Farhat Anjum
Introduction
Nanocomputer is the logical name for a computer smaller than the microcomputer, which is smaller than the minicomputer. More technically, it is a computer whose fundamental parts are no bigger than a few nanometers. For comparison, the smallest part of current state-of-the-art microprocessors measures 45 nm as of February 21, 2007. No commercially available computers that are named nanocomputers exist at this date, but the term is used in science and science fiction.
Nano-computing is evolving along two separate paths:
New nano-products, techniques, and enhancements will be integrated into current technology such as the PC, the mainframe, and servers of all types. Mass storage will change extensively as thousands of cheap storage devices will become available. Storage need never be a problem or cost again.
Research and development are working toward making entirely new nanocomputers that run software-similar to that on today's PC.
Definition
We can make a number of statements regardingnanocomputing
Nanocomputing is an emerging technology that is at the early stage of its development.
Worldwide initiatives are in progress to develop the technology. Japan, Europe, and the United States are in a race to the finish line.
Breakthroughs and announcements are increasing with significant rapidity.
Governments are beginning to see the potential and are investing heavily in research and development programs. This interest and investment will accelerate progress.
Nanocomputing shows great potential, but there are significant technical barriers and obstacles to overcome.
Nanocomputing will come from two sources:
o It will be integrated into existing products and technology for example disk drives.
o Fundamentally new products, software, and architectures will be developed.
Major corporations such as IBM, Intel, Motorola, HP, and others are investing significant amounts of money in research to develop nanocomputers. The market for such devices far surpasses the market for the everyday PC. The new technology may even become known as the personal nanocomputer (PN).
Current Nano computing research involves the study of very small electronic devices and molecules, their fabrication, and architectures that can benefit from their inherent electrical properties. Nanostructures that have been studied include semiconductor quantum dots, single electron structures, and various molecules. Very small particles of material confine electrons in ways that large ones do not, so that the quantum mechanical nature of the electrons becomes important.
Quantum dots behave like artificial atoms and molecules in that the electrons inside of them can have only certain values of energy, which can be used to represent logic information robustly.
Experts predict that the microelectronics manufacturing processes will not be cost effective beyond 2015. Beyond this, it is impossible to visualize at the present rate of growth, any large and cost effective usefulness for this technology.
Areas for NanoComputing
The future of computing technologies lies in nanotechnology. Below stated are the five vital areas that hold promise.
1: Nanofabrication: Carbon nanotubes are an exotic variation of common graphite having super strength, low weight, stability, flexibility, large surface area etc.,
Potential applications include transistors and diodes, field emitter for flat-panel displays, Cellular-phone signal amplifier,storage for batteries and materials strengthener.
Nano electro mechanical systems [NEMS] are being developed for heterogeneous assembly in business sectors including medical optical assemblies, telecommunications, consumer electronics, microfluidics, defense and space needs.
2: Biocomputing: Cross-fertilization of biotechnology with Information Technology reveals the inherent formation theories of natural life sciences with high-end computational techniques. Efforts have been made to compile full genetic information stored in the nucleus and the mitochondria as digital repositories of information.
Genomics is the main constituent of bioinformatics research that aims to decipher code of life in its fundamental unit, a cell.
3: Molecular computing: Researchers had built an electronic switch consisting of a layer of several million molecules of an organic substance called rotaxane(is a mechanically-interlocked molecular architecture consisting of a "dumbbell shaped molecule" which is threaded through a "macrocycle")
By linking a number of switches, the researchers produced a rudimentary version of an AND gate. One of the simplest active devices was a molecular based on a string of 3 benzene rings in which orbitals overlapped throughout.
4: Optical computing: In optical computers, electrons are replaced by photons. Thus it is possible to fabricate closely packed nanostructures. Researchers are using new conducting polymers to make transistor-like switches smaller and 1,000 times faster than silicon transistors.
There are a number of proteins, which are sensitive to light and change their structures/orientation depending on the wavelength of the light.
5: Quantum computing: Quantum computing aims to apply specific aspects of quantum theory in the development of the new systems and techniques for information processing.
By employing the extraordinary properties of quantum mechanical operations, such as superposition, entanglement, complementarity and uncertainty, data can be encoded in the quantum states of matter or light and manipulated with unprecedented speed and efficiency.
This emerging technology can revolutionize information processing, providing novel methods of securing, processing, storing, retrieving and transmitting information.
Practical applications could include super fast computers operating at the sub-atomic scale, and fully secure information transmission.
TIFAC-CORE is hosting an International Conference on Nanocomputing, ICNC-2001, at SASTRA, Thanjavur on December 16-18, 2001.
In 1995 there was a $100 bet made to create the impossible within 16 years, the world's first nanometer supercomputer. This resulted in the NanoComputer Dream Team, and utilizes the internet to gather talent from every scientific field and from all over the world, amateur and professional. Their deadline: November 1, 2011.
Conclusion
Nanocomputing technology has the potential for revolutionizing the way that computers are used. However, in order to achieve this goal, major progress in device technology, computer architectures, and IC processing must first be accomplished. It may take decades before revolutionary Nanocomputing technology becomes commercially feasible.
Bibliography
"The Future of Microelectronics." Nature 406 (2000): 1021-1054.
Coontz, Robert, and Phil Szurami, eds. "Issues in Nanotechnology."
Waldner, Jean-Baptiste (2007). Nanocomputers and Swarm Intelligence.
Ellenbogen, J.. (1998). A Brief Overview of Nanoelectronic Devices.
Turton, Richard. The Quantum Dot: A Journey into the Future of Microelectronics.
Internet Resources
Nanoelectronics and Nano computing Homepage.
National Nanotechnology Initiative.
Lecturer,
Dept. of Computer
GDRCST, Kohka ,Kurud,
Bhilai.Distt.: Durg(C.G.)
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