmlThis patent discloses an interesting method for making carbon nanotube vertical array field emitters. Usually the nanotubes are grown from a cathode electrode but in this method the cathode electrode is formed on top of the nanotubes after growth and the supporting substrate from which the nanotubes are grown is removed...

US Patent 7357690 - Alignment of CNTs using grooves

Posted on April 15, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7357690.htmlThis patent from Canon (priority Nov. 19, 2003) teaches an alignment method of carbon nanotubes or other high aspect ratio structures using a grooved substrate. Claim 1 reads:1. A method for aligning needle-like structures, comprising: a providing step of providing a substrate having a surface and at least one groove defined therein; and an alignment step of placing the needle-like structures dispersed in a disperse medium in the groove so that the needle-like structures align along a length of the groove in parallel with the surface of the substrate...

US Patent 7357018 - Nanowire FET probe

Posted on April 15, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7357018.htmlIn recent years atomic force microscopes have begun using carbon nanotubes as tips in order to achieve inspection of trench structures using the high aspect ratio of CNTs. This patent from Agilent teaches a similar modification of AFM tips which uses a nanowire as the tip and functionalizing the nanowire so that it acts as a gate of a chem-FET...

US Patent 7355704 - SERS using nanoparticles in ultrathin polymer layer

Posted on April 14, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/US7355704.htmlSurface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) is a technique using laser reflection from rough metal surfaces to detect and analyze individual molecules. Metallic nanoparticles are often used to achieve the rough surface and this patent from Solaris Nanosciences teaches the inclusion of an ultrathin (0...

US Patent 7355334 - Crosslinked CNT electron emitter

Posted on April 14, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/US7355334.htmlThis patent from Fuji Xerox claims crosslinking of carbon nanotubes in forming an electron emitter to increase mechanical and electrical stability. Claim 1 reads:1. An electron beam generator device comprising: a base body having a conductive surface; and an electron-emission electrode having a carbon nanotube structure on the conductive surface of the base body, wherein the carbon nanotube structure constitutes a network structure which has plural carbon nanotubes and a crosslinked part including a chemical bond of plural functional groups, the chemical bond at least connecting one end of one of the carbon nanotubes to another one of the carbon nanotubes...

US Patent 7355329 - CNT field emission lamp bulb

Posted on April 10, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7355329.htmlThis patent teaches a light bulb based on field emission from carbon nanotubes formed on the outer surface of a base of the lamp head. Claim 1 reads:1. A field emission lamp comprising:a bulb being vacuum sealed and having an inner surface;a lamp head mated with the bulb; an electron emitting cathode positioned in the bulb, wherein the electron emitting cathode comprises a plurality of electron emitters, and a base body having an outer surface, the base body is comprised of metallic material, and the electron emitters are carbon nanotubes and are formed on the outer surface of the base body;an anode layer formed on the inner surface of the bulb; a fluorescence layer formed on the anode layer; an anode electrode located at the lamp head and electrically connected with the anode layer; anda cathode electrode located at the lamp head and electrically connected with the electron emitting cathode.

US Patent 7355182 - Multispectral camera using CNT detector for mid-infrared

Posted on April 10, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7355182.htmlInfrared cameras are used for night vision and medical diagnostics applications but can suffer from thermal noise which requires cryogenic cooling. This patent teaches a multi-spectral camera that avoids the need for such cooling and which uses carbon nanotubes as a detection element of mid-infrared frequencies...

US Patent 7355216 - Nanofluidics using non-carbon nanotube

Posted on April 09, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7355216.htmlNanofluidics uses structures of nanometer dimensions to analyze fluids on a molecular level. One of the key elements for nanofluidic devices is a fluid transport structure with a diameter on the scale of nanometers...

US Patent 7354877 - Superconducting CNT Faraday Cage

Posted on April 09, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7354877.htmlA Faraday cage is a conductive enclosure which protects electronics from external electromagnetic interference. This patent from Lockheed Martin teaches a Faraday Cage garment formed of superconducting carbon nanotubes...

US Patent 7354871 - Nanodot formed in nanowire

Posted on April 08, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7354871.htmlThis patent from Samsung teaches a solid-liquid-solid (SLS) fabrication method for growing silicon nanowires diffused from a substrate and coupled to gold nanoparticles. Claim 1 reads:1. A nanowire, comprising: a plurality of metal nanodots uniformly disposed therein; and a core portion, wherein each of the plurality of metal nanodots is coupled to the core portion.

US Patent 7354788 - Scanning probe memory formed by duel wafer manufacture

Posted on April 08, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7354788.htmlScanning probe microscopy techniques have allowed for nanoscale inspection and characterization in the past decades and have gradually been applied to spin-off applications in nano-lithography and high density memory such as IBM's use of 1,024 probe tips for a high density memory...

US Patent 7352608 - Vibrational nanomechanical memory

Posted on April 03, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7352608.htmlThere is a growing interest in mechanical memory and computing devices as discussed in theis Computerworld article. This patent from Boston University teaches one variation of nanomechanical memory using vibration states stored in a nanoscale bridge...

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