US Patent 7371696 - Vertically aligning CNTs using self-assembled monolayer

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7371696.html

A variety of methods exist for aligning carbon nanotubes for device applications but many rely on either CVD, which requires high temperatures, or electrostatic alignment, which can produce less than satisfactory results. This method from Samsung teaches an alternative based on the use of a self assembled monolayer to facilitate the alignment. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of vertically aligning Carbon NanoTubes (CNTs), the method comprising:

forming a first conductive substrate;

stacking a CNT support layer having a plurality of pores on the first conductive substrate;

attaching one end of the each of the CNTs to portions of the first conductive substrate exposed through plurality of pores; and

forming a Self-Assembled Monolayer (SAM) including a functional group having a chemical affinity for the plurality of CNTs on the surface of the first conductive substrate after its formation.

US Patent 7371674 - Nanowire template interconnect

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7371674.html

In order to grow parallel arrays of vertical nanowires or nanotubes from a substrate one popular method is the use of nanoporous alumina templates. This technique has been applied to form well-ordered dense arrays of carbon nanotube field emitters for displays as will as a variety of sensor structures. This patent from Intel teaches using such templates to form interconnect wiring for IC packaging. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method comprising:

forming a nanostructure bump on a die, the nanostructure bump having a template defining nano-sized openings and metallic nano-wires grown from the nano-sized openings; and

attaching the die to a substrate via the nanostructure bump.

US Patent 7371666 - Fabrication of photoluminescent silicon nanoparticles

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Photoluminescence is a common phenomena in quantum dots made from a variety of semiconductor materials useful for biotags and electro-optic devices such as sensors and lasers. This patent from the State University of New York teaches a manufacturing process for photoluminescent silicon nanoparticles capable of greater volume of production than prior processes. Claim 1 reads:

1. A process for producing photoluminescent silicon nanoparticles comprising:

reacting a silicon precursor in the presence of a sheath gas with heat from a radiation beam under conditions effective to produce silicon nanoparticles and

acid etching the silicon nanoparticles under conditions effective to produce photoluminescent silicon nanoparticles.

US Patent 7371457 - Core/shell optical nanoparticles

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7371457.html

This patent from Rice University has fairly early priority (3/12/1997) and is basic to core/shell optical nanoparticles. Although not the first to teach such particles (see U.S. 5,023,139) the nanoparticles of the prior art are noted as not taking into account surface scattering and to have broader spectra whereas the claimed nanoparticles have a thin metallic shell layer providing a smaller electron mean free path for applications such as Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy. Claim 1 reads:

1. A nanoparticle comprising:

at least one non-conducting inner layer;

at least one conducting shell layer surrounding the inner layer, the thickness of said shell layer being independent of the radius of said inner layer and less than the bulk electron mean free path of the material comprising the shell layer.

US Patent 7371456 - Nanoparticle ink with charged particle protective layer

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7371456.html

This patent from Kimberly-Clark Worldwide teaches an improved textile ink more resistant to fading and bleeding than prior inks and based on nanoparticulate materials. Claim 1 reads:

1. An ink composition for a printing process comprising:

a nanoparticle having a size less than about 1,000 nanometers comprising a particle template having more than one colorant layer disposed upon the particle template;

a liquid vehicle; and

a protective layer disposed upon the colorant layer; wherein the protective layer is a charged polymer.

US Patent 7370530 - 3-axis MEMS package

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7370530.html

One of the most active applications of MEMS devices is in the area of inertial sensors such as gyroscopes and accelerometers. In some application more than one axis of motion needs to be monitored in which case multiple MEMS sensors may be required. This patent from Honeywell teaches a housing structure designed to minimize the size of such multi-dimensional inertial sensors. Claim 1 reads:

1. A package, comprising:

a packaging structure having a first sidewall, a second sidewall, and a third sidewall, joined to define an interior cavity, the packaging structure further having a planar top member coupled to a first end portion of the respective sidewalls and a bottom lid coupled to an opposite end portion of the respective sidewalls, the planar top member distally located from the bottom lid, the respective sidewalls, top member, and bottom lid cooperating to enclose the interior cavity;

a first MEMs device mounted within the interior cavity and on an inner wall surface on the first sidewall;

a second MEMs device mounted within the interior cavity and on an inner wall surface of the second sidewall; and

a third MEMs device mounted within the interior cavity and on an inner wall surface of the third sidewall.

US Patent 7368712 - Functionalized Y-junction carbon nanotube AFM tip

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Due to their high-aspect ratio carbon nanotube have been grown on the tips of atomic resolution probes to inspect trench structures more easily. This patent from IBM teaches using a functionalized Y-shaped carbon nanotube as the tip offering additional benefits for chemical detection on the molecular scale. Claim 1 reads:

1. A Y-shaped carbon nanotube atomic force microscope probe tip comprising: a shaft portion; a pair of angled arms extending from a same end of said shaft portion, wherein said shaft portion and said pair of angled arms comprise a chemically modified carbon nanotube, and wherein said chemically modified carbon nanotube is modified with any of an amine, carboxyl, fluorine, and metallic component.

US Patent 7368263 - Nucleic acid circuit element with conductive coatings

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7368263.html

The use of nucleic acids for constructing circuit elements is of interest since it allows for self-assembly of the components and provides the possibility of 3D circuit architectures. This patent with fairly old priority (May 1998) seems fairly fundamental to a nucleic acid circuit element.

1. A circuit comprising:

at least one circuit element, the circuit element comprising at least one of a resistor, a diode, a capacitor, a transistor, and an inductor; wherein the at least one circuit element comprises a nucleic acid template with two or more sequential regions which are coated with different materials that are at least partially conductive.

US Patent 7367999 - Method of producing nanoparticle film using sputtering

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7367999.html

This patent from Fujifilm teaches a method of producing nanoparticles of a larger variety of compositions and which is less subject to agglomeration. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of producing ultrafine particles by vaporization comprising:

vaporizing a target by sputtering;

causing particles that fly from the target by vaporization to be deposited on an oil surface; and

recovering the oil on which the flown particles have been deposited to obtain individually dispersed ultrafine particles, wherein the target is a multi-element compound.

US Patent 7367934 - Enhancement of tumor treatment using metal nanoparticles

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7367934.html

This patent from a company called Nanoprobes teaches using metal nanoparticles to enhance x-rays for treating tumors. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for enhancing the effects of radiation directed to a tissue or a population of cells in an animal, comprising

administering an amount of metal nanoparticles to said animal to achieve a concentration in said tissue or said population of cells of the animal of at least about 0.1% metal by weight; and

subsequently irradiating the animal with radiation directed to said tissue or said population of cells, wherein said radiation is in the form of x-rays of about 1 keV to about 25,000 keV.

US Patent 7367505 - Quantum dot dispensing and detecting

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7367505.html

This patent from Caltech (priority June 12, 2003) teaches methodology for using quantum dots for optical coding. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of dispensing and detecting fluorescent quantum dots, comprising:

dispensing said dots on a surface at a plurality of locations where each location includes quantum dots of a plurality of center wavelengths;

exciting said dots with a UV light until said dots fluoresce; and

analyzing said fluorescence with a spectrometer.

Unfortunately some pertinent prior art may have been overlooked such as:

US Patent 6617583- "A novel encoding system and methods for determining the location and/or identity of a particular item or component of interest is provided. In particular, the present invention utilizes a "barcode" comprising one or more sizes of semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dots) having characteristic spectral emissions, to either "track" the location of a particular item of interest or to identify a particular item of interest. " (from abstract)

US Patent 7367215 - Nanowire antifuse hydrogen sensor

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7367215.html

This patent from Nano-Proprietary teaches using nanowires for a hydrogen sensor in which an increase in hydrogen concentration gradually allows current flow between the nanowire junctions. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method comprising the steps of: a) forming, directly on a dielectric surface, at least one precisely-defined metal-alloy nanowire comprising nanobreakjunctions which close when exposed to predefined threshold concentrations of hydrogen; b) forming a circuit comprising said nanowire; and c) monitoring an electrical property within said circuit so as to determine when said nanobreakjunctions close.

US Patent 7365632 - Carbon nanotube nanofabric thin film resistor with improved temperature independence

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7365632.html

Certain electronic circuits such as voltage regulators and data converters require a high degree of temperature independence to operate properly. This patent from Nantero teaches how to form thin film resistors formed from carbon nanotube fabrics with a sheet resistance in a range of 1 kohm/square - 1 Mohm/square in which the resistance changes by less than 25 parts per million per degree centigrade which is a factor of 10 better than similar thin film resistors. Claim 1 reads:

1. A resistive element, comprising:

a patterned region of nanofabric with a predefined area and a pre-selected sheet resistance, the nanofabric having a pre-selected temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR); and

first and second electrical contacts contacting the patterned region of nanofabric and in spaced relation to each other, wherein

a total resistance of the resistive element between the first and second electrical contacts is determined by the predefined area of the patterned region of nanofabric, the pre-selected sheet resistance of the patterned region of nanofabric between the first and second electrical contacts, and the pre-selected TCR of the nanofabric, and the spaced relation of the first and second electrical contacts; and

wherein the total resistance of the resistive element is tunable to a pre-selected total resistance.

US Patent 7365395 - Dielectric composites including core/shell nanowires

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7365395.html

This 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. Claim 1 reads:

1. An artificial dielectric device, comprising:

a first conducting element and a second conducting element spaced apart from and opposing said first conducting element;

a dielectric disposed between said first and second conducting elements and comprising a material selected from the group comprising a plastic, a metal oxide, a glass, a semiconductor, diamond, sapphire or quartz; and

a plurality of nanostructures embedded in said dielectric material, said nanostructures comprising a plurality of nanowires each comprising a semiconductor core and an insulating shell comprising an oxide, carbide or nitride coating disposed about said core, wherein said nanowires are oriented substantially parallel to each other with their long axes substantially perpendicular to the first and second conducting elements such that said nanowires have anisotropic orientations within said dielectric, wherein at least subset of said nanowires do not make direct contact to either said first or second conducting element.