14 DAY TRIAL // Scientists at the Harvard University and the MITRE Corporation have managed to built and demonstrate what appears to be the world's first programmable nanoprocessor which measures just 30 nanometres in diameter.
The tiny processor was constructed by assembling together nanocircuits made out of germanium-silicon wires with functional oxide shells and can be electronically programmed to perform a number of basic mathematical and logical functions.
“This work represents a quantum jump forward in the complexity and function of circuits built from the bottom up and thus demonstrates that this bottom-up paradigm, which is distinct from the way commercial circuits are built today, can yield nanoprocessors and other integrated systems of the future,” says principal investigator at Harvard Charles M. Lieber.
The processor was made possible by the latest advancements recorded in the design and synthesis of nanowire building blocks, enabling researchers to reach a size and material complexity that was difficult to achieve by using traditional top-down designs.
In addition, the circuits inside the nanoprocessor can operate using very little power as they contain transistor switches which are “non-volatile.”
This means that once they are programmed, the transistors don't require any additional power to maintain their memory.
In addition, the architecture is scalable, allowing researchers to build larger and more functional nanoprocessors based on this technology.
"Because of their very small size and very low power requirements, these new nanoprocessor circuits are building blocks that can control and enable an entirely new class of much smaller, lighter weight electronic sensors and consumer electronics," says Shamik Das, lead engineer at MITRE's Nanosystems Group.
Researchers have been working with nanowires, carbon nanotubes, and other nanostructures for the past 10 to 15 years trying to build anything more complex than the most basic of circuits, so the nanoprocessor is a major breakthrough in this field. (via TechEye)