# US 8,785,763 B2 · Joined nanostructures and methods therefor

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- Number: US 8,785,763 B2
- Document ID: US8785763B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/015,192
- Filed: 2013-08-30
- Published: 2014-01-02
- Granted: 2014-07-22
- Earliest claimed: 2010-01-25
- Assignees: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
- Applicants: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
- Inventors: Melburne C. LeMieux; Ajay Virkar; Zhenan Bao
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8785763B2

## CPC

- H10D 62/815: of structures having periodic or quasi-periodic potential variation, e.g. superlattices or multiple quantum wells [MQW]
- B82Y 10/00: Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
- B82Y 30/00: Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
- B82Y 40/00: Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
- H10D 62/118: {Nanostructure semiconductor bodies}
- H10D 62/121: {oriented parallel to substrates}
- H10F 71/121: {The active layers comprising only Group IV materials}
- H10F 77/1437: {Quantum wires or nanorods}
- H10K 30/82: Transparent electrodes, e.g. indium tin oxide [ITO] electrodes
- H10K 85/221: {Carbon nanotubes}
- B82Y 99/00: Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
- Y02E 10/547: Monocrystalline silicon PV cells
- Y02E 10/549: Organic PV cells
- Y02P 70/50: Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
- H10K: ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

Nanostructures are joined using one or more of a variety of materials and approaches. As consistent with various example embodiments, two or more nanostructures are joined at a junction between the nanostructures. The nanostructures may touch or be nearly touching at the junction, and a joining material is deposited and nucleates at the junction to couple the nanostructures together. In various applications, the nucleated joining material facilitates conductivity (thermal and/or electric) between the nanostructures. In some embodiments, the joining material further enhances conductivity of the nanostructures themselves, such as by growing along the nanostructures and/or doping the nanostructures.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electronic circuit comprising:
a film including a plurality of nanostructures; and
a nucleated joining material configured to physically and electrically couple the nanostructures at the junctions, a substantial majority of the joining material in the electronic circuit physically and electrically coupled to at least one of the nanostructures, relative to nucleated material that is not physically and electrically coupled to any of the nanostructures, to set the transmittance of light through the film.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The circuit of claim 1, wherein the plurality of nanostructures include metallic nanostructures and doped semiconducting nanostructures.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The circuit of claim 1, wherein
the plurality of nanostructures include metallic nanostructures and doped semiconducting nanostructures, and
the nucleated joining material includes nucleated joining material between a metallic nanostructure and a doped semiconducting nanostructure.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The circuit of claim 1, wherein the plurality of nanostructures include metallic nanostructures and doped semiconducting nanostructures, the doped semiconducting nanostructures having a dopant material that is the same as a material in the joining material.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The circuit of claim 1, wherein the plurality of nanostructures and the joining material form a transparent film that passes at least 40% of light incident upon the film.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The circuit of claim 1, wherein the plurality of nanostructures include nanostructures having junctions therebetween, including junctions between two semiconducting nanotubes, between two metallic nanotubes, and between a semiconducting nanotube and a metallic nanotube.