BACKGROUND:  Current, mature semiconductor technologies allow for altering of electrical conducting properties through doping. While state of the art techniques allow for precise doping, manufacturing requires large, expensive capital equipment, and resultant semiconductors are quite rigid and sensitive to defects. Previous attempts at creating nanowires have proved difficult, as doping and controlling their conductive properties is quite difficult. Furthermore, replicating electrical behavior from device to device with current nanowire techniques is difficult and highly sensitive to material defects.

INNOVATION:  The innovation in this invention is that networks of molecular nanowires are used to control the electrical properties. Due to the use of networks of nanowires, these nanowires are more robust and immune to defects. Moreover, these nanowires can be readily manufactured without expensive epitaxial techniques, can be incorporated into flexible surfaces, and readily doped to control their electrical properties.

These networks of nanowires can also be used for sensitive biological and chemical sensors. The networks of nanowires can be readily synthesized with large surface area, making them good candidates for highly sensitive sensors. These networks of nanowires can be easily grown through a myriad of techniques, including solution casting, Langmuir-Blodgett film deposition techniques, and electrospinning among others.

POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS: 

This technology's potential commercial applications include:

• Alternatives to silicon-based photolithography processing.
• Flexible, nanoelectronic devices.
• Sensitive bio and chemical sensors.

DEVELOPMENT-TO-DATE:  The innovation has been fully conceptualized and demonstrated in the lab. Field effect transistor (FET) behavior has been demonstrated in the lab, with the gate voltage altering the conductive properties of the nanowire network.

ABOUT THE LAB:  This innovation was created in Professor Kaner's laboratory, in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. The web site for the lab is http://web.chem.ucla.edu/~kaner/Home.html.

INVENTOR:  : Dr. Richard Kaner is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. He is recipient of multiple awards including NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award, and was most recently a John Simon Guggenheim Fellow. Dr. Jiaxing Huang is a graduate of Dr. Kaner's lab, and received the 2004 UCLA Inorganic Dissertation award.

Reference: UCLA Case No. 2004-043

PCT Application: PCT/US04/028633