US6459095B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Chemically synthesized and assembled electronics devices
Assignee: HP Inc
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Filing: 1999-03-29
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Granted: 2002-10-01
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Expires: 2019-03-29
Abstract
Abstract A route to the fabrication of electronic devices is provided, in which the devices consist of two crossed wires sandwiching an electrically addressable molecular species. The approach is extremely simple and inexpensive to implement, and scales from wire dimensions of several micrometers down to nanometer-scale dimensions. The device of the present invention can be used to produce crossbar switch arrays, logic devices, memory devices, and communication and signal routing devices. The present invention enables construction of molecular electronic devices on a length scale than can range from micrometers to nanometers via a straightforward and inexpensive chemical assembly procedure. The device is either partially or completely chemically assembled, and the key to the scaling is that the location of the devices on the substrate are defined once the devices have been assembled, not prior to assembly.
Inventors
- 👤 James R. Heath
- 👤 R. Stanley Williams
- 👤 Philip J. Kuekes
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 17:23
CPC Classifications
B; B82; B82B; B82B1/00; B82Y; B82Y10/00; B82Y30/00; G; G11; G11C; G11C13/00; G11C13/0002; G11C13/0009; G11C13/0014; G11C13/02; H; H10; H10K; H10K10/00; H10K10/701; G11C2213/00; G11C2213/70; G11C2213/72; G11C2213/77; G11C2213/81; H10B; H10B20/00; H10B20/20; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S977/00; Y10S977/70; Y10S977/701; Y10S977/702; Y10S977/704; Y10S977/705; Y10S977/902; Y10S977/932; Y10S977/936
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
79 words
A crossed-wire device comprising a pair of crossed wires that form a junction where one wire crosses another at an angle other than zero degrees and at least one connector species connecting said pair of crossed wires in said junction, said junction having a functional dimension in nanometers, wherein said at least one connector species and said pair of crossed wires forms an electrochemical cell and wherein said at least one connector species comprises an electrically addressable molecular species.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
79 words
A crossed-wire device comprising a pair of crossed wires that form a junction where one wire crosses another at an angle other than zero degrees and at least one connector species connecting said pair of crossed wires in said junction, said junction having a functional dimension in nanometers, wherein said at least one connector species and said pair of crossed wires forms an electrochemical cell and wherein said at least one connector species comprises an electrically addressable molecular species.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
The device of claim 1 wherein said at least one connector species forms a quantum state molecular switch comprising an electrically adjustable tunnel junction between said two wires.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
39 words
The device of claim 1 wherein at least one of said two wires has a thickness that is about the same size as said at least one connector species, and over an order of magnitude longer than its diameter.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
27 words
The device of claim 3 wherein both of said two wires have a thickness that is about the same size as said at least one connector species.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
20 words
The device of claim 1 wherein both of said two wires have a thickness that ranges from sub-micrometer to micrometer.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
15 words
The device of claim 1 wherein said junction is a singly configurable or reconfigurable switch.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
31 words
The device of claim 6 wherein said junction is at least one of elements selected from the group consisting of resistors, tunneling resistors, diodes, tunneling diodes, resonant tunneling diodes, and batteries.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
16 words
The device of claim 1 wherein each said wire independently comprises a conductor or a semiconductor.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
21 words
The device of claim 8 further including an insulating layer or a modulation-doped coating on at least one of said wires.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
12 words
The device of claim 9 wherein said insulating layer comprises an oxide.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
22 words
The device of claim 8 wherein at least one of said wires is a semiconductor and wherein said semiconductor is internally doped.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
16 words
The device of claim 1 wherein said at least one connector species comprises a bi-stable molecule.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
33 words
The device of claim 12 wherein said bi-stable molecule is one that displays a significant hysteresis in its current-voltage curve, obtained either from solution electrochemistry or from current-voltage characteristics in a solid-state junction.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
25 words
The device of claim 12 wherein said device is irreversibly switchable from a first chemical state to a second chemical state of said bi-stable molecule.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
25 words
The device of claim 12 wherein said device is reversibly switchable between a first chemical state and a second chemical state of said bi-stable molecule.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
16 words
The device of claim 12 wherein said connector species comprises a layer of said bi-stable molecules.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
22 words
The device of claim 16 wherein said layer of said bi-stable molecules has a thickness of a monolayer of said bi-stable molecules.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
21 words
The device of claim 12 wherein said connector species is selected from the group consisting of metalocenes, rotaxanes, pseudo-rotaxanes, and catenanes.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2005-09-30 | 2006-04-01 | 2006-10-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2009-09-30 | 2010-04-01 | 2010-10-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2013-09-30 | 2014-04-01 | 2014-10-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |