Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Overall, the results received by the Hewlett-Packard, University of California
group, were aptly summarized by one of the project participants, Yong Chan: “
a
base element of the device - Pt/molecules/Ti is formed, which acts as a switching
device. Cross 8
8 memory modules were formed on the basis of 64 switches.”
Of course, this work (reference 8 in this chapter) is considered by the authors
only as the beginning of complex scientific and technological research which will
ultimately lead to industrial production of innovative digital computing devices.
Hence, of natural interest is the developers' vision of the future of these devices.
In 1996, in an interview following the publication of the first results, James
Heath, a team leader at the University of California, explained the newly discovered
characteristics of molecular circuits. He drew particular attention to the fact that
molecular circuits perform the same functions as the silicon ones, but many times
better. First of all, they are much smaller, faster, and cheaper. Moreover, techno-
logical defects posing a significant problem in the manufacturing of semiconductor
integrated circuits do not occur in molecular circuits. In particular, Heath pointed
out that the power consumption of molecular circuits is orders of magnitude smaller
than that of semiconductor circuits.
Although there still remain a number of complex problems, such as the optimal
architecture of huge arrays of molecular elements, Heath believes that the first
prototypes of molecular logic and storage circuits will appear in a few years. In his
opinion, in the end of the first decade, the first hybrid computer with molecular logic
and memory elements will be created.
So the wait will not be long.
...
3.6 One More Attempt: Chiropticene
But can a single molecule be used as a switching element of integrated circuits after
all?
In March 1997 the California Molecular Electronics Corporation (CALMEC)
was founded by leading scientists in the field of switching and conducting mole-
cules: Michael P. Cava, Robert M. Metzger, Joseph Michl, Chad Mirkin, Mark A
Ratner, Robert R. Schumaker, and Fred Wudl. James J. Marek, an expert possessing
extensive experience in engineering and organizational work in large electronic
companies, became the president of the corporation.
As stated by Marek in his interview to “Nano Magazine,” the main mission of
the corporation is to explore the concepts of constructing molecular information
processing, prototyping devices with subsequent licensing, and commercialization
by other companies. Furthermore, the company sought to organize, either internally
or with selected partners, manufacturing of molecular objects, which would be the
signature product of the corporation, and to stay their leading distributor.
The central know-how of the corporation was the creation of chiropticene—a
switchable molecule whose structure has absorbed the invaluable experience of the
company's founders and possesses the classical switching properties. The structure
