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Clocking electrode design and phase analysis for molecular quantum-dot cellular automata based circuits

University of British Columbia

Molecular quantum-dot cellular automaton (QCA) offers an alternative paradigm for computing at the nano-scale. Such Q C A circuits require an external clock, which can be generated using a network of submerged electrodes, to synchronize information flow, and provide the required power to drive the computation. In this thesis, the effect of electrode separation and applied potential on the likelihood of different Q C A cell states of molecular cells located above and in between two adjacent electrodes is analysed. Using this analysis, estimates of operational ranges are developed for the placement, applied potential, and relative phase between adjacent clocking electrodes to ensure that only those states that are used in the computation, are energetically favourable. Conclusions on the trade-off between cell size and applied clocking potential are drawn and the temperature dependency on the operation of fundamental Q C A building blocks is considered. Lastly, the impact of random phase shifts on the underlying clocking network is investigated and a set of universal Q C A building blocks is classified into distinct groups based on their sensitivity to these random phase shifts.

Text

2011-02-18

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/31504

Electrical and Computer Engineering

University of British Columbia

Graduate