Information processing structures

An information processing structure which determines the Hamming distance between two digital patterns to be compared,

• having a MOSFET, and a plurality of quantum dots of a first group formed immediately above a gate electrode of the MOSFET and each of which is made of a microconductor or microsemiconductor of a nanometer scale in size, wherein there is formed between each of the quantum dots of the first group and the gate electrode an energy barrier that a charge carrier consisting of either an electron or positive hole is capable of directly tunneling, and the total number of such charge carriers moved between the quantum dots of the first group and the gate electrode is used to represent information of said Hamming distance, characterized in that the structure comprises:
• a plurality of lines of quantum dots of a second group each of which lines has at least three or more quantum dots of the second group arranged adjacent to said quantum dot of the first group associated therewith but not adjacent to said gate electrode and each of which quantum dots is made of a microconductor or microsemiconductor;
• and
• a plurality of pairs of information electrodes, said information electrodes in each pair being disposed adjacent to those quantum dots of the second group which are formed at opposite ends of each of said lines, respectively, for having electric potentials applied thereto representing data of information which are voltages for each bit of said two digital patterns to be compared, wherein
• a capacitive coupling is provided each between said quantum dot of the first group and said quantum dots of the second group in each of said lines, and between said quantum dots of the second group in each such line and each of said information electrodes in each pair corresponding thereto to prevent movement of said charge carrier each between them, and
• a change in position distribution of an electron in said quantum dots of the second group in each such line in response to a relative electric potential determined at said information electrodes in the pair corresponding thereto makes said charge carrier movable or immovable being limited by the Coulomb repulsion between said quantum dot of the first group and said gate electrode, and said charge carriers moved being limited by the Coulomb repulsion between said quantum dot of the first group and said gate electrode result in a rise in the electric potential of the gate capacitor of said MOSFET, which further are taken out as a drain current of said MOSFET, and said Hamming distance is expressed as a number of electrons on said gate capacitor in stable state from said drain current.

An information processing structure which determines the Hamming distance between two digital patterns to be compared, characterized in that it comprises:

• a line of quantum dots of a first group each of which is made of a microconductor or microsemiconductor of a nanometer scale in size and in which line there is formed between adjacent quantum dots an energy barrier that a charge carrier is capable of directly tunneling;
• at least a pair of information electrodes disposed across said line of quantum dots of the first group and adjacent to those quantum dots which are located at opposite ends of said line of quantum dots of a first group, respectively, wherein there is provided a capacitive coupling between each of said information electrodes of such a pair and said quantum dot located adjacent therewith at opposite ends of said line of quantum dots of the first group to prevent movement of a charge carrier between them, for having electric potentials applied thereto, representing data of information which are voltages for each bit of said two digital patterns to be compared;
• a power source electrode formed adjacent to that quantum dot of the first group, which is located at a center of said line of quantum dots of the first group, wherein there is provided a capacitive coupling between said power source electrode and said central quantum dot to prevent movement of a charge carrier between them;
• a line of quantum dots of a second group each of which is made of a microconductor or microsemiconductor of a nanometer scale in size and one end of which line of quantum dots is disposed adjacent to said central quantum dot of the first group;
• and
• a gate electrode of a MOSFET disposed adjacent to the other end of said line of quantum dots of the second group, wherein there is formed each between adjacent quantum dots of the second group, and between the other end of said line of quantum dots of the second group and said gate electrode an energy barrier that a charge carrier is capable of directly tunneling, and there is provided a capacitive coupling between said central quantum dot of the first group and the quantum dot of the second group located at said one end to prevent movement of a charge carrier each between them,
• wherein said power source electrode is adapted to have a voltage applied thereto so that said quantum dots in the line of the first group has a potential distribution such that a potential valley is formed centering said central quantum dot of said first group, and
• wherein a charge carrier placed on said central quantum dot in the line of the said first group is either immobile, or movable according to thermal fluctuation to one of the information electrode in the pair, depending upon a potential distribution determined by relative voltages at said information electrodes of the first group, and
• wherein the existence or the nonexistence of said charge carrier placed on the central quantum dot makes a charge carrier of said quantum dot of the second group movable or immovable being limited by the Coulomb repulsion between said quantum dots of the second group and said gate electrode, and said charge carriers moved between said quantum dots and said gate electrode result in a rise in the electric potential of the gate capacitor of said MOSFET, which further are taken out as a drain current of said MOSFET, and said Hamming distance is expressed as a number of electrons on said gate capacitor in stable state from said drain current, and wherein said thermal fluctuation makes it possible to operate at a room temperature.