US Patent 7259410 - Nanotube fabric switch

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7259410.html

Nantero is a company which has focused on the use of nanotube ribbons to form electromechanical switches in a crossbar configuration. This patent proposes an alternative to the crossbar approach by using nanotube fabric control traces for nanotube fabrics which may be more compatible with semiconductor manufacturing methods. Claim 1 reads:

1. A discrete electro-mechanical device, comprising: a structure including a control structure, the control structure including an electrically-conductive trace; a defined patch of nanotube fabric disposed in spaced relation to the control structure, the nanotube fabric comprising a film of nanotubes; and wherein the defined patch of nanotube fabric is electromechanically deflectable between a first and second state, wherein in the first state the nanotube article is in spaced relation relative to the control structure, and wherein in the second state the nanotube article is in contact with the control structure; and a low resistance signal path in electrical communication with the defined patch of nanofabric.