February 5, 2014 – Molecular circuits still have a long way to go before they are used in commercial products, but semiconductor companies like Micron Technology currently are looking at ways to make new computer chips using the programmable nature of DNA. A research team at Boise State led by associate MSE professor Will Hughes was recently awarded a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop the knowledge necessary to make manufacturing with DNA a reality.
Hughes’ team also includes Wan Kuang, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Eric Lindquist, director of the Public Policy Center; Peng Yin at Harvard University’s prestigious Wyss Institute; and Scott Sills at Micron Technology. The goal for the team is to address the technical and non-technical barriers to implementing scalable nano-manufacturing, from DNA crystallization to semiconductor fabrication in Idaho.