EU: Atomic Scale and Single Molecule Logic Gate Technologies (AtMol)


AtMol will establish a radically different and comprehensive process flow for fabricating a molecular chip, i.e. a processing unit comprising a single molecule connected to external mesoscopic electrodes with an atomic scale precision of fabrication. Molecule logic gates interconnected at the atomic scale will be integrated within chip fabrication processes at the micro-scale respecting the atomic scale precision of the construction on one face of the chip. The main objective of AtMol is to fabricate a molecular chip of this type, that can be tested under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions thanks to a unique micro-meso-nano interconnection strategy before being encapsulated. This also includes the alternative design, construction, interconnection and characterization of a single atomic scale logic gate (adsorbed on a surface with an appropriately large electronic band gap) up to its connection to external electrodes. The desired logic functions will be incorporated in a single molecule gate or performed by a single surface atomic scale circuit via either a quantum Hamiltonian or a semi-classical design approach. AtMol will explore and demonstrate how the combination of classical and quantum information inside the same atomic scale circuit increases the computing power of the final logic circuit. Atomic scale logic gates will be constructed using atom-by-atom manipulations, on-surface chemistry and unique UHV transfer printing technology. The three unique UHV atomic scale interconnection machines that exist around the world are in AtMol. These machines are including one UHV chamber: a surface preparation chamber, a UHV transfer printing device, an LT-UHV-STM (or a UHV-NC-AFM) for atomic scale construction, a FIM atomic scale tip apex fabrication device and a multi-probe system with its companion SEM or optical navigation microscope. Those machines will be used to interconnect molecular logic gates one-by-one in a planar atomic scale multi-pad approach on the atomic scale top face of the wafer. The back face of the wafer will incorporate nano to micro-scale interconnections using nanofabricated vias which pass through the substrate up to the top face. Implementation and characterization of logic truth tables will first be carried out in a surface science approach at the single molecule level, using single metallic atoms as classical binary digits (the classical-to-quantum information conversion will be effected at the intramolecular level). Second, logic gate functionality will be measured from the top face of the wafer using the multi-probe UHV STM instruments mentioned above. Third, the AtMol unique back interconnect approach will be used to confirm the logic truth table.
The hybrid micro-nano approach to be developed in the AtMol project will enable the full packaging of molecular chips preserving the surface atomic scale precision of the gates. Successful implementation of this approach will revolutionize molecular computing.

Projektleitung
Hecht, Stefan Prof. (Details) (Organische Chemie und Funktionale Materialien)

Mittelgeber
Europäische Union (EU) - HU als Beteiligte

Laufzeit
Projektstart: 01/2011
Projektende: 12/2014

Forschungsbereiche
Naturwissenschaften

Forschungsfelder
Organische Chemie und Funktionale Materialien

Zuletzt aktualisiert 2022-09-09 um 01:08