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Fabrication of three-dimensional electrical connections by means of directed actin self-organization

Nature Materials volume 12, pages 416–421 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

A promising approach to improve the performance of microelectronic devices is to build three-dimensional (3D) chips made of stacked circuits. However, a major hurdle lies in the fabrication of dense arrays of electrical interconnections between these layers, where accessibility is limited1,2. Here we show that the directed growth and self-organization of actin filaments can offer a solution to this problem. We defined the shape and orientation of 3D actin networks through both micropatterning of actin nucleation factors and biochemical control of actin filament polymerization. Networks growing from two opposing layers were able to interpenetrate and form mechanically stable connections, which were then coated with gold using a selective metallization process. The electrical conductivity, robustness and modularity of the metallized self-organized connections make this approach potentially attractive for 3D chip manufacturing.

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Figure 1: Capping proteins support the oriented growth of actin networks in three dimensions.
Figure 2: The geometry of the 2D nucleation pattern dictates the size and shape of 3D actin structures.
Figure 3: Actin network growth from two opposing surfaces induces the formation of 3D interconnections.
Figure 4: Metallization of actin filaments ensures network electrical conductivity.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the ‘Chimtronique’ programme of the CEA. It has been performed with the help of the ‘Plateforme technologique amont’ of Grenoble, and with the financial support of the ‘Nanosciences aux limites de la Nanoélectronique’ Foundation. We thank J-C. Gabriel for constructive discussions, F. Perraut for technological advice and C. Suarez for his support in biochemistry.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut de Recherches en Technologies et Sciences pour le Vivant, iRTSV, Laboratoire de Physiologie Cellulaire et Végétale, CNRS/CEA/INRA/UJF, Grenoble 38054, France

    Rémi Galland, Christophe Guérin, Laurent Blanchoin & Manuel Théry

  2. Laboratoire d’Electronique des Technologies de l’Information, LETI, Laboratoire d’Empilement de Circuits Avancés, CEA, Grenoble 38054, France

    Patrick Leduc

  3. Laboratoire des Technologies de la Microélectronique, CNRS/UJF-Grenoble1/CEA LTM, Grenoble 38054, France

    David Peyrade

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  1. Rémi Galland
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Contributions

R.G., C.G. and P.L. carried out the experiments. D.P., L.B. and M.T. directed the project. R.G., L.B. and M.T. wrote the manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Laurent Blanchoin or Manuel Théry.

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Competing interests

The CEA and the CNRS have filed an application for a patent on the technology described in this manuscript, of which R.G., L.B. and M.T. are inventors.

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Galland, R., Leduc, P., Guérin, C. et al. Fabrication of three-dimensional electrical connections by means of directed actin self-organization. Nature Mater 12, 416–421 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat3569

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