SGER: Tera-Scale Integration of Semiconductor Elements With Conducting 3-D Biomolecular Interconnects

这个跨学科的小额赠款探索性研究计划将展示半导体纳米晶体的原型3-D万亿级网络，这些网络通过有效的自组装技术通过传导链状生物分子相互连接。将针对不同水平的分子互连对这些万亿级网络的电导率进行电气测量。如果成功的话，这些研究的结果将有可能为纳米级半导体元件的三维大规模集成的新方法奠定基础。具体来说，这项工作的成功将导致基于导电生物分子互连的生物混合结构的演示，以及1012纳米级半导体元件的互连3-D网络的定向/自组装的激进概念。我们计划证明，链状生物分子可以作为电互连之间的三维纳米级半导体在万亿级的3-D网络。此外，生物分子将用于建立这些网络和金属接触之间的互连，并测量这些互连网络的电导率-每mm 3约有1013个纳米级半导体元件。为了实现这些目标，研究人员将应用他们现有的模型，表征工具和技术来合成半导体纳米晶体的悬浮液，并设计与半导体和纳米结构结合的生物分子。虽然可能有许多关于化学定向组装的报道，但这里使用链状生物分子作为纳米级半导体之间以及纳米级半导体与金属结构之间的导电互连的方法将有助于理解此类结构的电气特性的基本方面以及将其扩展到大型3D结构的可能性和局限性。

This Cross-disciplinary Small Grant Exploratory Research program will demonstrate prototypical 3-D tera-scale networks of semiconductor nanocrystals that are interconnected by conducting chain-like biomolecules through efficient self-assembly techniques. Electrical measurements of the conductivities of these tera-scale networks will be made for different levels of molecular interconnects. If successful, the results of these studies will potentially establish the basis for new approaches to 3-D massive integration of nano-scale semiconducting elements. Specifically, the success of this effort will lead to demonstrations of bio-hybrid structures based on conducting biomolecular interconnects, and radical concepts for directed/self-assembly of interconnected 3-D networks of 1012 nano-scale semiconducting elements. We plan to demonstrate that chain-like biomolecules may be used as electrical interconnects between 3-D nano-scale semiconductors in tera-scale 3-D networks. In addition, biomolecules will be used to establish interconnects between these networks and metallic contacts, and the conductivity of these interconnected networks --- with ~1013 nano-scale semiconductor elements per mm3 --- will be measured. In order to accomplish these goals, the investigators will apply their existing models, characterization tools, and techniques for synthesizing suspensions of semiconductor nanocrystals, and designing biomolecules that bind to semiconductors and nanostructures. While there may been many reports of chemically directed assembly, the approach here with the use of chain-like biomolecules as electrically conducting interconnects between nano-scale semiconductors and between nano-scale semiconductors and metallic structures will be in both understanding the fundamental aspects of the electrical properties of such structures as well as the possibilities and limitations of scaling this to large 3D structures.