Synthetic, ′inorganic DNA′ as a means to high-density molecular electronics

Abstract

Molecular electronics is one of the fastest growing fields in modern science, and with good reason. Computers have become a part of the everyday lives of a majority of people around the globe, largely in part to the integrated circuit, seen in Figure 1. They have completely changed the way in which we communicate, do business, and learn. Constant advancement in such a field is highly desirable, as the benefits to such advancement abound. Unfortunately, the current silicon-based economy in the computer industry can only go so far, as there is a lower limit to the size of silicon based parts. Quantum computing and molecular assemblies provide an opportunity to surpass this silicon-imposed limit. Moore’s Law is a description of a trend exhibited in computers since approximately 1965; this “law” states that the number of transistors that can be placed on an integrated circuit doubles every two years. Computer chip makers wishing to push Moore’s Law to and beyond the current limits need to have the ability to shrink components within their systems to the molecular and atomic level.