Intellectual Property Law

US Patent 7342403 - CNT IC test probe

By blaisemouttet

Due to their high aspect ratios nanowires and nanotubes are popular choices for the tips of scanning probes microscopes used to inspect matter on a molecular or atomic level. This patent from Hon Hai is a variation of this idea and teaches nanotubes directly grown from a cantilever probe (not using a scanning probe tip) for testing the functionality of ICs. Claim 1 reads:

1. A test apparatus for integrated circuits comprising a data collector, the data collector comprising: a cantilever having a free end; a substrate formed at the free end; at least one electrically conductive film formed on a surface of the substrate facing away from the free end; at least one catalyst film formed on the corresponding electrically conductive film; and at least one probe grown from the corresponding catalyst film and each of the at least one probe comprising at least one carbon nanotube.

Full post as published by TinytechIP on March 14, 2008 (boomark / email).