US Patent 8197716 - EM wave suppressing nanomaterial

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8197716.html

There have been several patents over the past few decades suggesting the use of nanomaterials in suppressing electromagnetic interference and noise. This latest patent from Sharp teaches one variation using a combination of nanoparticles and an ionic liquid to optimize both the EM suppression and the viscosity to allow for ease of processing. Claim 1 reads:

1. An electromagnetic-wave suppressing device including an electromagnetic-wave suppressing material, the electromagnetic-wave suppressing material comprising:

an ionic liquid; and

nanometer-order particles mixed with the ionic liquid,

wherein 10 wt % or more of the nanometer-order particles is mixed with respect to 100 wt % of the ionic liquid.                             

US Patent 8124044 - Arc discharge synthesis of CNTs

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8124044.html

This patent from Sony teaches techniques to improve the purity and diameter uniformity of carbon nanotubes formed via an arc discharge process. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for preparing carbon nanotubes comprising synthesizing carbon nanotubes from a carbon source using an arc-discharge process in presence of a catalyst and a promoter, wherein the promoter contains an element simple substance capable of reducing a surface energy of carbon nanotubes growth sites in the catalyst, and wherein the promoter is selected from the group consisting of Se, Te, Ge and combinations thereof.

US Patent 8076583 - CNT light-transmitting electric conductor

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8076583.html

This patent from Sony teaches a variation of transparent electrodes based on carbon nanotubes having an improved affinity with light-transmitting supports. Claim 1 reads:

1. A light-transmitting electric conductor comprising, on a surface of a light-transmitting support:

a conductive material in which a multiplicity of carbon nanolinear structures are accumulated in two dimensions while making partial contact with each other,

wherein said conductive material is a light-transmitting conductive material composed of said carbon nanolinear structures, and direct bonds are formed between said surface of said light-transmitting support and said carbon nanolinear structures making contact with said surface without the carbon nanolinear structures being buried in the light-transmitting support, and between said carbon nanolinear structures making contact with each other.

US Patent 7790539 - DWCNT field effect transistor

http://ip.com/patent/US7790539

This is another patent from Sony (see also US 7719032) teaching a method to form a field effect transistor from a single multi-wall carbon nanotube. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for producing an electronic device including a multi-walled carbon nanotube having at least two layers, the method comprising the steps of:

supplying current to part of an outer carbon nanotube layer to remove the part of the outer carbon molecule layer;

providing at least one current-input means to the outer carbon nanotube layer;

providing at least one current-output means to the outer carbon nanotube layer; and

providing at least one voltage-applying means to an inner carbon nanotube layer.

US Patent 7745004 - Polymer coated magnetic particles

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7745004.html

High frequency mobile communication devices often produce unnecessary radio emissions which deteriorate communication quality. Magnetic films having a nanogranular structure can be used as an EM shield to avoid this problem. This patent from Sony teaches a variation of magnetic nanomaterial in which manufacturing is lower cost and faster than previous methods. Claim 1 reads:

1. Magnetic particles forming a magnetic material for absorbing electromagnetic waves, wherein the magnetic particles have a diameter located within a range of 1 nm to 50 nm; and

a chain polymer surrounding individual ones of the magnetic particles being formed to a thickness of 1 nm or less.

US patent 7736741 - SWCNT Schottky junction

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7736741.html

It is well known that single walled carbon nanotubes can be formed with either metallic or semiconductor characteristics based on the chirality of the nanotube. This patent from Sony Corp. teaches how to form a nanotube that integrates both the metallic and the semiconducting portions in a single nanotube which can provide basic rectifier functions on a molecular level and may simplify integration with electrode contacts. Claim 3 reads:

3. A method of manufacturing a single-wall carbon nanotube heterojunction comprising joining a semiconductive single-wall carbon nanotube and a metallic single-wall carbon nanotube via a growth defect with each other in a longitudinal direction thereof, wherein the defect introduced during growth of the single-wall carbon nanotube introduces a five-membered ring or a seven-membered ring into a six-membered ring structure of a graphene sheet thereby to induce a chirality change.

US Patent 7719032 - MWCNT transistor

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7719032.html

Multiwall carbon nanotubes tend to have metallic rather than semiconductor electronic properties and thus have conventionally been considered inappropriate to form transistor channels. However, this patent from Sony teaches a way to use the inner carbon shell as the electrode contact and the outer carbon shell as a semiconductor channel which may allow multiwall carbon nanotube transistors (although mass production could be problematic).
Claim 5 reads:

5. An electronic device including a multi-walled carbon nanotube having at least two layers, the electronic device comprising:

a field effect transistor comprising:

an outer carbon nanotube having semiconductivity;

an inner carbon nanotube that is partially included in the outer carbon nanotube;

a current-input terminal that inputs current to the outer carbon nanotube;

a current-output terminal that outputs current from the outer carbon nanotube; and

an electrode in contact with the inner carbon nanotube and applying voltage to the inner carbon nanotube to control operation of a conduction channel of the field effect transistor formed in the outer carbon nanotube between the current-input terminal and the current-output terminal.

US Patent 7659139 - Selective CNT destruction by irradiation

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7659139.html

The fabrication of single walled carbon nanotubes usually results in a mixture of about 1/3 metallic nanotubes and 2/3 semiconducting nanotubes. Several methods exist to sort the metallic from the semiconducting nanotubes such as using ac dielectrophoresis, DNA chromatography, and destruction of metallic nanotubes by electric current. This patent from Sony includes some basic claims for an another method of selective destruction of the metallic or semiconductor nanotubes using laser irradiation. Claims 5 and 9 read:

5. A method for destroying metallic carbon nanotubes comprising irradiating metallic carbon nanotubes with energy beams, wherein the energy beams are laser light.

9. A method for destroying semiconducting carbon nanotubes, the method comprising irradiating with energy beams for destruction of semiconducting carbon nanotubes.

US Patent 7629994 - Quantum dot motion capture

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7629994.html

Image capture technology is becoming more commonly used in computer graphic animation in the last several years. This patent from Sony teaches using quantum dots having sizes tuned to different wavelengths as markers in order to map the movement of more actors and objects during image capture. Claim 1 reads:

1. A quantum nanodot processing system, comprising:

at least one image capture camera configured to capture scenes including actors and/or objects in a visible band; and

at least one marker capture camera configured to capture motions of the actors and/or objects applied with at least one quantum nanodot (QD) marker,

wherein a first marker and a second marker of said at least one QD marker are excited with an excitation signal of a third wavelength but the first marker is tuned to emit a narrowband IR signal of a first wavelength and the second marker is tuned to emit a narrowband IR signal of a second wavelength, and the first wavelength and the second wavelength are longer than the third wavelength of the excitation signal,

wherein a first marker capture camera of said at least one marker capture camera is tuned to capture the narrowband IR signal of the first wavelength emitted by the first marker, and

wherein a second marker capture camera of said at least one marker capture camera is tuned to capture the narrowband IR emitting signal of the second wavelength emitted by the second marker.

US Patent 7480981 - Microelectromechanical disk drive

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7480981.html

Magnetic disk drives allow for high data storage but miniaturization of the entire disk drive itself has been limited by requirements of high mechanical control. This patent from Sony teaches a solution based on microelectromechanical disk drives which may eventually compete with flash memory for portable electronics. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of forming a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) system, the method comprising:

forming a substrate including a plurality of rotor elements and at least one layer of magnetic material, the rotor elements being connected to respective stator elements;

cutting the substrate to isolate the rotor elements to form corresponding MEMS rotors, each supporting at least one film of magnetic material;

forming a circular pattern of V-shaped grooves in the MEMS rotors such that, upon rotation of the MEMS rotors, positive air pressure reduces frictional contact between the MEMS rotors and the stator; and

providing magnetic heads for respective ones of the MEMS rotors, for communicating data with the magnetic material.

US Patent 7463116 - Complementary MEMS resonators

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7463116.html

This patent from Sony teaches a microresonator array configured to balance oscillation forces leading to more stable operation. Claim 1 reads:

1. A micro-resonator comprising:

a plurality of micro-resonant elements having a beam structure facing an input electrode and an output electrode which use a micromechanical oscillation provided on the same substrate, wherein, a micro-resonant element to oscillate in a first phase and a micro-resonant element to oscillate in a second phase that is a reverse phase to the first phase are disposed to be a pair.

US Patent 7422922 - Photovoltaics formed with semiconductor nanoparticle electrodes

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7422922.html

This patent from Sony teaches a new manufacturing method for forming nanoparticle based solar cells having enhanced adhesiveness between the photovoltaic material and a substrate and better durability with respect to bending or expansion of the substrate. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of manufacturing a photoelectric conversion device using a semiconductor electrode comprising semiconductor nanoparticles, the method comprising:

coating a paste containing a binder and semiconductor nanoparticles dispersed therein on a transparent conductive substrate; and

forming the semiconductor electrode by drying the paste, and thereafter pressing the paste to bond the semiconductor nanoparticles onto the transparent conductive substrate while heating it to a temperature in the range from 30° C. to a softening temperature of the transparent conductive substrate, wherein pressing the paste includes contacting the paste with a device suited for pressing.

US Patent 7408184 - Conjugated molecular switch

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7408184.html

Reconfigurable molecular switches have been an active area of theoretical research for a few decades now and steps to prototype molecular electronic devices based on catenane and rotaxane molecules have been taken by Hewlett-Packard and others. This patent from Sony teaches a new type of molecular switch based on conjugated molecules boded to metal ions. Claim 1 reads:

1. A functional molecular element comprising:

a molecule with permittivity anisotropy and/or a dipole moment;

a metal ion; and

a conjugated molecule, wherein the molecule with permittivity anisotropy and/or the dipole moment and the conjugated molecule form a complex with the metal ion, and wherein conductivity of the conjugated molecule is changed by changing an orientation of the molecule with the permittivity anisotropy and/or the dipole moment by an action of an electric field.

US Patent 7276172 - Nanowire crossbar fabrication using nucleic acid block copolymers

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7276172.html

A primary advantages of nanowire crossbar arrays, which are being proposed for high density memory and computational devices, is that they are based on regular, periodic structures. This patent from Sony uses co-polymer self assembly, which is very good at establishing such periodic structures, to form nanowire crossbars. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for preparing a nanowire crossbar structure, comprising: forming a composite structure on a substrate, the composite structure comprising a nucleic acid-block copolymer having equidistant nucleic acid-catalyst binding sites and at least one catalyst nanoparticle functionalized to bind specifically to at least one of the nucleic acid-catalyst binding sites; and growing at least one nanowire from the at least one catalyst nanoparticle as part of the nanowire crossbar structure; wherein: the substrate is etched to form grooves for receiving nanowires prior to forming the composite structure on the substrate; and the grooves are formed to a diameter of from about 2 nm to about 40 nm.

US Patent 7196386 - Spin polarized memory using fullerene

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7196386.html

Memory devices that use electron spin rather than electron charge to store data have been experimented with using mostly paramagnetic and semiconductor materials. This patent from Sony explains that the use of fullerene films in forming spin conduction layers allows for a longer coherence length for the spin to allow for practical operation. Claim 1 reads:

1. A memory element wherein recording information is written by injecting spin-polarized electrons, the memory element comprising: a spin conduction layer made of a spherical shell or cylindrical molecule material having a hollow portion, and wherein the spin-polarized electrons are conducted by the spin conduction layer.