Nanowire Crossbar Arrays as Address Decoders for Integrated Nanosystems

The development of strategies for addressing arrays of nanoscale devices is central to the implementation of integrated nanosystems such as biological sensor arrays and nanocomputers. We report a general approach for addressing based on molecular-level modification of crossed semiconductor nanowire field-effect transistor (cNW-FET) arrays, where selective chemical modification of cross points in the arrays enables NW inputs to turn specific FET array elements on and off. The chemically modified cNW-FET arrays function as decoder circuits, exhibit gain, and allow multiplexing and demultiplexing of information. These results provide a step toward the realization of addressable integrated nanosystems in which signals are restored at the nanoscale.