Molecular logic gates
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsRichard A Baugh, Yong Chen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Various nanoscale logic gates are disclosed. An alternating current (“AC”) source is superimposed on a direct-current (“DC”), largely resistor-based nanoscale logic circuit in order to provide distinguishable, AC current or voltage logical output signals despite potentially narrow DC-voltage or DC-current ranges produced by the resistor-based nanoscale logic circuit. AC-enhanced AND, OR, NAND, and NOR nanoscale logic gates are provided as four specific embodiments of the present invention.
Claims20
A nanoscale logic gate comprising:
- an alternating-current source;
- two or more input signal lines connected through resistive elements to the alternating-current source and carrying direct-current logical states;
- a signal line connected to the alternating-current source and two or more input signal lines through a switch element that is either in a high-impedance state or a low-impedance state;
- and
- an output signal line that outputs an AC logical state.
A method for producing, in a nanoscale logic gate, well-separated output logical states representing a logical operation on the logical states of two or more input signal lines having direct-current-based logical states, the method comprising:
- including in the logical gate an alternating-current source;
- interconnecting the alternating-current source to the two or more input signal lines through resistor-like elements;
- interconnecting the alternating current source to a signal line through a switch element that is in either a high impedance or a low impedance state, depending on the direct-current-based logical states of the input signal lines;
- and interconnecting an output signal line to the alternating-current source, two or more input signal lines through resistor-like elements, and switch element so that the output signal line carries a logical AC output signal close to the alternating-current source or close to 0.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.