By Phil LoPiccolo, Editor-in-Chief

Researchers investigating the intersection of biology and electronics will share their latest findings at the annual International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) next month in San Francisco. Several of the presentations exploring this new frontier, from a total of than 225 papers from corporate, university, and government labs worldwide, will examine the innovative use of biologically directed self-assembly and patterning techniques to enhance nanodevice fabrication, as well as the use of novel nanodevices to, in turn, advance biological and medical research.

One novel self-assembly technique, described in a paper from Matsushita in Japan, proposes fabricating nanoelectronic devices using protein molecules. This approach takes advantage of several traits of proteins that make them ideal tools for forming precise nanostructures¿they can self-assemble into complex and orderly arrangements, sequester inorganic materials useful in device manufacturing, and can be selectively removed from substrates while leaving the inorganic materials in place.