09-06-2012, 01:25 PM
NANO COMPUTERS
A nanocomputer is a computer whose physical dimensions are microscopic. The field of nanocomputing is part of the emerging field of nanotechnology. Seems likely to be part of the natural progression of computers (transistors, etc.). Transistor expected to reach a minimum size in the future; therefore new techniques or structures will be needed to continue advancements in both speed and storage-size of computers.
Electronic nanocomputers would operate in a manner similar to the way present-day microcomputers work. The main difference is one of physical scale. More and more transistors are squeezed into silicon chips with each passing year; witness the evolution of integrated circuits capable of ever-increasing storage capacity and processing power. The ultimate limit to the number of transistors per unit volume is imposed by the atomic structure of matter. Most engineers agree that technology has not yet come close to pushing this limit. In the electronic sense, the term nanocomputer is relative. By 1970s standards, today's ordinary microprocessors might be called nanodevices.
• Highly promising outlook in nanocomputing.
• “Artificial atom,” allows an electron to be contained inside.
• Operates on “wireless” principle, versus other directions taken in nanocomputing.
• Uses electrical fields, or the natural repulsion of electrons to transmit signals.
• Cells composed of quantum dots, arranged next to each other on a semiconductor material.
• A cell receives two electrons (that can’t escape) when created.
• A signal is propagated down the line by a cell influencing its neighbor (or neighbors).
• Beneficial, as it works on an extremely small scale (allowing dense components), and uses very little power.