US Patent 8193455 - Graphene electronics fabrication

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8193455.html

The electron mobility of graphene makes the material extremely attractive for high speed microelectronics. However, graphene is very sensitive to adsorbents, defects, and impurities which makes practical electronic devices difficult to manufacture. This patent from Hitachi Global Storage Technologies teaches a graphene electronic design which may overcome this problem. Claim 1 reads:

1. A circuit structure comprising:

a plurality of layers of graphene formed one on another; and

first and second electrical contacts, both of the first and second electrical contacts being electrically connected with a single graphene layer of the plurality of layers of graphene,

wherein at least a portion of the plurality of graphene layers have first and second edges that define first and second sides, and

wherein the single layer of graphene extends beyond the first and second sides.

US Patent 8044379 - High density silicon nanowire bundles

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8044379.html

This patent from Hitachi teaches the formation of high surface area silicon nanowire arrays useful to increase the sensitivity of nanosensors and contacts in nanoelectronic devices. Claim 1 reads:

1. A structure comprising:

well-aligned, densely packed bundles of silicon nanowires, each nanowire having a diameter of less than about 50 nm and a length of 10 nm -100 microns, the dimensions of the nanowires being substantially uniform, the structure consisting essentially of silicon and oxygen, or compounds thereof, and the structure having a porosity of at least 80%.

US Patent 8030784 - Semiconductor nanoparticle surface modification

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8030784.html

This patent from Hitachi includes some broad claims for surface treated semiconductor nanoparticles to provide improved stability and durability. Claim 1 reads:

1. A modified semiconductor nanoparticle, which is modified with a functional group-containing polymer which is electrostatically bound to a semiconductor nanoparticle to form a modified semiconductor.

US Patent 7976950 - Graphene transparent electrode

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7976950.html

There are already a few patents around for graphene-based transparent electrodes (e.g. US 7449133)which may be a potential successor to ITO used in manufacture of flat panel electronic displays. This patent teaches one variation from Hitachi with high light transmission. Claim 1 reads:

1. A transparent conductive film, comprising graphene platelets overlapping one another to form a multilayer structure, wherein:

an average size of the graphene platelets is 50 nm or more;

each of the graphene platelets consists of single atomic layer or a plurality of atomic layers less than 9;

a total number of the atomic layers in the multilayer structure is 9 or less; and

the transparent conductive film has an electrical resistivity of 1.0×10−6 Ωm or less and a light transmission at a wavelength of 550 nm of 80% or more.

US Patent 7692361 - Nanoparticle composite actuator

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7692361.html

Microactuators are important components to numerous applications such as inkjet printheads, optical switches, and medical implants. This patent from Hitachi teaches a new type of microactuator using organic material having embedded carbon nanoparticles which operates based on thermal expansion. Claim 1 reads:

1. An actuator comprising:

a molding product of a material comprising a mixture of fine conductive particles and a polymer material, the material expanding or contracting by electric supply; and

at least two electrodes for electric supply disposed on both side portions of the molding product which expands or contracts.

US Patent 7520742 - Nanoimprint mold-releasing agent

US Patent 7520742

Nanoimprint lithography provides a technique to mechanically pattern structures on the nanometer scale using surface contours of a mold structure. However, one difficulty is in the release of the mold from the material being patterned without deforming the structures being formed. This patent from Hitachi teaches a mold structure including a release agent to solve this problem. Claim 1 reads:

1. A nanoprinting mold for forming a fine structure on a resin substrate or on a resin film on a substrate using a press machine, wherein said mold has a concave-convex pattern including a plurality of concave portions and convex portions, and a mold-releasing agent is provided only on top surfaces of said convex portions of said mold, and wherein said mold-releasing agent is a solid and has a coefficient of friction smaller than that of said concave portions.

US Patent 7329369 - Semiconductor nanoparticle including electrostatically bound polymer

US Patent 7329369

This patent from Hitachi (priority 1/6/2005) includes some broad claims to functionalized semiconductor nanoparticles for luminescence applications. Claim 1 reads:

1. A semiconductor nanoparticle with electron-releasing groups arranged on the surface thereof, which is modified with a functional group-containing polymer that electrostatically binds to the surface of said semiconductor nanoparticle.

However, it seems that very little prior art was considered during examination (3 patent references and 0 non-patent literature were cited) and the patent was allowed immediately by the patent examiner. Some prior art may have been missed such as the article "Semiconductor Nanocrystals with Multifunctional Polymer Ligands" published in 2002.

US Patent 7318957 - Semiconductor nanoparticles coated with electron releasing material

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7318957.html

This patent from Hitachi discloses coating methods for nanocrystals that provide a multiple organic coating that provides improvements in the solubility and fluorescent properties of the nanocrystals. Claim 1 reads:

1. A semiconductor nanoparticle comprising a core with a core surface modified to include at least one electron-releasing group thereon; and an organic material layer formed over said modified core surface, wherein said modified core surface including at least one electron-releasing group and said organic material layer are made of different materials.

US Patent 7276279 - Metal microparticle sintering using metal nanoparticles

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7276279.html

This patent from Hitachi teaches the use of metallic nanoparticles to fill the voids when sintering microparticles. Claim 1 reads:

1. A circuit board, comprising: a substrate; and a wiring conductor provided on the substrate, the wiring conductor comprising a sintered structure comprising metal particles of 0.5-10 micron average particle sizes bonded to each other through the intermediary of metal nanoparticles, and conducting metal provided in voids in the sintered structure.