US Patent 7274064 - Offset nanotube switch for FETs

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7274064.html

Nantero obtains yet another patent on carbon nanotube electronics this time focused on using the carbon nanotubes as switching elements offset from FETs. Claim 1 reads:

1. A non-volatile field effect device, comprising: a lithographically-dimensioned source, drain, and gate with a field-modulatable channel between the source and drain, each of the source, drain, and gate having a corresponding terminal, wherein the source and drain are directly connected to their corresponding terminals; and a lithographically-dimensioned, electromechanically-deflectable, nanotube switching element that is coincident with an abutted edge of the gate such that it is in electrical and physical contact with the gate, wherein the nanotube switching element is electromechanically-deflectable in response to electrical stimulation at two control terminals to create one of a non-volatile open and non-volatile closed electrical communication state between the gate and its corresponding terminal, wherein one of the control terminals is positioned over the gate; and wherein the nanotube switching element is offset from and non-overlapping with the field-modulatable channel.