Charge Transport in 2D DNA Tunnel Junction Diodes

Abstract

Recently, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is studied for electronics due to its intrinsic benefits such as its natural plenitude, biodegradability, biofunctionality, and low-cost. However, its applications are limited to passive components because of inherent insulating properties. In this report, a metal-insulator-metal tunnel diode with Au/DNA/NiO junctions is presented. Through the self-aligning process of DNA molecules, a 2D DNA nanosheet is synthesized and used as a tunneling barrier, and semitransparent conducting oxide (NiO ) is applied as a top electrode for resolving metal penetration issues. This molecular device successfully operates as a nonresonant tunneling diode, and temperature-variable current-voltage analysis proves that Fowler-Nordheim tunneling is a dominant conduction mechanism at the junctions. DNA-based tunneling devices appear to be promising prototypes for nanoelectronics using biomolecules.

Spectroscopic and Capacitance Characteristics of DNA Thin Layers Embedded with Semiconducting ZnO and CuO Nanoparticles

“…Here, E g is defined by the energy difference between the HOMO and LUMO levels in a sample, as shown at the bottom of Figure i. By using a known q ϕ (i.e., q ϕ Ag of 4.26 eV, q ϕ ITO of 4.8 eV, and q ϕ DNA of 4.54 eV) and E g , we evaluate the unknown q ϕ DNA+CuO as 4.83 eV . We introduce the work-function barrier height ( q ϕ B ), which depends on the movement of the charge carriers in accumulation, depletion, and inversion regions (Figure j).…”

“…By using a known qϕ (i.e., qϕ Ag of 4.26 eV, qϕ ITO of 4.8 eV, and qϕ DNA of 4.54 eV) and E g , we evaluate the unknown qϕ DNA+CuO as 4.83 eV. 42 We introduce the work-function barrier height (qϕ B ), which depends on the movement of the charge carriers in accumulation, depletion, and inversion regions (Figure 8j). The flow of the charge carriers in the device strongly depends on the polarity of the applied V. In the accumulation condition (V > 0, e.g., at 2 V), the negative charge carriers (electrons) are attracted toward and accumulate at the interfacial layer between the electrode and the dielectric material (either DNA or DNA+CuO).…”

Impact of Synthesized MoS2 Wafer-Scale Quality on Fermi Level Pinning in Vertical Schottky-Barrier Heterostructures

“…By viewing the I−V data in a ln(I/V 2 ) versus 1/ V form, the transition between FN tunneling and TE injection is observed by the minimum in the ln(I/V 2 ) curve. 2, 45 The temperature dependence of the 900 °C MoS 2 devices is shown in Figure 4a. From inspection, two distinct features are immediately visible in the data.…”

Covalent Hyperbranched Polymer Self-Assemblies of Three-Way Junction DNA for Single-Molecule Devices

“…Im et al applied a two-dimensional double-crossover DNA lattice with a thickness of a few nanometers while maintaining a macroscopic area (3 × 10 5 μm 2 ) and showed that it operated stably as a tunneling diode. 21 This result suggests that the recent megadalton-sized 3D structures, that is, DNA bricks, 22 are also promising as semiconductor materials. Stable and robust electrical access to a single DNA molecule remains a nanotechnology challenge, and bottom-up nanofabrication using preassembled DNA nanostructures will be the key to solving it.…”

“…Studies about the assemblies of conventional metal/insulator/metal-type devices were also reported. Im et al applied a two-dimensional double-crossover DNA lattice with a thickness of a few nanometers while maintaining a macroscopic area (3 × 10 5 μm 2 ) and showed that it operated stably as a tunneling diode . This result suggests that the recent megadalton-sized 3D structures, that is, DNA bricks, are also promising as semiconductor materials.…”