A Molecular Shift Register Based on Electron Transfer

An electronic shift-register memory at the molecular level is described. The memory elements are based on a chain of electron-transfer molecules and the information is shifted by photoinduced electron-transfer reactions. This device integrates designed electronic molecules onto a very large scale integrated (silicon microelectronic) substrate, providing an example of a "molecular electronic device" that could actually be made. The design requirements for such a device and possible synthetic strategies are discussed. Devices along these lines should have lower energy usage and enhanced storage density.

[1]  C. Mead,et al.  Fundamental limitations in microelectronics—I. MOS technology , 1972 .

[2]  T. Moore,et al.  Photodriven charge separation in a carotenoporphyrin–quinone triad , 1984, Nature.

[3]  N. Mataga,et al.  A new model for the study of multistep electron transfer in photosynthesis , 1983 .

[4]  R C Haddon,et al.  The molecular electronic device and the biochip computer: present status. , 1985, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[5]  J. Deisenhofer,et al.  Structure of the protein subunits in the photosynthetic reaction centre of Rhodopseudomonas viridis at 3Å resolution , 1985, Nature.

[6]  J. Hopfield,et al.  Some aspects of electron-transfer reaction dynamics , 1986 .

[7]  N. Turro,et al.  DNA-mediated photoelectron transfer reactions , 1986 .

[8]  T. Arrhenius,et al.  Molecular devices: Caroviologens as an approach to molecular wires-synthesis and incorporation into vesicle membranes. , 1986, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[9]  Photolysis of N-(2-Methyl-2-propenyl)phthalimide in Methanol. Evidence Supporting Radical-Radical Coupling of a Photochemically Generated Radical Ion Pair. , 1986 .

[10]  V. Miskowski,et al.  A series of donor-acceptor molecules of the form NH2(C6H4)(C.tplbond.C)n(C6H4)NO2. Unusual effects of varying n , 1987 .

[11]  Protein structure : molecular and electronic reactivity , 1987 .

[12]  J. Onuchic,et al.  Molecular bridge effects on distant charge tunneling , 1987 .

[13]  T O Yeates,et al.  Structure of the reaction center from Rhodobacter sphaeroides R-26: the cofactors. , 1987, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[14]  T O Yeates,et al.  Structure of the reaction center from Rhodobacter sphaeroides R-26: the protein subunits. , 1987, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[15]  R. Grubbs,et al.  Synthesis and properties of a novel cross-conjugated conductive polymer precursor: poly(3,4-diisopropylidenecyclobutene) , 1987 .

[16]  T. Meyer,et al.  Electron and energy shuttling between redox sites on soluble polymers , 1987 .

[17]  J. J. Hopfield,et al.  Effect of exothermicity on electron transfer rates in photosynthetic molecular models , 1987, Nature.

[18]  B H Robinson,et al.  The design of a biochip: a self-assembling molecular-scale memory device. , 1987, Protein engineering.