The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 23, 2003
Filed:
Nov. 02, 1999
John Stephen Smith, Berkeley, CA (US);
Mark A. Hadley, Newark, CA (US);
Gordon S. W. Craig, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Frank Lowe, Berkeley, CA (US);
Alien Technology Corporation, Morgan Hill, CA (US);
Abstract
Methods and apparatuses for assembling a structure onto a substrate. A method according to one aspect of the invention includes dispensing a slurry onto a substrate wherein the slurry includes a first plurality of elements, each of which is designed to mate with a receptor region on said substrate and each of which comprises a functional element, and wherein the slurry also includes a second plurality of elements which are not designed to mate with receptor regions on the substrate. Typically, these second plurality of elements help movement of the first plurality of elements. A method according to another aspect of the invention includes dispensing in a flow having a first direction a slurry onto a substrate, wherein the slurry includes a fluid and a plurality of elements, each of which is designed to mate with a receptor region on the substrate and each of which includes a functional element, and vibrating substrate in a second direction which is substantially perpendicular to the first direction. A method according to another aspect of the invention includes creating a slurry comprising of fluid and a plurality of elements, each of which is designed to mate with a receptor region on the substrate and each of which comprises a functional element, and projecting the slurry through a nozzle toward the substrate. In one particular implementation of this aspect, additional nozzles may be used to provide suction or additional fluid or additional slurry. A method according to another aspect of the invention includes dissolving a bonding agent into a solvent to create a fluid, dispensing a slurry onto a substrate, wherein the slurry includes the fluid and a plurality of elements each of which is designed to mate with a receptor region on the substrate and each of which comprises a functional element, and evaporating the solvent after each of the plurality of elements has mated with a corresponding receptor, wherein the bonding agent bonds each of the plurality of elements to the corresponding receptor region.