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Atomic computing
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Imagine an entire computer made from just a few molecules, or the ability to store data in a single atom. Sound like science fiction? In fact, we may just be a step closer as IBM scientists are unveiling two breakthroughs that could be building blocks of devices built from just a few atoms or molecules.
The work will be featured in two IBM papers being published in the same issue of the prestigious journal Science.
Building on IBM’s rich nanotech past – starting with the development of the Scanning Tunneling Microscope to enable our first glimpse into the molecular world – Research continues to break new ground with two major scientific achievements that could permanently alter the way computing works.
The first is a milestone in understanding atomic magnetism, bringing single-atom data storage closer to reality and the second shedding light on single-molecule switching that could lead to molecular computers.
While this type of work still falls squarely in the realm of exploratory science, it will enable scientists at IBM and elsewhere to continue moving forward in the field of nanotechnology – the exploration of building structures and devices out of ultra-tiny components as small as a few atoms or molecules. Such devices might be used as future computer chips, storage devices, sensors and for applications nobody has imagined yet.
How does it work?
In the first report out of the Almaden Research Lab, the scientists describe major progress in probing a property called magnetic anisotropy in individual atoms. This fundamental measurement has important technological consequences because it determines an atom’s ability to store information. Previously, nobody had been able to measure the magnetic anisotropy of a single atom.
With further work it may be possible to build structures consisting of small clusters of atoms, or even individual atoms, which could reliably store magnetic information. Perhaps more importantly, the breakthrough could lead to new kinds of structures and devices that are so small they could be applied to entire new fields and disciplines beyond traditional computing.
In the second report, out of the Zurich Research Lab, the scientists unveiled the first single-molecule switch that can operate flawlessly without disrupting the molecule's outer frame -- a significant step toward building computing elements at the molecular scale that are vastly smaller, faster and use less energy than today's computer chips and memory devices.
In addition to switching within a single molecule, the researchers also demonstrated that atoms inside one molecule can be used to switch atoms in an adjacent molecule, representing a rudimentary logic element. This is made possible partly because the molecular framework is not disturbed.
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