US Patent 7601650 - CNT tip with protective layer

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7601650.html

This patent from Carbon Design Innovations teaches a process to improve the stabilization of carbon nanotubes used as the tips of atomic force microscopes. Claim 1 reads:

1. A process for fabricating a carbon nanotube (CNT) device, the process comprising:

forming a CNT on a substrate using a first thermal CVD process, said CNT having a first end and a second end, said second end of said CNT coupled to said substrate;

forming a protective layer covering said CNT, wherein said protective layer is defined based on an intended application of said CNT device; and

removing a controlled portion of said protective layer to expose a desired length of said first end of said CNT, wherein said desired length is defined based on the intended application of said CNT device.