US Patent 7223438 - DPN patterning of magnetic nanoparticles

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7223438.html

Nanoink is a company that is exploiting a new lithography process called Dip Pen Nanolithography (DPN) invented at Northwestern University and which uses a water meniscus to transfer material from an atomic force microscope tip to a substrate. This patent appears fundamental to the use of DPN in patterning magnetic nanostructures which is useful to a variety of sensor and high density memory applications. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of forming a magnetic nanostructure comprising: depositing a magnetic nanostructure precursor on a substrate from a nanoscopic tip; and converting the precursor to form the magnetic nanostructure on the substrate.