EMT: MISC: Expanding the Computing Domain with Self-assembled Nanophotonics

20世纪70年代末高密度集成电路（IC）技术的发展是今天的根本推动力。S计算和通信基础设施。尽管硅集成电路有许多优点，但要在分子尺度上充分利用其在生物科学中的应用，即使不是不可能，也是很困难的。挑战来自于对环境兼容性和单分子传感的需求。因此，迄今为止，硅集成电路一直局限于宏观尺度的计算领域，几乎没有例外。不幸的是，这阻碍了生物科学家充分利用计算来改进和加速他们的日常实验。知识价值?提出的愿景是通过开发与细胞兼容的融合传感器计算节点来扩展计算领域，并在水性流体中发挥作用。这代表了最近NSF纳米电子学研讨会确定的两个领域的进展，这两个领域对EMT计划的发展至关重要：基于dna的电子学（EMT: BSSE）和纳米体系结构（EMT: NANO）[1]。为了应对这一新领域的挑战，本提案探索了DNA纳米结构上的共振能量转移（RET）逻辑，作为生物兼容融合传感器计算节点的技术。本提案的主要研究部分是在DNA网格上制作和表征简单的RET电路和传感模式。拟议的研究是高度跨学科的，要求理论研究（即电路和架构设计和评估）与实验研究（即制造和表征）同时进行。pi先前在DNA纳米结构、纳米级器件、电路和架构方面的合作研究证明了成功执行本提案中概述的研究所必需的专业知识。更广泛的影响?这些研究活动将让本科生通过独立学习和暑期研究职位发挥发展作用。注意力将集中在吸引来自代表性不足群体的学生。最近，一名非裔美国本科生卷入了pi ？通过由北卡罗来纳大学和杜克大学联合运行的NSF-REU项目进行的其他项目。杜克大学通过同样的项目招募了一名即将毕业的材料科学博士研究生，并获得了理学学士学位，他将在杜克大学继续获得DNA自组装和电化学的博士后职位。目前，有三名本科生在该组从事研究项目。该提案将通过与杜克大学由玛莎·阿布舍尔女士管理的全国认可的外展项目合作，扩大这些努力。变革的潜力？传感与计算在分子尺度上的融合拓展了计算领域，实现了扩散有限计算的新范式。这种新模式具有广泛的潜在应用，从查询细胞状态到加速生物标志物测定的进展。这代表了一种将计算应用于生物科学中常见问题的全新方法。

The development of high density, integrated circuit (IC) technology in the late 1970s has been a fundamental enabler for today?s computation and communication infrastructure. Despite their many advantages, silicon ICs are difficult, if not impossible, to fully utilize at the molecular scale for applications in biological science. The challenge arises from the need for environmental compatibility and single molecule sensing. Therefore, to date, silicon ICs have been limited to computational domains at the macro scale with few exceptions. Unfortunately, this prevents biological scientists from fully leveraging computing as a way to improve and accelerate their daily experiments.Intellectual Merit? The proposed vision is to expand the computing domain by developing a fused sensor-compute node that is compatible with cells and is functional in aqueous fluids. This represents progress in two areas identified by the recent NSF Workshop on Nanoelectronics as important for the development of the EMT program: DNA-Based Electronics (EMT: BSSE) and Nanoarchitecture (EMT: NANO)[1]. To meet the challenges of this new domain this proposal explores resonance energy transfer (RET) logic on DNA nanostructures as a technology for biologically compatible fused sensor-compute nodes. The primary research component of this proposal is the fabrication and characterization of simple RET circuits and sensing modes on DNA grids.The proposed research is highly interdisciplinary and requires that theoretical research (i.e., circuit and architecture design and evaluation) occur simultaneously with experimental research (i.e., fabrication and characterization). The previous collaborative research by the PIs on DNA nanostructures, nanoscale devices, circuits and architectures demonstrates the expertise necessary to successfully perform the research outlined in this proposal.Broader Impacts? These research activities will involve undergraduate students in development roles through independent studies and summer research positions. Attention will be focused on engaging students from underrepresented groups. Recently, an African-American undergraduate student was involved with the PIs? other projects through an NSF-REU program run jointly by UNC and Duke. A graduating Ph.D. materials science student with a CS BSc was recruited through this same program and with continued support will take on a postdoctoral position working on DNA self-assembly and electrochemistry at Duke. Currently, three undergraduates are working in the group on research projects. This proposal will expand these efforts by working with the nationally recognized outreach programs at Duke run by Ms. Martha Absher.Potential for Transformative Change? The integration of sensing and computation at the molecular scale expands the computing domain and enables the new paradigm of diffusion limited computation. This new paradigm has a wide variety of potential applications from querying the status of a cell to accelerating the progress of biomarker assays. This represents a fundamentally new way to apply computing to common problems in the biological sciences.