Two clear trends are emerging from the swirling mists of nanotech (or three if you believe the increasing rumours of the imminent demise of a high profile small tech publication!).
Firstly you need to partner, and secondly, expertise in handling nanotech can be as valuable as the technology itself.
One company that punched both buttons this week is Nantero, who recently partnered with LSI Logic Corporation and have now joined UK defence and aerospace company BAE Systems to to develop carbon nanotube-based electronic devices for use in advanced defense and aerospace systems.
In the light of the statrement by Intel director of technology strategy and chairman of the ITRS (International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors) Paolo Gargini at the opening of Semicon West that for at least the next 15 to 20 years, we can continue staying on Moores Law. In fact, all this so-called nanotechnology offers many new knobs we can turn to continue improving the number of components on a die, Nanteros CMOS compatible process technology (i.e. how do you integrate carbon nanotubes into electronic devices without cooking the rest of the wafer?), could be potentially more lucrative than the high profile memory applications.