Nanosys Acquires Pioneering Molecular Manufacturing Technology from UCLA

Palo Alto, CA - (April 30, 2002). Nanosys Incorporated reported today that it obtained exclusive rights from the University of California, Los Angeles to intellectual property developed in the laboratory of Professor James Heath. The patent portfolio, which includes a number of issued patents and pending applications, covers intellectual property related to cross-bar array architecture, a novel, extremely powerful and very simple and versatile approach to designing and manufacturing nano-enabled systems.

The cross-bar architecture, originally developed as a scalable platform for molecular electronics and memory, is so versatile that it can be used for a wide array of nano applications. The fundamental design patented by the UCLA researchers consists of a set of wires arranged in one direction, and a second set of aligned perpendicular wires. The resulting structure resembles a city grid, with switches at the intersections. Each switch is individually addressable, and can be reversibly switched by controlling electric input to each arm of the crossbar.

“By linking molecular switches and wires, we created highly effective logic gates with true molecular dimensions. This architecture can easily circumvent chemical imperfections: if an individual switch is defective, the electric signal can still reach its destination via parallel wires”, commented Dr. James Heath, the winner of the 2001 Feynman Prize in nanotechnology and a scientific co-founder of Nanosys. “In the lab, we have already made working 16-bit memory circuits. Within a few years, we will have in place working prototypes for a wide array of nano-based devices. The process for assembling wires and switches into the cross-bar pattern is simple and highly reproducible, so it can be scaled up for large-volume manufacturing”.

“Of all the companies that approached UCLA seeking to license this intellectual property, Nanosys had by far the most comprehensive technology platform, and their founding team is simply outstanding. We are confident that the team at Nanosys will be first to market with devices based on the cross-bar technology”, said Emily Waldron, at the UCLA Office of Intellectual Property.

“The biggest challenge in nanotechnology is translating the elegant science that we can do at the molecular level into economically viable applications. Cross-bar architecture is a simple, powerful way to accelerate commercial development of nanodevices ranging from biological and chemical sensors to opto-electronics to nanoelectronics”, stated Larry Bock, President and CEO of Nanosys. “This technology allows Nanosys to realize sophisticated, practical, and reliable devices while dramatically reducing manufacturing cost“.

About Professor James Heath

Dr. James Heath, Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles, is the winner of several prestigious awards in the fields of physics and chemistry, including Raymond and Beverly Sackler Prize in the Physical Sciences (2001), Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology and Jules Springer Prize for Applied Physics. Dr. Heath is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. He is currently the director of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), which was formed by California's Governor Grey Davis. Dr. Heath was a David and Lucile Packard Fellow and an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow. As a graduate student at Rice University, Dr. Heath was a member of the team that discovered buckminsterfullerene (C60, or "buckyballs"), a new class of all-carbon materials with the potential for countless industrial applications.

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