HP Wins Patent on Method for Circuits

Hewlett-Packard Co. received a patent on a method to make complex circuits for molecular computer chips as the company builds momentum in an area analysts say could overhaul how semiconductors are made.

The patent, awarded to HP Labs researchers and UCLA, is the company’s third in the area of creating molecular chips and making them more complex, a spokesman said.

The HP Labs team discovered how to use chemical processes to grow wires on silicon, press the device against a bath of liquid to apply switches and then lay the next set of wires to complete the circuit. Though it’s still years away from commercial production, the technique could be cheaper and easier.

Shares of Palo Alto-based Hewlett-Packard rose 35 cents to close at $22.16 on the New York Stock Exchange.