Home > Press > Light makes write for DNA information-storage device
Abstract:
In an effort to make data storage more cost-effective, a group of researchers from National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany have created a DNA-based memory device that is "write-once-read-many-times" (WORM), and that uses ultraviolet (UV) light to make it possible to encode information. The device, described in a paper accepted to the AIP's Applied Physics Letters, consists of a thin film of salmon DNA that has been embedded with silver nanoparticles and then sandwiched between two electrodes. Shining UV light on the system enables a light-triggered synthesis process that causes the silver atoms to cluster into nano-sized particles, and readies the system for data encoding. In some cases, using DNA may be less expensive to process into memory devices than using traditional, inorganic materials like silicon, the researchers say.
Light makes write for DNA information-storage device
College Park, MD | Posted on January 5th, 2012At first, when no voltage or low voltage is applied through the electrodes to the UV-irradiated DNA, only a low current is able to pass through the composite; this corresponds to the "off" state of the device. But the UV irradiation makes the composite unable to hold charge under a high electric field, so when the applied voltage exceeds a certain threshold, an increased amount of charge is able to pass through. This higher state of conductivity corresponds to the "on" state of the device.
The team found that this change from low conductivity ("off") to high conductivity ("on") was irreversible: once the system had been turned on, it stayed on, no matter what voltage the team applied to the system. And once information is written, the device appears to retain that information indefinitely: the researchers report that the material's conductivity did not change significantly during nearly 30 hours of tracking. The authors hope the technique will be useful in the design of optical storage devices and suggest that it may have plasmonic applications as well.
Article: "Photoinduced write-once read-many-times memory device based on DNA biopolymer nanocomposite" is published in Applied Physics Letters.
Authors: Yu-Chueh Hung (1), Wei-Ting Hsu (1), Ting-Yu Lin (1), and Ljiljiana Fruk.
(1) Institute of Photonics Technologies, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan (2) DFG-Centre for Functional Nanostructures, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany
####
For more information, please click here
Contacts:
Jennifer Lauren Lee
301-209-3099
Copyright © American Institute of Physics
If you have a comment, please Contact us.Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.
Bookmark:
| Related News Press |
News and information
Quantum computer improves AI predictions April 17th, 2026
Flexible sensor gains sensitivity under pressure April 17th, 2026
A reusable chip for particulate matter sensing April 17th, 2026
Detecting vibrational quantum beating in the predissociation dynamics of SF6 using time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy April 17th, 2026
Chip Technology
A reusable chip for particulate matter sensing April 17th, 2026
Metasurfaces smooth light to boost magnetic sensing precision January 30th, 2026
Memory Technology
Researchers tackle the memory bottleneck stalling quantum computing October 3rd, 2025
First real-time observation of two-dimensional melting process: Researchers at Mainz University unveil new insights into magnetic vortex structures August 8th, 2025
Utilizing palladium for addressing contact issues of buried oxide thin film transistors April 5th, 2024
Discoveries
Quantum computer improves AI predictions April 17th, 2026
Flexible sensor gains sensitivity under pressure April 17th, 2026
A reusable chip for particulate matter sensing April 17th, 2026
Detecting vibrational quantum beating in the predissociation dynamics of SF6 using time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy April 17th, 2026
Announcements
A fundamentally new therapeutic approach to cystic fibrosis: Nanobody repairs cellular defect April 17th, 2026
UC Irvine physicists discover method to reverse ‘quantum scrambling’ : The work addresses the problem of information loss in quantum computing system April 17th, 2026
Nanobiotechnology
A fundamentally new therapeutic approach to cystic fibrosis: Nanobody repairs cellular defect April 17th, 2026
New molecular technology targets tumors and simultaneously silences two ‘undruggable’ cancer genes August 8th, 2025
New imaging approach transforms study of bacterial biofilms August 8th, 2025
Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025
Research partnerships
Lab to industry: InSe wafer-scale breakthrough for future electronics August 8th, 2025
HKU physicists uncover hidden order in the quantum world through deconfined quantum critical points April 25th, 2025
 |
||
 |
||
| The latest news from around the world, FREE | ||
 |
||
|
|
||
| Premium Products | ||
 |
||
|
Only the news you want to read!
Learn More |
||
 |
||
|
Full-service, expert consulting
Learn More |
||
|
|
||