Single molecule circuit

A team of researchers from IBM and two US universities has unveiled the first logic circuit built from a single molecule. They say they hope the work will lead to faster circuits.

The logic circuit the team created is a 5-stage ring oscillator consisting of 12 transistors laid along an 18 µm long nanotube. The proof of principle model is being used to test the switching speed of the circuit.

Currently, the circuit delivers a speed of 50 megahertz, far slower than possible with standard processors. However, the results are far faster than previously achieved with nanotubes. The researchers hope to refine the performance of the device by reducing parasitic capacitance contributions.