EMT/NANO: Integration of DNA nanotechnology with nanoelectronics

DNA在生物学中作为遗传物质的作用是众所周知的。然而，近年来，DNA已开始被用作创造技术的材料。特别是，DNA可以用来制作复杂的纳米级图案，反过来，这些图案可以用作模板来布置纳米级器件。例如，DNA模式可能被用来组织纳米线和纳米开关，以创建比目前的半导体计算机芯片更小、更便宜、更快的计算机电路。最近，研究人员发明了一种称为DNA折纸的方法，即将一条长DNA链折叠成任何想要的模式。 这种方法很强大，但也有局限性：目前的DNA折纸只包含200个像素，这意味着它们最多可以组织200个不同的设备-不足以创建一个复杂的电路。在实践中，需要10-20个像素来对齐DNA折纸上的单个碳纳米管线，因此使用DNA折纸创建的最复杂的设备是由两个交叉的碳纳米管线组成的场效应晶体管。另一个困难是DNA折纸是在溶液中制造的，但必须在硅等表面上使用。目前，将DNA“折纸”转移到硅上会导致随机的位置和方向，但要构建电路，DNA“折纸”必须精确定位。他们正在努力：（1）通过将DNA“折纸”视为基于“堆叠相互作用”装配在一起的拼图块，将DNA“折纸”组合成具有更大像素数的更大图案，（2）将DNA“折纸”精确地放置和定向在硅上的光刻定义的粘性补丁上，以及（3）使用DNA“折纸”来组织多个碳纳米管以创建更复杂的电路，例如NAND逻辑门。

DNA is well-known for its role in biology as the genetic material. In recent years, however, DNA has begun to be used as a material for creating technology. In particular, DNA can be used to make complex nanometer-scale patterns which, in turn, can be used as templates to arrange nanometer-scale devices. For example, DNA patterns might be used to organize nanowires and nanoswitches to create computer circuits much smaller, cheaper, and faster than current semiconductor computer chips.Recently the investigators invented a method called DNA origami, whereby a long DNA strand is folded into any desired pattern. The method is powerful but has limitations: current DNA origami only contain 200 pixels, which means they can organize at most 200 different devices---not enough to create a complex circuit. In practice it takes 10-20 pixels to align a single carbon nanotube wire on DNA origami, so the most complex device created using DNA origami is a field effect transistor composed of two crossed carbon nanotube wires. Another difficulty is that DNA origami are made in solution, but must be used on surfaces like silicon. Transferring DNA origami to silicon currently results in random placement and orientation, but to build circuits DNA origami must positioned accurately.The investigators are interested in overcoming these limitations. They are working on: (1) combining DNA origami into larger patterns with larger numbers of pixels by treating DNA origami as puzzle pieces that fit together based on "stacking interactins", (2) precisely placing and orienting DNA origami on lithographically-defined sticky patches on silicon, and (3) using DNA origami to organize multiple carbon nanotubes to create more complex circuits, such as NAND logic gates.