US Patent 8114716 - Deletable nanotube circuit

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8114716.html

This is one of a series of patents from the company Intellectual Ventures claiming methods of configuring electronic circuits from carbon nanotubes by inactivating unwanted segments of carbon nanotube arrays. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of constructing a circuit, comprising:

providing an array of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) comprising a plurality of segments, at least a subset of the segments intersecting to form electrically responsive junctions; and

selectively inactivating at least one segment or junction by at least one of (a) applying electromagnetic energy by at least one of (i) directing laser energy toward the at least one segment or junction or (ii) directing an electron beam toward the at least one segment or junction, or (b) chemically attacking the at least one segment or junction.

US Patent 7989797 - Connectible nanotube circuit

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7989797.html

This latest patent from Intellectual Ventures teaches a modified approach to the nanotube crossbar fabrics developed by Nantero for programmable logic in which a resist is placed between nanotube wires and selectively removed to program interconnections. Claim 1 reads:

1. A carbon nanotube (CNT) circuit template, comprising:

a plurality of CNTs comprising:

a first selected CNT;

a second selected CNT arranged at a selected angle to the first selected CNT; and a removable intermediate layer interposed between the first selected CNT and the second selected CNT, the removable intermediate layer including at least one of a resist composition or a resist material, the at least one of a resist composition or a resist material configured for localized removal, characterized in that the first selected CNT and the second selected CNT are selected to form a junction having a selected electrical property when placed in contact at the selected angle.

US Patent 7721242 - Nanotube circuit analysis software

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7721242.html

This patent from Intellectual Ventures teaches a software-based system for taking a template of carbon nanotubes and selectively removing portions to create useful circuit connections. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of editing a carbon nanotube (CNT) template structure, comprising:

accessing via a processor a model representative of the carbon nanotube (CNT) template structure, the model representative of the CNT template structure including representations of a plurality of junctions interconnected by CNT segments, wherein each segment and junction has an associated electrical behavior;

identifying at least one first proposed editing step selected from the group consisting of deleting at least one of the CNT segments or junctions; and

connecting two CNT segments, the identified two CNT segments being in physical proximity; and

determining via a processor a first predicted response of the CNT template structure to an electrical signal if the identified first proposed editing step were performed.

US Patent 7696505 - CNT crossbar electronics

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7696505.html

This patent is from Searete LLC (the patenting arm of Intellectual Ventures) teaches a carbon nanotube crossbar electronic systems similar to some of the designs developed by Nantero but with the inclusion of an intermediate resist layer that may be selectively removed to program the interconnects between nanotubes. Claim 1 reads:

1. A carbon nanotube (CNT) circuit template, comprising:

a first array of substantially parallel, laterally separated CNTs;

a second array of substantially parallel, laterally separated CNTs arranged at an angle to the first array; and

an intermediate layer interposed between the first array of CNTs and the second array of CNTs.

US Patent 7618771 - Stretched nucleic acid nanowire

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7618771.html

This patent from Searete LLC (associated with Intellectual Ventures) proposes a methodology using fluid flow to stretch out a nucleic acid molecule which is suggested for the construction of nanoscale circuitry. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of forming a nanowire, comprising:

applying a nucleic acid-containing solution to a first substrate, the first substrate having a defined structural feature thereon;

controllably flowing the nucleic acid-containing solution over the first substrate in a manner that promotes stretching of a nucleic acid molecule from the defined structural feature along the first substrate;

applying a conductive material to the stretched nucleic acid molecule to form a nanowire; and
controlling a surface charge of the first substrate, wherein the surface charge acts to attract the nucleic acid molecule to the first substrate.

US Patent 7595150 - Applying elongated molecules to a surface

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7595150.html

This patent from Searete LLC (which has been associated with Intellectual Ventures) teaches a method of aligning nucleic acid or other molecular structures on a substrate using a controlled fluid flow. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of applying an elongated molecule to a surface, comprising:

applying a solution containing the elongated molecule to a first substrate;

applying a cover surface to the solution; and

controllably flowing a deposition fluid over the first substrate in a manner that promotes stretching of the elongated molecule along the first substrate,

wherein controllably flowing comprises sliding the cover surface relative to the first substrate to induce fluid flow in the deposition fluid.

US Patent 7587107 - Plasmon logic

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7587107.html

Surface plasmons are electron vibrations formed at the interface of a thin film metal and dielectric. This patent from Intellectual Ventures proposes forming guided structures for plasmons as a new basis for an optical switching logic. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of controlling energy propagation, comprising:

guiding energy at a first plasmon frequency along a first path with a guiding structure;

blocking the guided energy carried by the guiding structure at the first plasmon frequency from propagating along the first path by electromagnetically saturating a first portion of the guiding structure along the first path with a first control signal having a first control signal frequency, wherein the first control signal includes electromagnetic radiation; and

blocking the guided energy carried by the guiding structure at the first plasmon frequency from propagating along the first path by saturating a second portion of the guiding structure along the first path with electromagnetic radiation.