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:
Nov. 28, 2006
Filed:
Jul. 25, 2002
John Stephen Smith, Berkeley, CA (US);
Mark A. Hadley, Newark, CA (US);
Gordon S. W. Craig, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Paul F. Nealey, Madison, WI (US);
John Stephen Smith, Berkeley, CA (US);
Mark A. Hadley, Newark, CA (US);
Gordon S. W. Craig, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Paul F. Nealey, Madison, WI (US);
Alien Technology Corporation, Morgan Hill, CA (US);
Abstract
Methods and apparatuses for assembling elements onto a substrate. The surfaces of the elements and/or the substrate are treated and the elements are dispensed over the substrate in a slurry. In one example of the invention, the substrate is exposed to a surface treatment fluid to create a surface on the substrate which has a selected one of a hydrophilic or a hydrophobic nature, and a slurry is dispensed over the substrate. The slurry includes a fluid and a plurality of elements (each of which includes a functional component). Each of the plurality of elements is designed to be received by a receptor region on the substrate. The dispensing of the slurry with the fluid occurs after the substrate is exposed to the surface treatment fluid, and the fluid is the selected one of a hydrophilic or a hydrophobic nature. In another example of the invention, a plurality of elements is exposed to a surface treatment fluid to create surfaces on the elements having a selected one of a hydrophilic or a hydrophobic nature. A slurry is dispensed over a substrate, wherein the slurry contains a fluid and the plurality of elements which are designed to be received by a plurality of receptor regions. The fluid is the selected one of a hydrophilic or hydrophobic nature. In another example of an aspect of the invention, a surfactant is used with a slurry having elements which are deposited onto receptor regions in a fluidic self assembly process. Other examples of methods are also described.