US Patent 7696022 - Laser trimming of nanowire electronics

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7696022.html

Solution-based deposition of nanowires has been used to form thin film transistors. However, this can produce an irregular positioning of the nanowires resulting in nonuniform electrical characteristics. This patent from Canon teaches a solution to this problem by using laser trimming. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of manufacturing an electric device having a plurality of nanowires, comprising the steps of:

fabricating the electric device by using the plurality of nanowires;

measuring a characteristic value of the fabricated electric device; and

cutting at least one of the nanowires or changing electric characteristics of at least one of the nanowires so as to have a desired characteristic value of the electric device,

wherein the step of cutting at least one of the nanowires is carried out by laser trimming.