US Patent 7615776 - Self-assembled nanowire circuitry

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7615776.html

This patent from IBM teaches the fabrication of logic circuits which uses fewer masking steps by including self-assembly of vertical nanowires to form channels of the circuitry. Claim 1 reads:

1. A circuit comprising:

a first metal layer on a substrate;

an insulating layer on said first metal layer;

a second metal layer on said insulating layer;

a self-assembled first semi-conductivity type material on one side of said first metal layer; a self-assembled second semi-conductivity type material on the other side of said first metal layer; and

a self-assembled nanowire extending between a field concentrator on said first metal layer and one of said first semi-conductivity type material and said second semi-conductivity type material to form said self-assembled connection.