Wednesday, February 25, 2009

US Patent 7495328 - Micromechanical component with flow guide cap

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7495328.html

For some micromechanical flow sensors turbulance can cause unpredictable measurements. This patent from Robert Bosch GmbH teaches a solution to this problem by forming a cap with a grooved surface to smooth the flow. Claim 1 reads:

1. A micromechanical component comprising:

a structure such that a material flow is guided from at least one preferred direction to uniformly envelop the micromechanical component; and

a cap affixed to the micromechanical component, wherein the cap has at least one structured surface having grooves running in a direction of the material flow to guide the material flow.

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US Patent 7494907 - Fabrication of nanoparticle chain interconnect

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7494907.html

This patent from Nanocluster Devices Limited teaches a method of bottom-up interconnect assembly via nanoparticle percolation. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of forming at least a single conducting chain of nanoparticles between a number of contacts on a substrate comprising or including the steps of:

a. forming contacts separated by a distance smaller than 10 microns on the substrate,

b. preparing a plurality of nanoparticles, said nanoparticles being composed of two or more atoms of the same or different elements, of uniform or non-uniform size, and subsequently

c. directing a beam of the nanoparticles towards the substrate to randomly deposit a plurality of said nanoparticles on the substrate at least in the region between the contacts until the particles form at least one chain of nanoparticles between the contacts through which conduction consisting essentially of ohmic conduction can occur.

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US Patent 7494842 - Programmable nanotube interconnect

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7494842.html

This patent from LSI Corporation discloses using a nanotube interconnect to turn off an IC and save power. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method, comprising:

forming a interconnect layer using a plurality of nanotube structures; and

automatically altering a route of an integrated circuit based on an electrical current applied to at least one of the plurality of nanotube structures in the interconnect layer.

It is notable that Nantero has many earlier patents and publications which would seem to disclose this but which were not cited by the applicant or the patent office. One example is US Patent Application 2005/0280436.

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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

US Patent 7494638 - Purified fullerene

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7494638.html

Submarine patents used to be a big problem resulting in patents being issued many years or decades after initial filing with expiry dates based on the patent date. To solve this problem legislation was passed in 1995 changing the expiry dates to be based on the filing date rather than issue date but a few pre-1995 patents are still around. This patent from Mitsubishi (filed in 1990) may turn out to be the most famous nanotechnology-related submarine patent including extremely broad claims to purified fullerene structures. Richard Smalley, Harold Kroto, and Robert Curl are noted to have discovered fullerene in 1985 (winning the 1996 Nobel Prize in chemistry in the process) and some prior art related to their work was considered but apparently the prior art was insufficient to reject "purified" C60 for some reason. Claims 1-16 are listed below.

1. Purified C60.

2. Purified C70.

3. Purified solid C60.

4. Purified solid C70.

5. Crystalline C60.

6. Crystalline C70.

7. Purified crystalline C60.

8. Purified crystalline C70.

9. A macroscopic amount of purified C60.

10. A macroscopic amount of purified C70.

11. A product comprising crystalline C60.

12. A product comprising crystalline C70.

13. A free flowing particulate comprised of crystalline C60.

14. A free-flowing particulate comprising crystalline C70.

15. A solid comprising a macroscopic amount of crystalline C60.

16. A solid comprising a macroscopic amount of crystalline C70.

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US Patent 7494526 - Nanoparticle plant food

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7494526.html

Foliar feeding is a plant feeding methodology in which nutrients are directly applied to the leaves rather than to the ground or dirt in which the plant is rooted. This patent from inventor Edward Yavitz teaches how to use nanoencapsulation to improve the process. Claim 18 reads:

18. A method for treatment or feeding of plants, comprising:

encapsulating a plant supportive material in particles having diametrical dimensions of less than about 1000 nanometers to facilitate foliar application of the plant supportive material; and

applying the particles to plants.

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US Patent 7494336 - Nanocrystalline nozzle tip for injection molding

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7494336.html

Injection molding is a process used to form plastic articles. The tip used in the injection requires a high thermal conductivity in order to keep the plastic in a liquid state while it is flowing but allow a quick dissipation of the heat during solidification. This patent from Husky Injection Molding Systems teaches using nanocrystalline material to achieve this goal. Claim 1 reads:

1. An injection molding nozzle for an injection molding runner system, comprising:

a nozzle body; and

a nozzle tip; and

a melt channel extending along a longitudinal axis between the nozzle body and the nozzle tip;

wherein the at least one of the nozzle body and the nozzle tip is made from a nanocrystalline material.

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Sunday, February 22, 2009

US Patent 7493160 - Nanoactuated catheter

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7493160.html

Balloon catheters are often employed to repair blocked arteries. This patent from Boston Scientific teaches using buckypaper as an actuator in such balloon catheters for improvements in the actuation force. Claim 1 reads:

1. A nano-actuated medical device, comprising:

a housing sized to pass within a body lumen; and

a nanoactuator operatively associated with the housing, said nanoactuator, upon electrical energization, actuating expansion of the housing within the body lumen.

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US Patent 7492803 - Fiber optic coupled nanowire laser

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7492803.html

This patent from Hewlett Packard introduces a single photon fiber optic system based on nanowire lasers which could be very important to quantum communication systems in the future. Claim 1 reads:

1. A device comprising:

a substrate having at least one hole;

a nanowire laser positioned within the at least one hole; and

a waveguide positioned proximal to said at least one hole so that a single photon generated by said nanowire laser is coupled into said waveguide.

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US Patent 7492458 - Surface plasmon resonance plasma display

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7492458.html

Surface plasmon resonance is an effect which has often been used in the study of molecular and biological structures. This patent from a company called American Environmental Systems teaches an alternative application to achieve enhanced contrast and brightness of displays. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of using nanoparticles in a display technology comprising steps of:

providing a nanoparticle capable to luminesce of characteristic spectral electromagnetic radiation when the nanoparticle is excited by a surface plasmon resonance source; and

exciting the nanoparticle by the surface plasmon resonance source to luminesce characteristic spectral electromagnetic radiation.

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US Patent 7492161 - Electrolytic nanoprobe

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7492161.html

This patent teaches a new tool designed to study the electrical behavior of mitochrondria cells. Claim 1 reads:

1. A nanosized electrical probe for measuring an electrical signal of charged colloidal particles, which is fabricated from a quartz capillary and has a tip diameter of 50-100 nm, wherein the nanosized electrical probe is filled with an electrolytic solution, and thus has a tip resistance of 100 to 150 Mohms.

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Thursday, February 19, 2009

US Patent 7492101 - Multicolor plasma display with CNT layers

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7492101.html

This patent from Samsung SDI discloses a plasma display in which a layer of carbon nanotubes is placed above the color fluorescent material to provide improved luminous efficiency. Claim 1 reads:

1. A plasma display panel (PDP), comprising:

a lower substrate;

a dielectric layer formed on the lower substrate;

partitions formed along a first direction on the dielectric layer;

red, green, and blue discharge cells defined by the partitions; and

a red, green, and blue fluorescent layer formed in the red, green, and blue discharge cells, respectively; wherein

a carbon nanotube (CNT) layer extends along the first direction and completely covers the red, green, or blue fluorescent layer.

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US Patent 7492046 - CNT electric fuses

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7492046.html

This patent from IBM teaches providing nanotubes of different length in a reprogrammable fuse method. Claim 1 reads:

12. A structure operating method, comprising:

providing a structure which includes

(a) an electrically conductive layer,

(b) N electrically conductive regions hanging over without touching the electrically conductive layer, wherein N is a positive integer and N is greater than 1, wherein the N electrically conductive regions are electrically connected together; and causing a first electrically conductive region of the N electrically conductive regions to touch the electrically conductive layer without causing the remaining N−1 electrically conductive regions to touch the electrically conductive layer.

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US Patent 7492019 - High stiffness thin film cap for MEMS

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7492019.html

Silicon nitride and metal materials have been used to form cap layer for micromechanical pressure sensors and similar applications but can be susceptible to damage to to harsh environments of pressure differentials outside of a particular tolerance. this patent from IC Mechanics teaches a MEMS device incorporating higher stiffness materials to remedy this problem. Claim 1 reads:

1. A MEM device comprising:

a substrate;

a microstructure formed on said substrate; and

a high-stiffness thin-film cap structure forming at least one wall of a sealed cavity encapsulating said microstructure, having a thickness between about 5 and 50 μm, and a Young's modulus of at least about 80 GPa.

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US Patent 7491968 - Memory using core/shell quantum dots

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7491968.html

This patent from Samsung represents yet another variety of resistive switching non-volatile memory (RRAM). This variety is based on core/shell quantum dots in which a voltage controlled distribution of charge trapping sites in the quantum dots alter resistance states of memory cells. Claim 1 reads:

1. A memory device, comprising:

an upper electrode layer;

a lower electrode layer; and

a memory layer disposed between the upper electrode layer and the lower electrode layer, wherein the memory layer comprises quantum dots dispersed in an organic material, and wherein the quantum dots have a core-shell structure, and wherein the core is conductive and the shell is conductive.

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Wednesday, February 18, 2009

US Patent 7491962 - RRAM with nanoparticle electrode

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7491962.html

New systems of non-volatile memory such as RRAM or PRAM may be the next battle ground for nanoelectronics with a variety of companies proposing competing solutions based on different nanomaterials. This patent from Micron Technology teaches a chalcogenide memory using nanoparticles to achieve more predictable operation. Claim 1 reads:

1. A memory device, comprising:

a first electrode and a second electrode;

a chalcogenide glass layer between said first electrode and said second electrode; and

at least one nanoparticle positioned between said first electrode and said chalcogenide glass layer, wherein said chalcogenide glass layer is in contact with both the at least one nanoparticle and the first electrode and said at least one nanoparticle is separated from said second electrode by at least a portion of said chalcogenide glass layer.

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US Patent 7491883 - CNT shielding layer for coaxial cable

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7491883.html

This is yet another carbon nanotube patent to Tsinghua University and Hon Hai Precision for shielding of a coaxial cable. Claim 1 reads:

1. A coaxial cable comprising:

at least one conducting wire;

at least one insulating layer, each insulating layer being respectively coated on a corresponding conducting wire;

at least one shielding layer surrounding the at least one insulating layer, each shielding layer comprising a metal layer and one or more carbon nanotube films; and

a sheath wrapping the at least one shielding layer.

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US Patent 7491699 - Aromatic homodipeptide nanostructure

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7491699.html

In addition to carbon-based nanotubes there are other types of nanotube structures being developed such as peptide nanotubes which may have some unique advantages to nanobioelectronics. This patent from Ramot At Tel Aviv University seems somewhat fundamental to a variety of peptide nanotubes. Claim 1 reads:

1. A discrete tubular, discrete spherical or discrete planar nanostructure composed of a plurality of aromatic homodipeptides.

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US Patent 7491661 - Immersion lithography including nanoparticle suspension topcoat

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7491661.html

Higher resolution lithography is necessary to continue Moore's Law of increasing transistor density. One method to achieve such enhanced resolution is immersion lithography which uses a liquid medium to increase the index of refraction . This patent from ASML Netherlands B.V. teaches using a nanoparticle-based top layer to avoid internal reflection in immersion lithography systems. Claim 1 reads:

1. A device manufacturing method, comprising:

projecting a patterned beam of radiation through a liquid onto a resist provided on a substrate, wherein a topcoat layer is provided between the resist and the liquid, the topcoat comprising a suspension of nano-particles.

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Tuesday, February 17, 2009

US Patent 7491448 - Reticulated foam-like structure formed of nanoparticles

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7491448.html

This patent from Energy Conversion Devices teaches a new type of hydrogen storage material with improvements in reversible storage capacity leading to reduced weight and more adaptability for automobile hydrogen fuel supply designs. Claim 1 reads:

1. A material comprising:

a nano-particulate reticulated foam-like structure, said structure including particles having a size of 10-200 nanometers, said particles joined together to form a reticulated foam-like structure, said reticulated foam-like structure being similar to the structure of carbon nano-foam; wherein said nano-particulate reticulated foam-like structure comprises a hydroxide.

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US Patent 7491428 - Self assembled monolayer used in CNT alignment

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7491428.html

Alignment of nanotubes is important in order to optimize properties such as electrical conductivity and thermal transport. This method from NASA is based on an electric field alignment approach in which a self assembled monolayer is used to facilitate the alignment. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for the deposition and alignment of carbon nanotubes, comprising the steps of:

providing an assembly that comprises a substrate having at least two electrodes supported thereon and opposing one another with a gap region being defined therebetween;

depositing a carbon nanotube (CNT) attraction material on said substrate in said gap region;

applying an electric potential to said two opposing electrodes wherein an electric field is generated across said gap region;

wetting said CNT attraction material with a solution defined by a carrier liquid having carbon nanotubes (CNTs) suspended therein, wherein a first portion of said CNTs are aligned with said electric field and adhered to said CNT attraction material, and wherein a second portion of said CNTs are not adhered to said CNT attraction material; and

removing said carrier liquid and said second portion of said CNTs from said assembly;

wherein said CNT attraction material is a self-assembled monolayer.

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US Patent 7491423 - ZnO nanostructure growth from nanoimprinted molecular monolayer

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7491423.html

This patent from Sandia Corp. teaches a lower temperature method to form zinc oxide nanorods which can be useful to various applications including gas sensors. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method to controllably grow zinc oxide nanorods on a surface, comprising:

preparing a stamp with relief structures;

inking said stamp with a solution comprising self-assembled monolayer molecules;

contacting said stamp to a surface, thereby transferring said self-assembled monolayer molecules to said surface; and

contacting an aqueous zinc solution to said surface to grow zinc oxide nanorods on said surface.

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US Patent 7491422 - Dip pen nanolithography with polymer coated tip

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7491422.html

This patent from Nanoink teaches improvements in Dip Pen Nanolithography that enhance the tip lifespan and increase the diffusion rate leading to higher speed processing.
Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of direct-write nanolithography comprising:

transporting an ink from a polymer-coated nanoscopic tip to a substrate to form a structure on the substrate,

wherein the ink comprises solvent and the structure comprises internal hollows from direct transfer of the solvent to the substrate,

wherein polymer adheres to the tip and is not transported to the substrate, and wherein the polymer is a hydrophobic elastomeric polymer having a glass transition temperature of about 25° C. or less.

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Sunday, February 15, 2009

US Patent 7489537 - Optical nanoelectronic memory array

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7489537.html

There has been a good amount of work by researchers at HP labs and elsewhere over the past decade in producing reconfigurable electronics systems as a next step after Moore's Law. So far most of these efforts have been directed to reconfigurable logic but another area which may benefit is reconfigurable analog electronics. This patent from Bao Tran teaches a memory formed from optical nanoelements to achieve such reconfigurable analog electronics. Claim 1 reads:

1. A memory device, comprising:

an array of memory cells disposed in rows and columns and constructed over a substrate, each memory cell comprising a first signal electrode, a second signal electrode, and a nano-layer disposed in the intersecting region between the first signal electrode and the second signal electrode;

a plurality of word lines each connecting the first signal electrodes of a row of memory cells; and

a plurality of bit lines each connecting the second signal electrodes of a column of memory cells, wherein the nano-layer comprises optical nano elements.

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US 7489432 - Metal oxide nanowire electrochromic display

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7489432.html

Electrochromic displays are formed from chemicals capable of changing color upon application of a voltage. This patent from Ricoh teaches using metal oxide nanowires or nanotubes to form such a display having advantages in energy efficiency. Claim 1 reads:

1. An electrochromic display device, comprising:

a display electrode formed of a substrate having a transparent conductive film;

a counter electrode formed of a substrate having a transparent conductive film; and

a metal oxide layer which contains a metal oxide and is disposed on the display electrode, the metal oxide layer having an organic electrochromic compound attached, wherein the metal oxide is a long fibrous metal oxide of a nanowire structure or a nanotube structure, and wherein the device has a reflectivity during colored state of not more than 7%.

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US Patent 7489428 - Variable threshold MEMS array actuator

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7489428.html

For multi-gradation effects it is difficult to implement MEMS-based micromirrors formed from interferometric ribbons in an analog mode. This patent from IDC (now being developed by Qualcomm) teaches an alternative solution based on a halftone method. Claim 1 reads:

1. A MEMS device, comprising:

a plurality of elements having differing values of at least one of a time-based activation threshold for a select voltage and a voltage-based activation threshold for a select time; and

addressing lines configured to provide signals of at least one of selectable voltage and selectable time to the elements such that different numbers of elements activate in a selectable manner, according to the voltage and time of the signals.

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Wednesday, February 11, 2009

US Patent 7489143 - Nanogripper with hold detection

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7489143.html

Nanogrippers (aka nanotweezers) have been implemented by a variety of materials including nanotubes and silicon. In order to assure proper gripping an optical feedback system has been used. This patent teaches an alternative solution based on electrostatic detection. Claim 1 reads:

1. A nanogripper device comprising:

a pair of arms that is opened and closed freely;

an electrostatic actuator that drives the pair of arms to open/close the arms;

an electrostatic capacity detection unit that detects an electrostatic capacity of the electrostatic actuator; and

a hold detection unit that detects that a sample has been gripped with the pair of arms based upon detecting a point of inflection of a curve representing a change occurring in the electrostatic capacity as a function of a voltage applied to the electrostatic actuator detected by the electrostatic capacity detection unit while closing the arms.

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US Patent 7489069 - Molybdenum nanotip backlight

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7489069.html

This patent from Hon Hai Precision teaches a display backlight using nanotips formed of Molybdenum as an emission source which is noted to have a better life span and emission efficiency than carbon nanotube emitters. Claim 1 reads:

1. A light source comprising:

a substrate having a surface;

a cathode formed on the surface of the substrate;

an isolating layer formed on the cathode;

at least one substantially solid-cross-section electron emitter formed on the isolating layer, each electron emitter comprising an isolating post extending from the isolating layer and a nano-tip formed on a top end of the respective isolating post, at least 75 volume percent of each nano-tip being occupied by a material comprised of molybdenum, the isolating post being made of a material comprised of diamond-like carbon;

a light-permeable anode facing the electron emitters and being spaced from the cathode to form a vacuum chamber; and

at least one fluorescent layer formed on the anode.

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US Patent 7488950 - Crosswire photosensor based on nanoparticle/molecular film

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7488950.html

A variety of nanoparticle and molecular films have been found to have photoelectric behavior useful for integration with CMOS and CCD imaging arrays. However to form CCD or CMOS arrays capacitive and/or transistor elements need to be fabricated. This patent teaches a slightly different approach in which the wires forming the sensing pixels are intersecting nanowires which sandwich the nanomaterials. Claim 1 reads:

1. A sensor element comprising:

a first array of substantially parallel wires;

a second array of substantially parallel wires formed at an intersecting angle with the first array of wires;

radiant energy sensitive material between the first array of wires and the second array of wires;

an input unit connected to the first array of wires and constructed to apply a common signal to the first array of wires; and

an output unit connected to the second array of wires and constructed to sum output signals from the second array of wires to produce a summed output, wherein the response of the radiant energy sensitive material to incident radiation determines the summed output.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

US Patent 7488876 - Nitronium ion separation of carbon nanotubes

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7488876.html

This patent from Samsung Corning Precision Glass teaches a method of semiconductor/metallic carbon nanotube separation based on nitronium ions. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of separating semiconducting type carbon nanotubes from a mixture of semiconducting and metallic carbon nanotubes, comprising the steps of:

1) treating the carbon nanotube mixture with an organic solution containing nitronium ions,

2) filtering the resulting mixture to recover remaining solids, and

3) heat-treating the solids.

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US Patent 7488671 - Masking nanoporous tempates

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7488671.html

Nanoporous templates have been used for several years to grow uniform arrays of vertical nanowires and nanotubes on a substrate. This patent from General Electric teaches patterning the template using a mask to facilitate battery fabrication. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of making a nanostructure array comprising:

providing a template comprising a plurality of nanopores;

disposing a masking material on the template such that a first number of the plurality of nanopores are fully coated by the masking material and a second number of the plurality of nanopores are not-fully coated by the masking material; and

forming a plurality of nanostructures in only the second number of the plurality of nanopores.

However, some relevant prior art appears to have been overlooked such as Bae et al. "Selective Growth of Carbon Nanotubes on Pre-patterned Porous Anodic Aluminum Oxide" (Advanced Materials, 14, No. 4, 2002) - See Fig. 1.

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US Patent 7488520 - Nanoparticle modified packaging material for odor reduction

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7488520.html

This patent from Kimberly-Clark Worldwide is based on the discovery that nanoparticles modified with metal ions can remove odorous compounds and teaches incorporating such nanoparticles in packaging for paper towels or toilet tissue. Claim 1 reads:

1. A package comprising:

a paper product;

a packaging material that encloses the paper product and defines a headspace therebetween;

metal modified nanoparticles having an effective particle diameter of less than about 500 nanometers, the nanoparticles are formed from silica, alumina, or a combination thereof, wherein the metal modified nanoparticles are configured to neutralize gaseous or odorous compounds within the headspace.

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Sunday, February 08, 2009

US Patent 7486442 - Nanoparticle composite polarizer protective film

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7486442.html

Polarizing plates are useful for displays such as LCDs. This patent from Industrial Technology Research Institute teaches using nanoparticles to form polarizing plates with enhanced resistance to moisture permeability. Claim 1 reads:

1. A polarizer protective film, comprising:

a transparent resin; and

about 5-50% by weight of nanoscale particles dispersed in the transparent resin,

wherein the nanoscale particles are formed of a single material and have an average diameter not exceeding 50 nanometers, wherein the combination of the transparent resin and the nanoscale particles exhibits an optical retardation value of less than 5 nm, and wherein the polarizer protective film is formed of a single layer and directly touches a polarizer.

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US Patent 7486434 - Nanotube electromagnetic radiation conversion

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7486434.html

Robert Crowley of Ambit Corp. was the first to recognize the potential of carbon nanotubes for optical energy conversion and has a series of continuations going back to 1997 based on the concept. This patent appears to be one of the broadest potentially covering applications in sensors, communications, and power generation. Claim 1 reads:

1. An optical antenna array system for the collection and conversion of electromagnetic radiation comprising:

a substrate for supporting an array of nanotubes thereon;

an array of nanotubes on said substrate arranged for the collection and conversion of electromagnetic radiation.

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Wednesday, February 04, 2009

US Patent 7486400 - Plasmon resonance structure with metal and dielectric nanoparticle layers

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7486400.html

Plasmon resonance is an amplifying effect associated with biosensing applications. This patent teaches a laminate nanoparticle system offering improvements in the electric field enhancement. Claim 1 reads:

1. A plasmon resonance layered structure comprising:

metal nanoparticle layers constructed by metal nanoparticles; and

dielectric particle layers composed of dielectric particles wherein the metal nanoparticle layers and the dielectric particle layers are alternately deposited to constitute the layers structure that generates plasmon resonances.

US Patent 7485576 - Metallic nanoparticle patterning via groove formation

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7485576.html

This patent from Samsung solves a problem related to damage of insulating layers from bottom gate electrodes in organic thin film transistors by placing metallic nanoparticles in grooves to serve as the gates. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method, comprising:

providing a base member, the base member being a homogeneous material;

forming a groove in the base member; and

forming a conductive pattern by applying, into the groove, a solution that includes conductive particles, the conductive particles being selected from a group consisting of Ag nanoparticles, Cu nanoparticles, Au nanoparticles, Pt nanoparticles and carbon nanoparticles, wherein a shape of the conductive pattern being determined by a shape of the groove.

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Tuesday, February 03, 2009

US Patent 7485366 - Thick film magnetic nanoparticulate composite

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7485366.html

Magnetic materials are formed with domains based on regions of atomic alignment. However, the proximal arrangement of multiple of these domains can cause undesirable interference or resonance in some instances. This patent from Inframat teaches a magnetic nanoparticle film that reduces such problems by eliminating the proximity of the domains and allowing higher frequency responses. Claim 1 reads:

1. A thick magnetic/insulator film comprising magnetic particles, wherein each magnetic particle is surrounded by an insulating layer, wherein the magnetic particles have grain sizes with average dimensions of about 1 to 100 nanometers, and wherein the thick film has a thickness of about 10 micrometers to about 3 millimeters.

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US Patent 7485279 - Controlled diameter growth of nanotubes

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7485279.html

This patent from Yale teaches a method of tailoring the diameter of nanotubes which is important to bandgap of semiconductor nanotubes using a porous template. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for producing a nanostructure with a specified diameter or cross-sectional area, comprising:

specifying the diameter or cross-sectional area of the nanostructure;

selecting a mesoporous siliceous framework having pores with a pore size that has a predetermined dimensional relationship with the diameter or cross-sectional area of the nanostructure, said mesoporous siliceous framework containing metal ions dispersed in substitutional sites and forming a source of catalytic sites; and

contacting, in a reactor, the mesoporous siliceous framework with a reactant at a temperature sufficient to produce the nanostructures with the specified diameter or cross-sectional area.

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US Patent 7484423 - Integrated circuit quality analysis using carbon nanotube FET

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7484423.html

The fabrication techniques necessary to produce a high density of carbon nanotube transistors on a substrate do not currently exist but this patent from IBM teaches that CNT transistors can other uses in quality analysis which may be more easily implemented in the near term. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of evaluating operating parameters of an integrated circuit, said method comprising:

providing a primary transistor in said integrated circuit;

embedding a carbon nanotube field effect transistor (CNT FET) in said integrated circuit, wherein a nanotube portion of said CNT FET is separate from said primary transistor;

operating said primary transistor;

detecting signals from said CNT FET corresponding to said operating parameters of said primary transistor in said integrated circuit; and

detecting defective circuits within said integrated circuit by measuring stress and strain of said primary transistor in said integrated circuit using said CNT FET, wherein said stress and strain comprise any of mechanical and thermal stress and strain.

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Sunday, February 01, 2009

US Patent 7483197 - Multicolor micromirror display

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7483197.html

This patent originally from IDC (acquired by Qualcomm for mobile device displays) has very early priority going back to 1994 and includes basic claims to four color interferometric micromirror displays. Claim 1 reads:

1. A device for displaying an image, comprising:

a plurality of interferometric modulators, said plurality of interferometric modulators comprising:

at least one interferometric modulator configured to output red light;

at least one interferometric modulator configured to output green light;

at least one interferometric modulator configured to output blue light; and

at least one interferometric modulator configured to output white light.

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US Patent 7483112 - CNT liquid crystal on silicon micro-display

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7483112.html

In order to achieve color uniformity in a type of liquid crystal display this patent from Document Scanner Technology (formerly Sysview) and Splendid Optronics teaches the inclusion of nanotubes to control a cell gap. Claim 1 reads:

1. A nano-liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) chip, comprising:

a first substrate portion;

a rim seal having a generally closed loop shape and laid on said first substrate portion to form a space surrounded by said rim seal and said first substrate portion;

a second substrate portion aligned substantially in parallel to said first substrate portion and positioned over said rim seal to enclose said space; and

a plurality of carbon-nanotube (CNT) pillars having a predetermined height and grown on said second substrate portion and positioned between said first and second substrate portions to provide a uniform spacing therebetween, wherein a liquid crystal is filled in said space.

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US Patent 7482727 - Negative refractive index nanowire array laminate

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7482727.html

This patent from HP teaches perpendicularly arranged arrays of nanowires used to achieve negative refractive index metamaterials. Claim 1 reads:

1. A composite material exhibiting at least one of a negative effective permittivity and a negative effective permeability for incident radiation at an operating wavelength, comprising:

a dielectric layer generally parallel to a dielectric layer plane; and

a first plurality of nanowire pairs disposed in said dielectric layer, each of said first plurality of nanowire pairs comprising substantially parallel conductive nanowires of short length and separation relative to said operating wavelength;

wherein each of said first plurality of nanowire pairs is substantially coplanar with a first plane substantially parallel to said dielectric layer plane, and

said first plurality of nanowire pairs forms a first pattern within said first plane characterized by nanowire pair locations and nanowire pair orientations within said first plane, and wherein said first pattern comprises a first regularly-spaced array of commonly oriented nanowire pairs and forms a second regularly-spaced array of nanowire pairs that is interspersed with said first regularly-spaced array of nanowire pairs and commonly oriented in a direction substantially perpendicular to said first regularly-spaced array of nanowire pairs.

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US Patent 7482652 - Triple walled carbon nanotube memory cell

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7482652.html

Carbon nanotube transistor design has been gradually developing over the past decade but has largely been based on single walled nanotubes some of which possess semiconductive properties but are difficult to separate from conductive nanotubes. This patent from IBM teaches manufacturing a transistor design based on a multiwall tube. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of forming a carbon nanotube structure comprising:

forming a set of three concentric carbon nanotubes on a substrate, said set including:

an inner carbon nanotube having a first diameter;

a middle carbon nanotube having a second diameter, wherein said second diameter is greater than said first diameter; and

an outer carbon nanotube having a third diameter, wherein said third diameter is greater than said second diameter;

cutting said outer carbon nanotube and said middle carbon nanotube, wherein said middle carbon nanotube and said outer carbon nanotube have a same length and two vertically coincident pairs of edges after said cutting, and wherein said inner carbon nanotube protrudes out from each of said two vertically coincident pairs of edges;

forming a protective dielectric layer over said substrate and said set of three concentric carbon nanotubes;

patterning said protective dielectric layer to expose two end portions of said inner carbon nanotube;

forming a conductive gate contact structure directly on said outer carbon nanotube; and

forming a conductive source side contact structure directly on one side of said inner carbon nanotube and forming a conductive drain side contact structure directly on another side of said inner carbon nanotube, wherein said conductive source side contact structure and said drain side contact structure are formed directly on said two end portions of said inner carbon nanotube.

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US Patent 7482619 - Nanoflash memory using insulating and charge trapping nanoparticles

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7482619.html

Since electronic memory requires the greatest density of transistor fabrication it is likely that these applications will be the first to extensively incorporate nanomaterials. Samsung already has several basic patents in nanomaterial-based non-volatile memory and this patent provides some very broad claims to a charge trap memory based on multiple nanoparticle types which reduces leakage current. Claim 1 reads:

1. A charge trap memory device comprising:

a substrate; and

a gate structure including a charge trapping layer, wherein the charge trapping layer is formed of a composite of charge trapping nanoparticles and insulating nanoparticles.

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