Cornell University researchers have unveiled striking, atomic-resolution details of what graphene "quilts" look like at the boundaries between patches, and have uncovered key insights into graphene’s electrical and mechanical properties.

IEDM 2010, which took place early in December, included papers on all aspects of advanced semiconductor manufacturing. Techcet's Michael A. Fury reviews several papers he saw at IEDM covering Nobel-Prize-garnering nanomaterial graphene.

IBM (NYSE: IBM) Research is the first to measure the movement and processing of digital data as a magnetic pattern on nanowires 1,000 times finer than a human hair. Racetrack Memory uses the spin of electrons to move data at hundreds of miles per hour to atomically precise positions along the nanowire "racetrack."

Just as walkie-talkies transmit and receive radio waves, carbon nanotubes can transmit and receive light at the nanoscale, Cornell researchers have discovered.

SUSS MicroTec announced a strategic collaboration with the Cornell NanoScale Science & Technology Facility (CNF). As part of the cooperation, Cornell staff will perform research using SUSS lithography equipment, including enhanced contact aligner tool sets and a Gamma spray coater.

Surrey NanoSystems announced the first sales of its new nanomaterial growth system, the NanoGrowth-Catalyst, to the École Polytechnique of Montreal and the University of Surrey's Advanced Technology Institute.

Vorbeck Materials secured an additional $2.785 million in a fully subscribed series 2b financing, which was completed December 30, 2010. Fairbridge Venture Partners and Stoneham Partners led the round, along with individual investors.

University of Michigan-Dearborn mechanical engineering Prof. Pravansu Mohanty's start-up company, CSquared Innovations, won a $25,000 Next Gen Manufacturing Award. The company uses nano-structured films and materials for diverse applications.

ActaCell Inc. was awarded up to $3 million over a 3-year period in funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s NIST. The funding will focus on production scale up of nanocomposite alloy anode materials for lithium-ion batteries to be used in electric vehicles and other demanding applications.