14 DAY TRIAL // In their quest for new technologies that can provide chip manufacturers with new ways to improve the performance and features of their next-generation products, scientists at IBM have recently announced that they are experimenting with using DNA molecules in an attempt to create tiny circuits that could be at the basis of smaller, more powerful computer processors. The project is based on the work that has been done for several years now by Paul Rothmund, a scientist at the California Institute of Technology.
“The cost involved in shrinking features to improve performance is a limiting factor in keeping pace with Moore’s Law and a concern across the semiconductor industry,” said Spike Narayan, manager, Science & Technology, IBM Research – Almaden. “The combination of this directed self-assembly with today’s fabrication technology eventually could lead to substantial savings in the most expensive and challenging part of the chip-making process.”
Today's most advanced microprocessors are designed using the 45nm manufacturing technology, but the industry is moving towards more advanced technologies with 22nm just on the horizon. According to IBM, the approach for using DNA molecules as scaffolding, a technique where millions of carbon nanotubes could be deposited and self-assembled into precise patterns by arranging them on DNA molecules, could enable chip makes to go beyond the 22nm litography. The technology could also allow them to see some important cost savings, as they are trying to break new barriers in the lithography process.
The process has been explained by Spike Narayan in a recent news-article on Reuters:
“Basically, this is telling us that biological structures like DNA actually offer some very reproducible, repetitive kinds of patterns that we can actually leverage in semiconductor processes. The tinier the chip, the more expensive the equipment. If the DNA origami process scales to production-level, manufacturers could trade hundreds of millions of dollars in complex tools for less than a million dollars of polymers, DNA solutions, and heating implements. The savings across many fronts could add up significantly.”
The efforts done by the IBM scientists and Paul Rothmund could enable customers to take advantage of more advanced devices that require less power and are exponentially more affordable. However, the technology is far from becoming mainstream as there's a good chance these chips could only become a reality in 10 years from now.