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Sci Tech
Nanocomputing: The next wave
THE INVENTION of Germanium transistor way back in June 1946 was the starting point of microelectronics technology. In late 1960s a thinking that integrated circuit can act as brain to different products gained ground resulting in the birth of microprocessor 4004 in 1971. The late 90s saw system on chip at 0.18 microns -180 nanometres. Thus between 1940s and 1950s the semiconductor technology emerged from R&D laboratories.
Experts predict that the microelectronics manufacturing processes will not be cost effective beyond 2015. Beyond this, it is impossible to visualise at the present rate of growth, any large and cost effective usefulness for this technology.
The future of computing technologies lies in nanotechnology. There are five critical areas that hold promise.
Nanofabrication: Carbon nanotubes are an exotic variation of common graphite having super strength, low weight, stability, flexibility, large surface area etc.,
Potential applications include transistors and diodes, field emitter for flat-panel displays, Cellular-phone signal amplifier, ion storage for batteries and materials strengthener.
Nano electro mechanical systems [NEMS] are being developed for heterogeneous assembly in business sectors including medical optical assemblies, telecommunications, consumer electronics, microfluidics, defence and space needs.
Chemically assembled electronic nanotechnology is another emerging area. This uses self-alignment to construct electronic circuits out of nanometer scale devices that take advantage of quantum-mechanical effects.
Biocomputing: Cross-fertilization of biotechnology with Information Technology reveals the inherent formation theories of natural life sciences with high-end computational techniques. Efforts have been made to compile full genetic information stored in the nucleus and the mitochondria as digital repositories of information.
Genomics is the main constituent of bioinformatic research that aims to decipher code of life in its fundamental unit, a cell.
Molecular computing: Researchers had built an electronic switch consisting of a layer of several million molecules of an organic substance called rotaxane.
By linking a number of switches, the researchers produced a rudimentary version of an AND gate. One of the simplest active devices was a molecular based on a string of 3 benzene rings in which orbitals overlapped throughout.
Optical computing: In optical computers, electrons are replaced by photons. Thus it is possible to fabricate closely packed nanostructures. Researchers are using new conducting polymers to make transistor-like switches smaller and 1,000 times faster than silicon transistors.
There are a number of proteins, which are sensitive to light and change their structures/orientation depending on the wavelength of the light.
Bacteriorhodopsin obtained from green algae has been used for writing and reading information using laser beams of different wavelengths.
Quantum computing: Quantum computing aims to apply specific aspects of quantum theory in the development of the new systems and techniques for information processing.
By employing the extraordinary properties of quantum mechanical operations, such as superposition, entanglement, complementarity and uncertainty, data can be encoded in the quantum states of matter or light and manipulated with unprecedented speed and efficiency.
This emerging technology can revolutionise information processing, providing novel methods of securing, processing, storing, retrieving and transmitting information.
Practical applications could include super fast computers operating at the sub-atomic scale, and fully secure information transmission.
TIFAC-CORE is hosting an International Conference on Nanocomputing, ICNC-2001, at SASTRA, Thanjavur on December 16-18, 2001.
There will be preconference tutorials on December 16. This conference will address directions of nanocomputing in wide areas including materials, processes, devices, connectivity and the time span in which these technologies could be put to use.
The convener may be contacted through e-mail: ushadevi@hotmail.com.
K.S.Lakshminarayanan
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