Mouser Left Banner
Mouser Left Banner
Mouser Left Banner
Mouser Right Banner
Mouser Right Banner
Mouser Right Banner
More

    Building Logic Switches with Single Molecule

    Logic gates, the basic elements of the digital world, can now be built using one single molecule. An example is XOR, with two inputs. If at least one of them is “1,” then the output is “1,” as well; otherwise, it is 0. These logic gates measure less than 2 nanometers. They are based on single-electron transistors, capable of assembling and organizing themselves on a surface. Molecular logic not only reduces the on-chip dimensions and lowers energy consumption, but it may also have similarities to the way the brain processes signals, says Prof. Christian Nijhuis.

    The molecules operate like all logic gates—AND, XOR, OR, NAND, NOR, INT, and XNOR. These all are two-input, one-output circuits. The output signal will be 1 or 0 based on both inputs and the logic calculation. In today’s electronics, these gates are already small: On average, they’ll consist of three transistors. In the latest chip technology, a transistor is typically 5 nanometers. The latest models of smartphones have hundreds of millions of logic gates on board. Single-electron transistors are not just smaller, their energy consumption is low. Both represent bottlenecks in further miniaturization. On the other hand, today’s chip manufacturing is a mature production process that can deal with extreme complexity.

    The single electron logic calculators (SELCs) are built from molecules bridging the gap between two gold electrodes. The layer of material has a thickness of one single molecule. It functions thanks to a quantum effect called the Coulomb blockade. Depending on voltage, the electron will be halted or flow through the molecule. As the effect mainly depends on voltage pulses and not on a continuous electric current, the consumption is very low.

    ELE Times Research Desk
    ELE Times Research Deskhttps://www.eletimes.com/
    ELE Times provides extensive global coverage of Electronics, Technology and the Market. In addition to providing in-depth articles, ELE Times attracts the industry’s largest, qualified and highly engaged audiences, who appreciate our timely, relevant content and popular formats. ELE Times helps you build experience, drive traffic, communicate your contributions to the right audience, generate leads and market your products favourably.

    Technology Articles

    Popular Posts

    Latest News

    Must Read

    ELE Times Top 10