US Patent 8174084 - CNT stress sensor

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8174084.html

This patent from Intel teaches how carbon nanotubes can be used to understand the effects of stress on integrated circuits. Claim 1 reads:

1. A stress sensor comprising:

a die having an opening formed in a semiconductor substrate of the die said semiconductor substrate having a top surface;

a plurality of carbon nanotubes having first ends opposite second ends disposed in the opening wherein said plurality of carbon nanotubes are embedded within said semiconductor substrate wherein said plurality of carbon nanotubes are aligned in a direction parallel to said top surface of said semiconductor substrate; and

first and second contacts electrically connectable with the first and second ends of the plurality of carbon nanotubes, respectively.