Issue

Contrary to what most people think, a patent does not confer the right to actually do anything; only the right to stop others from exploiting an invention.

It’s been a crazy couple of months for conferences and events. Not surprisingly, the public markets and funding continue to be the main focus of conversation.

I recently had the opportunity to interview a living legend of nanotechnology. Morinobu Endo is unassuming about the role he has played in commercial nanotech.

Industry calls for consistent terminology

It is fascinating to look back a few years at the early predictions made about the impact of nanotechnologies.

It was just a few years ago that nanoelectronics was, well, hypothetical. Today it is anything but.

Before there were carbon nanotubes, there was Morinobu Endo. Like the semiconductor industry itself, Endo has been battling manufacturing problems for more than 30 years.

From semiconductor lithography to the imaging of living cells, optical techniques are being challenged by alternative approaches.

Just a few short years ago the MEMS fab business was decidedly in the doldrums. Today it is catching a tailwind.

Small Times has run its share of stories that were, well, out of this world. We have tracked the use of MEMS in satellites and covered the development of nanomaterials for spacecraft.

Vacations are supposed to be about disconnecting from work, finding that downtime to recharge, and experiencing that outside world which you ordinarily don’t have the chance to see.

New specs to provide foundation for global manufacturing

Initiatives designed to jump start nano-technology investment received a shot in the arm when the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Trade, Tourism, and Economic Development held a Capitol Hill hearing on May 4 spotlighting public-private programs in rural states that have paid dividends for companies like Hewlett-Packard.

The first category - venture capital - of our state rankings shows few surprises in the first and second slots.