US Patent 7755111 - Programmable power management using nanotubes

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7755111.html

Smart power management is becoming more necessary for integrated circuits in order to deal with increased leakage current as MOSFET gate oxide thickness is decreased. This patent from LSI Corporation teaches using nanotube switches in order to regulate such power management. Claim 1 reads:

1. A microelectronic assembly, comprising:

a power region having a plurality of transistors;

a nanotube structure patterned adjacent to the power region and associated with the power region; and

at least one power source coupled to the nanotube structure to distribute electricity to the power region based on a state of the nanotube structure.