Design of Multifunctional Nanoscale Information Bearing Units and Processes Related to their Use on a Surface

多功能纳米级信息承载单元的设计及其在表面上的使用相关过程

• 批准号: 9600138
• 负责人: Christopher Gorman
• 金额: $ 28万
• 依托单位: North Carolina State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 1996
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1996-07-01 至 2000-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9600138&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Design; Multifunctional; Nanoscale; Information; Bearing

9600138 Gorman It has now become an important but unanswered question as to whether molecules (or macromolecule at the 1-10 nm size scale) can be addressed and reliably store information. New techniques, particularly scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), will certainly have use in these schemes. Nanolithography of metallic or semiconducting phases to create depressions or mounds on a surface can represent binary information, but atoms can diffuse, destroying this information. Ideally, information-bearing molecules could be moved into place and anchored to a surface. Subsequently, they could be switched and read without being influenced by their surroundings. In this project, both the molecular requirements and the process requirements for such a scheme will be addressed. In the former area, a new nanoscale unit will be synthesized. It is designed to be switchable, isolated from nearby units (so that the information it contains will not become scrambled), readable by an STM tip, and easily positioned on a surface (and thus addressable). It is argued that all of these criteria must be fulfilled before a molecule-based system can function as an information storage device. The molecule designed for this purpose will contain an electroactive core inside a dendrimeric polymer. This hybrid molecule will have an isolated, switchable information unit and simultaneously an easily tailored size, shape, and surface. Simultaneously, in the process area, methods for using the STM tip to perform chemical transformations on an organic surface (fashioned using self-assembled monolayers of organothiols on gold) will be explored. Rather than etching the surface, it is argued that site-specific reductive desorption of the organothiols into a solution over the surface will permit more predictable, reliable control over positioning of molecules on a surface. Both of these project segments will be directed towards demonstrations of those requirements for molecule-based information storage on a surface. %%% As computing elements become smaller and smaller, one must devise ways to encode information in smaller spaces. At least as far as strictly spatial encoding is concerned, the two most obvious schemes for nanoscale information storage are (a) continued miniaturization of known microscale elements to approach the nanoscale or (b) tailoring existing nanoscale objects e.g. molecules so that they can function as information bearing units (IBUs). In this proposal, macromolecular objects will be described that are tailored to serve as switchable, addressable, and organizable IBUs. It will be argued that only such a system will be suitable for use in nanoscale information encoding schemes. ***

[60038 . Gorman]分子（或1- 10nm尺度的大分子）能否被处理并可靠地存储信息，现在已成为一个重要但尚未解决的问题。新技术，特别是扫描隧道显微镜（STM），肯定会在这些方案中发挥作用。金属或半导体相的纳米光刻技术在表面上产生凹陷或丘状，可以表示二元信息，但原子会扩散，破坏这种信息。理想情况下，携带信息的分子可以移动到合适的位置并固定在表面上。随后，他们可以在不受周围环境影响的情况下切换和阅读。在本项目中，将解决该方案的分子要求和工艺要求。在前一个领域，将合成一种新的纳米级单元。它被设计成可切换的，与附近的单元隔离（这样它包含的信息就不会被打乱），STM尖端可读，并且很容易定位在表面上（因此是可寻址的）。有人认为，在基于分子的系统可以作为信息存储设备之前，必须满足所有这些标准。为此目的设计的分子将在树状聚合物中包含一个电活性核心。这种杂交分子将具有一个孤立的、可切换的信息单元，同时具有易于定制的大小、形状和表面。同时，在工艺领域，将探索使用STM尖端在有机表面上进行化学转化的方法（在金上使用自组装的有机硫醇单层形成）。与其蚀刻表面，有人认为将有机硫醇在表面上的溶液中进行特定位点的还原解吸，可以对表面上分子的定位进行更可预测、更可靠的控制。这两个项目部分都将针对在表面上基于分子的信息存储的需求进行演示。随着计算元素变得越来越小，人们必须想办法在更小的空间里对信息进行编码。至少就严格的空间编码而言，纳米级信息存储的两种最明显的方案是(a)将已知的微尺度元素继续小型化以接近纳米尺度，或(b)裁剪现有的纳米尺度对象，例如分子，使其可以作为信息承载单元（IBUs）。在本提案中，大分子对象将被描述为可切换，可寻址和可组织的IBUs。我们认为，只有这样的系统才适合用于纳米级信息编码方案。＊＊＊