Newsroom

Feb. 5, 2004
LocalTechWire
By Cal Chang Yocum
© Copyright 2004

Researchers at Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and NC State University have received a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to explore new ways to fabricate electronic circuits for computing.

These new techniques to fabricate electronic circuits for
computing employ a bottom-up approach instead of the current top-down lithography approach, says Alvin Lebeck, associate professor of computer science at Duke University and head principal investigator of the NSF grant. "We're looking at using DNA to create nanostructures to place small nano-electronic components."

Although transistors have continued to shrink in size over the years, researchers have hit the limit with the current fabrication techniques. That's why the three universities are exploring  alternatives. "[With the new approach], you get a large number of transistors per square centimeter," says Lebeck. "You gain two to three orders of magnitude in density."

There's also a potential cost savings in this type of abrication because currently, it costs billions to construct one of these fabrication facilities, he adds.

The research brings together computer scientists, chemists, physicists, biochemists and electrical engineers from the three universities. From devices to infrastructure, they'll explore what effects the use of DNA will have on computer architectures.