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By Andrea Dace

Readers of these pages might expect to find the usual profile of a noteworthy engineer who designs structures that struggle against, and work with, the classical forces of gravity, materials, and mass. Imagine, instead, an engineer of the future who builds microscopic structures in a dimension where strange, non-classical effects of physics hold sway, and minute monsters of quantum mechanics mix it up.

Meet Mark Reed, a physicist, professor, and chairman of the Electrical Engineering Department at Yale University who makes the future possible. Those familiar with the new world of nanotechnology know Reed as a mentor in the emerging field of molecular engineering. Reed is also leading the development of a new class of devices with dimensions measured in nanometers and that use quantum mechanics, those non-classical effects that have all but spelled out the operational limits of conventional device technology at similar lengths of scale.

Reed's work has achieved global recognition. In 2001, he co-received the Fujitsu ISCS Quantum Device Award for his part in the development of quantum device spectroscopy. One of the most exciting applications of Reed's research comes in the area of nanoelectronics. He and his fellow researchers are creating electronic devices so small that transistors are individual molecules that can be switched on and off by electric current. When a charge is applied, their structure reacts to block current flow. With voltage removed, the molecules return to their original shape and allow the resumption of current flow. The devices' ability to mimic the ones and zeros of computer language has journalists already lauding the possibility of "walnut-sized supercomputers" constructed from transistors thousands of times smaller and 100 times faster than state-of-the-art silicon technology.

An interest in science began early in life for Reed. "I read as much in science as I could," he says of his younger days. "Then, in time, research became a very attractive opportunity." He found many such opportunities at Syracuse University, where he received B.S. and M.S. degrees in physics and later a Ph.D. in solid state physics. After finishing his doctoral studies in 1983, Reed joined the Ultrasmall Electronics Division at Texas Instruments (TI), a laboratory exploring a new area that later became known as nanoelectronics. In 1990, Reed left TI to join the faculty at Yale, where he presently holds a joint appointment as professor in electrical engineering and applied physics.

Another activity has Reed mentoring promising young talent through the Mark A. Reed Research Group laboratory at Yale. Because new discoveries in nanoscience range from electronics to medicine, his research group crosses multiple disciplines. "That's often where I have found the excitement to be. Tackling a new challenge from a different angle often produces tremendous results," he observes.

Besides physics and electrical engineering, Reed's teaching offerings include his "Science Fiction and Science Fact" course that draws students from all over the Yale campus. He admits the course has little to do with literature. The goal of the course, Reed says, is to teach the average humanities student about contemporary technology. Additionally, he believes it important for non-scientists to understand how a scientist approaches a problem and reasons. "It has turned out to be a very popular class," he says.

To build on his molecular computing research at Yale, Reed co-founded Molecular Electronics Corporation with scientists at three other universities in 1999. "We have some of the basic patents on how to make real molecular computing systems," he relates. Because the initial work was done at the Yale, the university holds the rights to the intellectual property, which then is licensed to his company. All told, Reed holds 17 patents on quantum effect, heterojunction, and molecular devices.

Looking back on in his career, Reed says, "If someone had predicted I would be at a university, I would've probably disagreed. When I was in school, I thought industry was the place to be." To better understand the world, however, he says he encourages all students to get experience in both areas.

One notable experience in applied research at TI may have crystallized this perspective, Reed recalls. "We had started some experiments to gain a basic understanding of the quantum effects in something called a superlattice. So we said, 'Okay, let's design it to have this property arise from the position of the quantum mechanical energy states. We designed the device, we fabricated it, and, boom, there it was. It was satisfying to have a hand on the knob of nature and know that it can be tuned and understood." He says one reason he came to Yale was to continue this type of exploratory work "and think about the next horizon." And while he is often tempted to get more involved in industry or politics, he finds the life of a professor a joy and a challenge.

To a question about what he would say to a young person interested in going into the field of nanotechnology, Reed replies, "Study any of the natural sciences. Even biology or chemistry gives you a good solid basis. I prefer physics. I think that's a good fundamental basis on which to build and go in many directions. It really keeps your options open." And to researchers just starting their career, Reed advises, "Be as multidisciplinary as possible because that prepares you for the next change. Changing fields or directions can, in fact, be a tremendous opportunity to look at a field with new eyes, and in a way that no one has before." He's proven it works -- at least at a microscopic level.

Andrea Dace is a freelance writer in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Progressive Engineer
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