US Patent 7944011 - Optically controlled CNT electrical switch

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7944011.html

This patent is from STMicroelectronics and teaches a system integrating optical and electronic circuitry using a carbon nanotube switch. Claim 1 reads:

1. An electrical-switch system, comprising:

an optically controlled electrical-switch device comprising, a first current-conduction terminal, a second current-conduction terminal, and at least one carbon nanotube connected between the first and second current-conduction terminals;

an electromagnetic radiation generating device for generating and directing electromagnetic radiations onto each carbon nanotube; and

a polarization varying device for varying a polarization of the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the electromagnetic radiation generating device to control the electrical conductivity of each carbon nanotube.

US Patent 7582892 - Optically controlled CNT electrical switch

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7582892.html

This patent from STMicroelectronics teaches how the electrical conductivity of carbon nanotubes can be altered by controlling the polarization of electromagnetic energy incident of the nanotube. Such effects could be useful to optoelectronics switching for high speed communication devices. Claim 1 reads:

1. An optical-control method of an electrical-switch device comprising a first current-conduction terminal and a second current-conduction terminal, and a carbon nanotube connected between said first and second current-conduction terminals, said method comprising the steps of:

impinging upon said carbon nanotube with electromagnetic radiation; and

varying the polarization of the electromagnetic radiation incident upon said carbon nanotube in order to vary the electrical conductivity of the carbon nanotube itself.

US Patent 7409375 - Optical memory formed from nanotube cells

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7408835.html

Nantero has taken the lead in developing nanotube based memory over the past few years based on using the nanotubes as nanomechanical switches. However, a few companies are attempting to develop alternative approaches to nanotube memory. This patent from STMicroelectronics teaches a hybrid mechanical-optical memory system based on the use of a nanoactuator to "write" a carbon nanotubes geometrical structure in a memory cell and an optical sensor to read the structure. Claim 14 reads:

14. A memory, comprising:

a memory cell comprising nanotubes and operable to store a data value related to the bandgap energy of the cell, wherein the bandgap energy of the cell is related to the shapes of the majority of the nanotubes;

a nanoactuator operable to write the data value to the memory cell; and

an optical energy sensor operable to read the data value from the memory cell.

US Patent 7329902 - IR light emitter using SWNTs

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7329902.html

This patent from STMicroelectronics discloses a new IR LED using single walled carbon nanotubes as an active component. Claim 1 reads:

1. A light-emitting device including: a thin insulating dielectric film including semiconducting single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), the thin insulating dielectric film being a part of a p-insulator or a Si-n nanojunction; wherein the thin insulating dielectric film is Si or a SiO2; and a p-doped silicon electrode and an n-doped silicon electrode that delimit the thin insulating dielectric film including said SWNTs.