Mashed Articles

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7419764.html

In order to achieve sub-100 nm processing in coming years one alternative is nanoimprint lithography. Nanoimprint lithography uses a mold to transfer a pattern onto an opposing substrate. This patent from S. Korea’s Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute teaches a method for forming a nanoimprint mold using photolithography to form the larger (>100nm) features and E-beam lithography to form the nanoscopic (<100nm) surface features. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of fabricating a nanoimprint lithography (NHL) mold comprising:

forming patterns on a first substrate using an E-beam lithography (EBL) process and a photo-lithography process; and

transferring the patterns formed on the first substrate to a second substrate using a nanoimprint lithography process to complete an NIL mold.

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/7417119.html

This patent from SRI International teaches a new way to conduct protein assembly to build complex molecular structures by using programmable charge patterns that can attract molecules in specified arrangements. Although I am generally sceptical of the popularized “nanorobot” version of nanotechnology, the technology covered by this patent has at least some possibility of leading in the direction of some sort of manufacturable nanobiorobot. Claim 1 reads:

1. A device for promoting the bonding of molecules from a medium containing unbound molecules of interest, said device comprising:

an addressable nanoscale array, said nanoscale array being multilayer and on a flexible substrate and wherein a charge pattern is imposable on a first surface of said addressable nanoscale array, such that the charge pattern is predetermined to selectively attract molecules from said medium and whereby, as a consequence of the attraction of the charge pattern, formation of bonds among said molecules of interest is effected.