EAGER: SHF: Three-Dimensional Electronics Integration Facilitated by Molecular Assembly

对于计算机和智能手机等电子设备的生产，传统的光刻技术提供了无差错的电路，但它们在关键方向上的发展受到其固有的二维性质的限制。另一方面，生物结构本质上是三维的，然而它们容易出错的自组装过程要求生物系统利用容错架构。这个项目将模拟生物学，利用分子识别自组装的材料来编程制造电子设备。这种制造方法可能会在信息处理、计算机和通信应用中产生革命性的技术。这项研究可以提高一些计算的速度和能源效率，并降低它们的生产成本。该项目将为研究生、本科生和博士后提供跨学科研究培训。将在各级寻求和鼓励代表性不足的群体参与，包括通过面向高中生的SEED项目。通过应用亲和肽基组装技术和结构DNA纳米技术来创造具有宏观尺度和纳米尺度特征分辨率的生物启发材料，该项目将产生独特的、电子活性的、具有集成网络的材料，这些材料有望显示有趣的非线性行为。这些材料有潜力用于具有极高连接性的新型三维集成电路，预计将显示有用的电气行为，并将开发用于计算，通信，信号处理和控制应用。

For the production of electronic devices like computers and smart phones, conventional lithographic techniques provide error-free circuits, but their development in critical directions is limited by their inherently two-dimensional nature. On the other hand, biological structures are inherently three-dimensional, however their error-prone self-assembly procedures require biological systems to utilize error-tolerant architectures. This project will mimic biology using materials that self-assemble by molecular recognition for programmed fabrication of electronic devices. Such fabrication methods could potentially generate revolutionary technology in information processing, computer, and communications applications. This research could increase the speed and energy efficiency of some computations and decrease the cost of their production. The project will provide interdisciplinary research training at the graduate, undergraduate, and postdoc levels. Participation by under-represented groups will be pursued and encouraged at all levels including through Project SEED for high school students.By applying techniques of affinity peptide-based assembly and structural DNA nanotechnology to create bioinspired materials with macro-scale dimensions and nano- scale feature resolution, this project will generate unique, electronically-active, materials with integral networks that are expected to display interesting non-linear behaviors. These materials have potential for use in novel three-dimensionally integrated circuits with extremely-high connectivity that are predicted to display useful electrical behaviors and will be developed for computation, communications, signal processing, and control applications.