Mashed Articles

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7417320.html

Carbon nanotube patterning often involves the processing of a catalytic film that can damage other areas of a substrate making integration with more conventional electronics difficult. This patent from Fujitsu teaches using a base film to facilitate the patterning to avoid processing of the catalytic film that can cause damage. Claim 1 reads:

1. A substrate structure, comprising:

a substrate;

a base film pattern-formed in a region on said substrate;

a catalyst material deposited on an entire surface on said substrate so as to cover said base film and having a first portion formed on said base film and a second portion formed on said substrate; and

a linear structure made of a carbon element and formed only on a portion corresponding to a portion on said base film of said catalyst material said first portion.

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7416993.html

Nantero has focused most of their patents on nanomechanical switches formed from carbon nanotube fabrics. This patent extends the scope of their nanofabric technology to cover other possible nanowire based patterning. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of making a conductive article on a substrate, comprising:

forming a nanowire fabric on the substrate;

defining the nanowire fabric to have a pattern; and

forming a strapping layer that contacts at least a longitudinally-extending portion of the nanowire fabric.

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7416699.html

This patent from Stanford University has an early priority date (Aug. 14, 1998) and includes some very basic claims to carbon nanotubes formed from catalyst islands used as electrical interconnects. Claim 1 reads:

1. A nanotube device comprising:

first and second conducting elements and at least one nanotube adapted to pass current between the first and second conducting elements, wherein a first end of said at least one nanotube is in electrical contact with the first conducting element and a second end of said at least one nanotube is in electrical contact with the second conducting element, and wherein at least one end of the at least one nanotube is rooted in a catalyst island.

A similar patent (with even broader claims) to nanotube interconnects was also issued to Canon as US Patent 7,148,619. The US priority of the Canon patent is Oct. 26, 1998 but the foreign priority is Oct. 30, 1997.