Nanofabricated device for multiple-state logic operation
US5485018A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 27, 1994 |
| Grant date | Jan 16, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 27, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH10F77/14
- WIPO fieldMicro-structural and nano-technology
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
A nanofabricated logic device, operable at multiple (more than two) logic levels comprises asymmetrically coupled quantum point contacts provided with respective sources and drains and a coupling region between gate electrodes. The quantum mechanical carrier wavefunction in the region of QPC1, 2 is spatially asmmetric with alternate quantised energy levels lying either in QPC1, or QPC2, so that by changing the energy level, the conductance of the device can be switched between multiple stable conductance levels. The device can be used to provide a multilevel output switched in response to terahertz pulses provided by an array of optical detectors.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.