Physics Special Colloquium, January 5, 2006

The development of a 160 kBit molecular memory of 10¹¹ Bits/cm² as a catalyst for interdisciplinary research

Ezekiel Johnston-Halperin

California Institute of Technology

The convergence of physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, and engineering within the fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology provides an exciting opportunity to bring creative solutions to bear on old problems as well as promising the discovery of intriguing new challenges. In addition, the cross-disciplinary nature of this field necessitates understanding a given system at a number of different levels, from basic physics and chemistry to higher-level questions of device functionality and circuit architecture. As a specific example of both the challenges and opportunities presented by this breadth, I will discuss the development of a 160 kBit molecular memory fabricated as a density of 10¹¹ Bits/cm² (0.5 TBit/in²). This effort has required advances ranging from the design of bistable supra-molecular assemblies, to the fabrication of large arrays of highly aligned nanowires (both metallic and semiconducting) for use as both nano-FETs and interconnects, to the design and development of scalable circuit architectures that allow us to bridge length scales and address this ultra-dense memory at its native resolution. In addition, I will highlight how solving these problems has led to concurrent developments ranging from nano-imprint lithography for high-throughput manufacture of these circuits, to the development of scheme for ultra-dense label-free chemical and biological sensors for combined genomic/proteomic assays, to the investigation of coherent electronic transport phenomena enabled by our ability to pattern periodic nanostructures down to ~65 atoms in length. Finally, I will briefly discuss emerging opportunities involving the incorporation of spin-engineered nanostructures within this overall framework.

11:30 a.m., 4138 Physics Research Building

Refreshments served 4138 at 11:00 a.m.