Can you describe what a DNA transistor looks like, and what role it will play in nanopore sequencing?
The DNA transistor is a way to integrate silicon technology and different nanotechnological advances. We use little electric fields that we put in electrodes strategically placed within the DNA nanopore to control the electric field inside the pore in such a way that we can trap the DNA as it goes through the pore and release that trap at will. We use that to be able to measure the identity of the bases that are in the nanopore. Using several nanotechnology steps, we create what we call a sandwich, or a stack of layers, formed by three layers of metal divided by the two layers of a dielectric, or an insulator. These electrodes, which have a width on the order of 3 nanometers, provide contacts to the external world that can be accessed for the experiment. The nanopore is so small that you have to use special drilling tricks. We use an electron beam that drills holes of 2 nanometers and above in width. That hole goes through the stack of metal and dielectrics, and voilà, you have the dev
