DNA technology for optoelectronics

High performance photonics systems and subsystems require increasing sophistication in packaging and assembly technology to achieve their performance targets. We are exploring DNA labelling techniques to achieve the precise placement of semiconductor structures on host substrates. These labelling techniques allow the electrophoretic transport of the semiconductor structures in solution, as well as the specific matching of structures to host locations due to the complementary base pairing inherent in DNA hybridization. By configuring an electrode array on the host substrate, various semiconductor structures may be manipulated in solution using the electric fields created by applying a potential to the electrodes. In conjunction with the inherent selectivity of the DNA base pairing (in a process known as hybridization) specific placement and orientation of the structures on the host substrate may be achieved