Design and study of self-assembling QCA circuits

PI: Niemier, Michael T.和Liebermann， mary机构：University of Notre Dame题目：自组装QCA电路的设计与研究分子量子点元胞自动机（QCA）是硅基计算的最终替代方案。逻辑运算和数据移动是通过具有双稳态电荷配置的QCA单元之间的库仑相互作用完成的。这种基本的设备-设备交互允许计算任何布尔逻辑函数。分子QCA系统有望在室温下工作，可能提供的密度和速度比曲线末端CMOS所能提供的至少高出两个数量级，并且预计功耗极低。现有的工具允许将电路设计直接转换为QCA单元布局。然而，目前还没有制造工艺可以定位QCA分子以形成具有必要的亚纳米精度的QCA电路。这个建议从实验和设计的角度来解决定位问题。这项工作的重点是设计计算上有趣的QCA系统（即，可以促进图像处理等任务的逻辑），这些系统实际上可能使用自组装和引导组装的过程来构建。这项工作将开发在中尺度（1-100纳米）电路板（DNA结构）溶液中自组装的工艺，分子QCA细胞或其他组件将附着在上面，并使用一种新的工艺在硅的光刻特征上引导DNA电路板的自组装。系统的目标，数据卷积，可以通过与QCAs器件架构很好地映射的收缩架构来完成，并且由此产生的分子电路最终可以为CMOS芯片提供增强的数据处理能力。在物理科学和计算机科学之间会有一种独特的相互作用，在设计方面的工作影响着实际进行的实验。关闭反馈回路，实验科学将改进设计工作。最终的结果应该是朝着可实现的系统加速前进。

ABSTRACTCCF-0541324 PI: Niemier, Michael T. and Liebermann, MaryaInstitution: University of Notre Dame Title: Design and study of self-assembling QCA circuits Molecular Quantum-dot Cellular Automata (QCA) is an end-of-roadmap alternative to silicon-based computation. Logical operations and data movement are accomplished via Coulomb interactions between QCA cells that have bistable charge configurations. This basic device-device interaction can allow for the computation of any Boolean logic function. Molecular QCA systems are expected to operate at room temperature, could potentially offer densities and speeds that are at least two orders of magnitude beyond what end-of-the-curve CMOS can provide, and are expected to dissipate very little power. Tools exist which allow circuit designs to be directly translated into QCA cell layouts. However, there is currently no manufacturing process that can position QCA molecules to form QCA circuits with the necessary sub-nm precision. This proposal attacks the positioning problem from both an experimental and a design perspective. The work focuses on the design of computationally interesting QCA systems (i.e. logic that would facilitate tasks like image processing) that might actually be built using a process of self-assembly and guided assembly. The work will develop processes for self-assembly in solution of mesoscale (1-100 nm) circuitboards (DNA structures), to which molecular QCA cells or other components would attach, and use a new process for guided self-assembly of DNA circuitboards on lithographic features on silicon. The systems target, data convolution, can be accomplished with systolic architectures that map well to QCAs device architecture, and the resulting molecular circuitry could eventually provide enhanced data processing capabilities for CMOS chips. There will be a unique interplay between physical science and computer science with work in design influencing what experiments are actually conducted. Closing the feedback loop, experimental science will refine work in design. The net result should be accelerated progress toward realizable systems.