NSF funds effort to build computer circuits out of quantum dots

For decades, high-tech industries have enjoyed a steady advancement of computer technology, thanks to the availability of ever-smaller and faster computer chips. Now, industry experts are predicting that within 10 years, chips may reach a critical limit beyond which smaller structures would be extremely difficult -- if not impossible -- to manufacture.

Engineers at Ohio State are attacking this problem head-on by leading a new, interdisciplinary collaboration with peer institutions and national laboratories. With a $1.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the engineers will develop proprietary technologies for building tiny computer circuits and switches out of isolated groups of atoms, known as quantum dots.

Quantum dots typically contain anywhere from 50 to 10,000 atoms, and are so small that their dimensions are measured in nanometers, or billionths of a meter.

Paul R. Berger, associate professor of electrical engineering at Ohio State, will lead the effort to assemble quantum dots into miniature circuits and switches -- known as "nanoswitches"-- with the goal of developing affordable and reliable techniques that the computer industry can easily adopt.

"We're not trying to invent new types of nanoswitches,"Berger said. "We're trying to make nanoswitches more manufacturable."

Ohio State's collaborators in this project include the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Notre Dame, the University of California, Riverside, the Naval Research Laboratory and the Air Force Research Laboratory.

The engineers will develop technology to concurrently predict the size, shape and placement of quantum dots -- a challenge currently facing scientists. This would make quantum dot transistors suitable for mass production, Berger said.

Using present-day equipment, the engineers plan to reliably make quantum dots less than 10 nanometers wide -- a tiny fraction of the width of a human hair.

The fundamental techniques being developed by this research team will apply to a variety of futuristic computer architectures, Berger said. For instance, the work will involve resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs) -- miniature devices that allow electrons to "tunnel"directly through barriers.

The tunneling effect of an RTD would be "analogous to throwing a tennis ball at a brick wall and having it appear on the other side,"Berger said.

Single-electron transistors, which operate by moving one electron at a time, will be part of the work. The team will also study quantum cellular automata, a new kind of computer architecture based on the idea that particles with the same charge repel each other. The concept of quantum cellular automata was first proposed at Notre Dame.

NSF awarded the grant as part of its Nanoscale Science & Engineering Program, which supports research in emerging areas of nanotechnology, such as biosystems, nanoscale structures, and device and system architecture. As a Nanoscale Interdisciplinary Research Team, the Ohio State collaboration will receive its $1.6 million funding over four years.

Heart Hospital benefits from $10 million Ross gift

The proposed world-class heart hospital at OSU Medical Center has received a major boost of funding with a $10 million gift of support from Elizabeth M. "Libby"Ross. In recognition of the gift, the facility will be named the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital in memory of Mrs. Ross' late husband. The University Board of Trustees will vote on the naming at its June 29 meeting.

"Our initiative to make Ohio State a national leader in heart research and patient care is a powerful example of our commitment to excellence across the entire University,"said President Brit Kirwan. "We are extremely grateful to the Ross family for embracing that vision and helping to make it a reality."

To be located on West 10th Avenue adjoining Rhodes Hall, the four-story, 96-bed Ross Heart Hospital will be connected to the recently opened Dorothy M. Davis Heart & Lung Research Institute. Together, these facilities will provide a comprehensive heart center -- a concept unique in central Ohio and unparalleled in the United States.

Locating all heart care services under one roof will make possible a unique patient care model: Each patient, whether a medical or a surgical patient, will be cared for by the same heart care team during every stage of care -- streamlining patient care and offering a simplified experience for both patients and families.

In addition, this synergy will lend practicality and function to research efforts, as well as to teaching opportunities for future cardiologists and heart surgeons. Medical students, residents and fellows will have opportunities to work one-on-one with heart center professionals to learn the latest techniques and procedures. Extensive continuing medical education will also be available to physicians in Ohio and throughout the country.

"We are extremely honored that Mrs. Ross has chosen to support our new heart hospital. Her generosity will help us to assure that, when it comes to heart care, the synergy between patient care, research and teaching will be unprecedented at The Ohio State University,"said Fred Sanfilippo, senior vice president and dean of the College of Medicine and Public Health.

A 1940 graduate of Ohio State in education, Libby Ross is a trustee of Children's Hospital and the Columbus Museum of Art, which dedicated a wing and a photography gallery in honor of her and her husband. She has also supported a wide range of other organizations and initiatives in the Columbus community, including Franklin University, Ohio Wesleyan University and renovation of the Southern Theatre.

At Ohio State, she serves on the OSU Heart Center Campaign Committee and the National Major Gift Committees for Columbus and East Coast Florida. She is a lifetime member of the Alumni Association Inc. and is recognized by The Presidents Club.

Dick Ross, who graduated from Ohio State in 1938 with a degree in fine arts, was retired president of Ross Laboratories in Columbus (now a division of Abbott Laboratories) at the time of his death in 1993.

"During his illness, Dick received wonderful care from the doctors and staff at Ohio State,"Mrs. Ross said. "I was and continue to be impressed with their caring, their knowledge and their incredible dedication to patients. I am equally impressed with what the Ohio State Medical Center stands for -- teaching, research and outreach -- and the constant improvements made for future care."

"This extraordinary gift is a resounding compliment to the strengths of cardiothoracic surgery and cardiology at Ohio State. It also affirms the leadership role of the Ross family in developing a world-class facility that will provide state-of-the-art care to patients with heart disease,"said Robert E. Michler, chief of cardiothoracic surgery and holder of the Karl Klassen Chair of Thoracic Surgery.

James Ryan, a cardiologist at Ohio State and holder of the Joseph M. Ryan Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine, said knowing Libby and Dick Ross and their family over the past 15 years has enriched his life personally and professionally.

"Once again, their lifelong commitment to philanthropy will better the lives of all of us in central Ohio. I look forward to smiling every morning as I walk through the front door of the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital,"he said.

Frank Wobst, chair of the OSU Heart Center Campaign and chair of the board of directors for Huntington Bancshares Inc., said the Ross contribution will help encourage and support cardiovascular research and effectively educate the next generation of heart care physicians.

"Libby's gift has brought us one step closer to achieving our ultimate goal of eradicating heart disease altogether,"he said.

The Ross family's generous history of giving to Ohio State includes creation of the Richard M. Ross Chair in Management in the Max M. Fisher College of Business, held by William L. Berry; the Richard Moore Ross Cancer Research Endowment Fund; and the Elizabeth M. and Richard M. Ross Endowment for Medical Research and Education. In addition, the family has supported funds in medicine, Arabic studies, the Wexner Center, the College of Human Ecology and WOSU.

Lisa Wente is proposals manager for the Office of Development Communications.