Semiconductor device manufacturing: process – Making device or circuit responsive to nonelectrical signal – Physical stress responsive
Reexamination Certificate
2006-09-26
2006-09-26
Coleman, W. David (Department: 2823)
Semiconductor device manufacturing: process
Making device or circuit responsive to nonelectrical signal
Physical stress responsive
Reexamination Certificate
active
07112464
ABSTRACT:
Electro-mechanical switches and memory cells using vertically-disposed nanofabric articles and methods of making the same are described. An electro-mechanical device, includes a structure having a major horizontal surface and a channel formed therein. A conductive trace is in the channel; and a nanotube article vertically suspended in the channel, in spaced relation to a vertical wall of the channel. The article is electro-mechanically deflectable in a horizontal direction toward the conductive trace. Under certain embodiments, the vertically suspended extent of the nanotube article is defined by a thin film process. Under certain embodiments, the vertically suspended extent of the nanotube article is about 50 nanometers or less. Under certain embodiments, the nanotube article is clamped with a conducting material disposed in porous spaces between some nanotubes of the nanotube article. Under certain embodiments, the nanotube article is formed from a porous nanofabric. Under certain embodiments, the nanotube article is electromechanically deflectable into contact with the conductive trace and the contact is either a volatile state or non-volatile state depending on the device construction. Under certain embodiments, the vertically oriented device is arranged into various forms of three-trace devices. Under certain embodiments, the channel may be used for multiple independent devices, or for devices that share a common electrode.
REFERENCES:
patent: 6128214 (2000-10-01), Kuekes et al.
patent: 6159620 (2000-12-01), Heath et al.
patent: 6183714 (2001-02-01), Smalley et al.
patent: 6198655 (2001-03-01), Heath et al.
patent: 6221330 (2001-04-01), Moy et al.
patent: 6232706 (2001-05-01), Dai et al.
patent: 6340822 (2002-01-01), Brown et al.
patent: 6445006 (2002-09-01), Brandes et al.
patent: 6518156 (2003-02-01), Chen
patent: 6548841 (2003-04-01), Frazier et al.
patent: 6559468 (2003-05-01), Kuekes et al.
patent: 6574130 (2003-06-01), Segal et al.
patent: 6643165 (2003-11-01), Segal et al.
patent: 6673424 (2004-01-01), Lindsay
patent: 6706402 (2004-03-01), Rueckes et al.
patent: 6750471 (2004-06-01), Bethune et al.
patent: 6759693 (2004-07-01), Vogeli et al.
patent: 6774052 (2004-08-01), Vogeli et al.
patent: 6781166 (2004-08-01), Lieber et al.
patent: 6784028 (2004-08-01), Rueckes et al.
patent: 6803840 (2004-10-01), Jin
patent: 6809465 (2004-10-01), Hunt et al.
patent: 6924538 (2005-08-01), Jaiprakash et al.
patent: 2002/0130311 (2002-09-01), Lieber et al.
patent: 2002/0130353 (2002-09-01), Lieber et al.
patent: 2002/0172963 (2002-11-01), Kelley et al.
patent: 2002/0175390 (2002-11-01), Goldstein et al.
patent: 2002/0179434 (2002-12-01), Dai et al.
patent: 2003/0021966 (2003-01-01), Segal et al.
patent: 2003/0124325 (2003-07-01), Rueckes et al.
patent: 2004/0159833 (2003-08-01), Rueckes et al.
patent: 2004/0164289 (2003-08-01), Rueckes et al.
patent: 2003/0165074 (2003-09-01), Segal et al.
patent: 2003/0234407 (2003-12-01), Vogeli et al.
patent: 2003/0236000 (2003-12-01), Vogeli et al.
patent: 2004/0085805 (2004-05-01), Segal et al.
patent: 2004/0181630 (2004-09-01), Jaiprakash et al.
patent: 2004/0191978 (2004-09-01), Rueckes et al.
patent: 2004/0214366 (2004-10-01), Segal et al.
patent: 2004/0214367 (2004-10-01), Segal et al.
patent: WO 01/03208 (2001-01-01), None
patent: WO 01/44796 (2001-06-01), None
patent: WO 04/065657 (2004-08-01), None
Ajayan, P.M., et al., “Nanometre-size tubes of carbon,”Rep. Prog. Phys.,1997, vol. 60, pp. 1025-1062.
Avouris, Ph., “Carbon nanotube electronics,” Chem. Physics, 2002, vol. 281, pp. 429-445.
Casavant, M.J. et al., “Neat macroscopic membranes of aligned carbon nanotubes,”Journal of Appl. Phys.,2003, vol. 93(4), pp. 2153-2156.
Chen, R. J. et al., “Noncovalent Sidewall Functionalization of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Protein Immobilization,” J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2001, vol. 123, pp. 3838-3839.
Choi, W.B. et al., “Carbon-nanotube-based nonvolatile memory with oxide-nitride-film and nanoscale channel,”Appl. Phys. Lett.,2003, vol. 82(2), pp. 275-277.
Cui, J.B. et al., “Carbon Nanotube Memory Devices of High Charge Storage Stability,”Appl. Phys. Lett.,2002, vol. 81(17), pp. 3260-3262.
Dai, H. et al., “Controlled Chemical Routes to Nanotube Architectures, Physics, and Devices,”J. Phys. Chem. B,1999, vol. 103, pp. 111246-11255.
Dequesnes, M. et al., “Calculation of pull-in voltages for carbon-nanotube-based nanoelectromechanical switches,”Nanotechnology,2002, vol. 13, pp. 120-131.
Dequesnes, M. et al., “Simulation of carbon nanotube-based nanoelectromechanical switches,”Computational Nanoscience and Nanotechnology,2002, pp. 383-386.
Fan, S. et al., “Carbon nanotube arrays on silicon substrates and their possible application,”Physica E,2000. vol. 8, pp. 179-183.
Farajian, A. A. et al., “Electronic transport through bent carbon nanotubes: Nanoelectromechanical sensors and switches,”Phys. Rev. B,2003, vol. 67, pp. 205423-1-205423-6.
Fischer, J.E. et al., “Magnetically aligned single wall carbon nanotube films: Preferred orientation and anisotropic transport properties,”Journal of Appl. Phys.,2003, vol. 93(4), pp. 2157-2163.
Franklin, N. R. et al., “Integration of suspended carbon nanotube arrays into electronic devices and electromechanical system,”Appl. Phys. Lett.,2002, vol. 81(5), pp. 913-915.
Fuhrer, M.S. et al., “High-Mobility Nanotube Transistor Memory,”Nano Letters,2002, vol. 2(7), pp. 755-759.
Homma, Y. et al., “Growth of Suspended Carbon Nanotubes Networks on 100-mm-scale Silicon Pillars,”Appl. Phys. Lett.,2002, vol. 81(12), pp. 2261-2263.
Kinaret, J.M. et al., “A carbon-nanotube-based nanorelay”Appl. Phys. Lett.,2003, vol. 82(8), pp. 1287-1289.
Lee, K.H. et al., “Control of growth orientation for carbon nanotubes,”Appl. Phys. Lett.,2003, vol. 82(3), pp. 448-450.
Radosavljevic, M. et al., “Nonvolatile molecular memory elements based on ambipolar nanotube field effect transistors,”Nano Letters,2002, vol. 2(7), pp. 761-764.
Robinson, L.A.W., “Self-Aligned Electrodes for Suspended Carbon Nanotube Structures,”Microelectronic Engineering,2003, vols. 67-68, pp. 615-622.
Rueckes, T., et al., “Carbon Nanotube-Based Nonvolatile Random Access Memory for Molecular Computing”Science,2000, vol. 289, pp. 94-97.
Soh, H. T. et al., “Integrated nanotube circuits: Controlled growth and ohmic contacting of single-walled carbon nanotubes,”Appl. Phys. Lett.,1999. vol. 75(5), pp. 627-629.
Sreekumar, T. V., et al., “Single-wall Carbon Nanotube Films”,Chem. Mater.2003, vol. 15, pp. 175-178.
Tour, J. M. et al., “NanoCell Electronic Mamories,”J. Am. Chem Soc.,2003, vol. 125, pp. 13279-13283.
Verissimo-Alves, M. et al., “Electromechanical effects in carbon nanotubes: Ab initio and anlytical tight-binding calculations,”Phys. Rev. B,2003, vol. 67, pp. 161401-1-161401-4.
Wolf, S., Silicon Processing for the VLSI Era; vol. 2—Process Integration, Multi-Level-Interconnect Technology for VLSI and ULSI, 1990, Section 4.3 Materials for Multilevel Interconnect Technologies, pp. 189-191, Lattice Press, Sunset Beach.
Wolf, S., Silicon Processing for the VLSI Era; vol. 2—Process Integration, 1990, Section 4.7 Manufacturing Yield and Reliability Issues of VLSI Interconnects, pp. 260-273, Lattice Press, Sunset Beach.
Zhan, W. et al., “Microelectrochemical Logic Circuits,”J. Am. Chem. Soc.,2003, vol. 125, pp. 9934-9935.
Zhang, Y. and Hongjie Dai. “Formation of metal nanowires on suspended single-walled carbon nanotubes.”Applied Physics Letters ,vol. 77 (Nov. 6, 2000): 3015-3017.
Jaiprakash Venkatachalam C.
Rueckes Thomas
Segal Brent M.
Ward Jonathan W.
Coleman W. David
Nantero Inc.
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP
LandOfFree
Devices having vertically-disposed nanofabric articles and... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Devices having vertically-disposed nanofabric articles and..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Devices having vertically-disposed nanofabric articles and... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3571503