Computing inside a single molecule will come one step closer with a newly launched
project that will help keep Europe at the forefront of the next nanoelectronics
revolution, a revolution beyond nanotechnology.
“Creating an atomic scale technology is now a necessity
for any uni-molecular device and machine in molecular
electronics, molecular mechanics, molecular transducers
and for laboratory scale experiments on one molecule,” says
Prof Christian Joachim from the CEMES/CNRS and coordinator
of the Pico-Inside project
funded by the Future and Emerging Technologies initiative
of the IST programme. “Pico-Inside will explore atomic
scale technology with the final goal of integrating
a complex logic gate inside a single molecule.”
In Pico-Inside, 15 academic and industrial research
institutes in Europe will work together on new intramolecular
architectures for integrating a complex digital logic
function inside a single molecule.
“The project will apply the best microscope instruments
in Europe in order to understand the electronic and
mechanical behaviour of a single molecule on a surface,” says
Prof. Joachim. “We will also investigate the different
stages of the interconnection problem from the atomic
to the macroscopic scale.”
In addition, Pico-Inside plans to set up and diffuse
original roadmaps for interconnect and nano-communication,
for chemistry of supermolecules and for intramolecular
computing to a broad community.
“Many of the potential molecular electronic applications
still require substantial work in order to be transformed
into marketable technology,” says Dr Antonio Correia
from the PHANTOMS Foundation and coordinator of the
dissemination activities. “A concerted effort must
be made at the European level to both understand
and commercialise atomic scale technology in order
to maintain a competitive advantage for Europe.”
Pico-Inside and related dissemination and training
activities, he says, will provide both, academic
researchers and industry engineers, access to the
tools needed to keep Europe at the forefront of the
next nanoelectronics revolution, a revolution beyond
nanotechnology.
Contact:
Dr Antonio Correia
PHANTOMS Foundation
Campus de Cantoblanco, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
E-28049 Madrid
Spain
Fax: +34-91-4973471
E-mail: antonio@phantomsnet.net
Prof Christian Joachim
CEMES-CNRS / GNS
Toulouse (France)
Email: joachim@cemes.fr
Source: Based on information from Pico-Inside
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