Session A5 - Molecular Electronics: Challenges for Computing and Sensing.
INVITED session, Monday morning, March 22
524AB, Palais des Congres
Scenarios for signal processing in molecular electronics (moletronics) whereby microelectronics can further be scale-down below its minimum feature size making use of the programmability feature of molecular devices will be presented. Since the minimum feature size also determines the smallest addressable distances in the fabrication of electronic circuits, any potential molecular device in the nanometer size would be discarded, except if this device could be programmed remotely to perform a specific function. Recent work showed with examples based on ab initio quantum calculations how molecules with high nonlinear behavior able to be assembled on an array by chemical (as opposed to lithographic) means can have multi-valued responses and thus are able to be programmed. Molecular programmability compensates for the inability to address feature sizes in the range of one nanometer, and therefore complements and expands the capabilities of present microelectronics to the nanometer domain. Thus, we analyzed and proposed the solution to the critical point for the development of molecular electronics, i.e., the programmability of the electronic devices to compensate for the inability to perfectly address chemically assembled molecules. A description of the methods and techniques that comprise the molecular electronics design automation tools will be presented followed by the presentation of several scenarios for the processing of signals, including the use of molecular electrostatic potentials, electron transfer, and molecular vibrations.