New Frontiers: Self-Assembly and Nanoelectronics

  • Authors:
  • Victor V. Zhirnov;Daniel J. C. Herr

  • Affiliations:
  • -;-

  • Venue:
  • Computer
  • Year:
  • 2001

Quantified Score

Hi-index 4.10

Visualization

Abstract

In a quest for semiconductor materials and processes, researchers focus on self-assembly, drawing from chemistry, biology, material science, and electrical engineering. In nature, self-organization and self-assembly are holistic processes. The tools and methods for synthesizing living matter represent the union of several disciplines (from mathematics and information theory; physics, chemistry, and biology; to philosophy and endogenetics). Engineers aim to apply living processes to improve the quality of life. The authors consider opportunities for and barriers to realizing practical applications of self-assembly from the perspectives of information theory, synergetics, and selected areas of physical and life sciences.When an electronic device's features are large, the process is metabolic-like and economically controlled. As the features shrink to nanometers, manufacturers pay a high price for the morphological information required to maintain system fidelity. This article shows how today's researchers can apply self-assembly principles to fabricate simple, uniform arrays of small quantum dots. The authors inspire readers to look to the future when we can use self-assembly to fabricate nanoelectronic device architectures.