US Patent 7744956 - CNT patterning to eliminate shielding effects

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7744956.html

High efficiency electron emitters may be manufactured by growing arrays of carbon nanotubes in a high density however there is an ultimate limit to the efficiency determined by a screening effect in which electrostatic repulsion effects come into play when the array density is too high. This patent from Hon Hai Precision teaches a way around this problem based on a patterned segmentation within the nanotube arrays. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for forming a patterned array of carbon nanotubes, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) forming an array of carbon nanotubes on a substrate; and

(b) exerting a pressure on the array of carbon nanotubes by a molding device having a pattern to imprint the array of carbon nanotubes to obtain the patterned array of carbon nanotubes;

wherein the molding device is a metal wire mesh.