Patent Landscape for Electron Emitting Nanomaterials

I recently published an article in the Nanotechnology Law and Business Journal (http://www.nanolabweb.com/) exploring the U.S. patent landscape for electron emitting nanomaterials. These materials represent an early area of commercialization for nanotechnology in the electronics area and have already been the source of some legal conflicts (Nano-Proprietary v. Canon lawsuit). Some of the currently proposed applications that use these materials include flat panel displays, lighting devices, microwave electronics, and lithography tools. The article discusses why nanomaterials are beneficial for these applications as well as the major patent holders for these nanomaterials.

For those interested in the patent data for these nanomaterials that I used in writing this article(Excel spreadsheet containing 300 patents sorted according to assignee and application area) send an E-mail to blaise_mouttet@yahoo.com with nanomaterial database in the title.