[Paper Review] DNA - Nanoelectronics: Realization of a Single Electron Tunneling Transistor and a Quantum Bit Element

Eshel Ben‐Jacob, Ziv Hermon+1 more|ArXiv.org|Aug 30, 1998

Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques3 citations

TL;DR

This paper proposes using DNA as a scaffold for nanoscale electronic devices by coating it with metal to form tunnel junctions. It demonstrates a conceptual design for a single-electron tunneling transistor (SET) and a quantum bit (qubit) element, both operating at room temperature, leveraging DNA's self-assembly and stability for scalable, nanometer-scale quantum electronics.

ABSTRACT

Based on the understanding that chemical bonds can act as tunnel junctions in the Coulomb blockade regime, and on the technical ability to coat a DNA strand with metal, we suggest that DNA can be used to built logical devices. We discuss two explicit examples: a Single Electron Tunneling Transistor (SET) and a Quantum Bit Element. These devices would be literally in the nano-meter scale and would be able to operate at room temperature. In addition they would be identical to each other, highly stable and would have a self assembly property.

Motivation & Objective

• To explore the feasibility of using DNA as a structural platform for nanoscale electronic devices.
• To address the challenge of building functional, stable, and self-assembling quantum electronic components at the nanoscale.
• To enable room-temperature operation of single-electron devices through DNA-based tunnel junctions.
• To leverage DNA's inherent self-assembly and stability for scalable fabrication of quantum devices.
• To demonstrate the potential of biological molecules in quantum electronics by designing a functional SET and qubit element.

Proposed method

• Coating a DNA strand with a conductive metal layer to form a one-dimensional array of tunnel junctions.
• Using the DNA's molecular structure to define quantum dots and tunnel barriers at the nanoscale.
• Designing a single-electron tunneling transistor (SET) where electron transport is controlled via a gate electrode coupled to the DNA-based quantum dot.
• Constructing a quantum bit (qubit) element based on a double quantum dot formed within the DNA structure, enabling superposition states.
• Relying on the Coulomb blockade effect to control single-electron tunneling in the DNA-based system.
• Utilizing DNA's self-assembly properties to ensure identical, stable, and reproducible device fabrication at the nanometer scale.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 Can DNA be engineered to function as a reliable tunnel junction in the Coulomb blockade regime?
• RQ2 Is it feasible to realize a single-electron tunneling transistor using metal-coated DNA at room temperature?
• RQ3 Can a DNA-based structure support a quantum bit (qubit) element with coherent superposition states?
• RQ4 How can DNA's self-assembly and stability be exploited for scalable fabrication of nanoelectronic devices?
• RQ5 What are the key design principles for integrating biological molecules into functional quantum electronic circuits?

Key findings

• The authors propose a conceptual design for a single-electron tunneling transistor (SET) based on metal-coated DNA, enabling single-electron transport at the nanoscale.
• A quantum bit (qubit) element is proposed using a double quantum dot structure formed in DNA, suitable for quantum information processing.
• The devices are predicted to operate at room temperature due to the high energy scale of the Coulomb blockade in the DNA-based system.
• The self-assembly property of DNA ensures identical, stable, and reproducible device fabrication without complex lithography.
• The use of chemical bonds as tunnel junctions in the Coulomb blockade regime is theoretically validated as a viable mechanism.
• The design demonstrates compatibility with existing nanofabrication techniques and offers a pathway toward scalable, biomolecule-based quantum electronics.