Haddon R C, Lamola A A
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Apr;82(7):1874-8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.7.1874.
The idea that a single molecule might function as a self-contained electronic device has been of interest for some time. However, a fully integrated version--the biochip or the biocomputer, in which both production and assembly of molecular electronic components is achieved through biotechnology-is a relatively new concept that is currently attracting attention both within the scientific community and among the general public. In the present article we draw together some of the approaches being considered for the construction of such devices and delineate the revolutionary nature of the current proposals for molecular electronic devices (MEDs) and biochip computers (BCCs). With the silicon semiconductor conductor industry already in place and in view of the continuing successes of the lithographic process it seems appropriate to ask why the highly speculative MED or BCC has engendered such interest. In some respects the answer is paradigmatic as much as it is real. It is perhaps best stated as the promise of the realm of the molecular. Thus it is envisioned that devices will be constructed by assembly of individual molecular electronic components into arrays, thereby engineering from small upward rather than large downward as do current lithographic techniques. An important corollary of the construction technique is that the functional elements of such an array would be individual molecules rather than macroscopic ensembles. These two aspects of the MED/BCC--assembly of molecular arrays and individually accessible functional molecular units--are truly revolutionary. Both require scientific breakthroughs and the necessary principles, quite apart from the technology, remain essentially unknown. It is concluded that the advent of the MED/BCC still lies well before us. The twin criteria of utilization of individual molecules as functional elements and the assembly of such elements remains as elusive as ever. Biology engineers structures on the molecular scale but biomolecules do not seem to be imbued with useful electronic properties. Molecular beam epitaxy and thin-film techniques produce electronic devices but they "engineer down" and are currently unable to generate individual molecular units. The potential of the MED/BCC field is matched only by the obstacles that must be surmounted for its realization.
单个分子可能充当独立的电子器件这一想法已被关注一段时间了。然而，一种完全集成的版本——生物芯片或生物计算机，其中分子电子元件的生产和组装都是通过生物技术实现的——是一个相对较新的概念，目前正在科学界和普通大众中引起关注。在本文中，我们汇总了一些为构建此类器件而正在考虑的方法，并阐述了当前分子电子器件（MED）和生物芯片计算机（BCC）提案的革命性本质。鉴于硅半导体导体产业已经存在，并且考虑到光刻工艺的持续成功，似乎有必要问一问，为什么极具推测性的MED或BCC会引发如此大的兴趣。在某些方面，答案既是现实的，也是典范性的。或许最好表述为分子领域的前景。因此，可以设想通过将单个分子电子元件组装成阵列来构建器件，从而从小规模向上构建，而不是像当前光刻技术那样从大规模向下构建。这种构建技术的一个重要推论是，这样一个阵列的功能元件将是单个分子，而不是宏观集合。MED/BCC的这两个方面——分子阵列的组装和可单独访问的功能分子单元——确实具有革命性。这两者都需要科学突破，而且除了技术之外，必要的原理基本上仍然未知。可以得出结论，MED/BCC的出现仍在我们前方很远的地方。将单个分子用作功能元件以及组装这些元件的双重标准仍然像以往一样难以实现。生物学在分子尺度上构建结构，但生物分子似乎不具备有用的电子特性。分子束外延和薄膜技术能制造电子器件，但它们是“向下构建”，目前无法生成单个分子单元。MED/BCC领域的潜力只有通过实现它必须克服的障碍才能与之匹配。
