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Nanoelectronics and Scanning Tunneling Engineering

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Molecular Electronics

Abstract

Carter (1983) noted that projected trends in microelectronic fabrication would intersect the molecular-nanometer (“nano”-10-9; nanometer-10-9 meter) level around 2020 AD. Why not simply charge ahead on this rather straightforward path to molecular scale devices and nanotechnology---which shows no sign of significantly slowing down and which is also extremely well funded and profitable---and then branch out to more sophisticated types of molecular electronics when new “industrial strength” infrastructures would then make it simpler, easier, and much more efficient to take such innovative steps? Considering the rate of progress this decade alone, will current approaches to molecular devices be rendered obsolete because they are evolving too slowly relative to integrated circuit microelectronics and nanoelectronics? (See Yamamura, Fujisawa and Namba, 1984; Haddon and Lamola, 1985; Bandyopadhyay, 1986; Gray and Campisi, 1986; Howard, Jackel and Skocpol, 1985; Kratschmer et al., 1985; Whitehead, Isaacson and Wolfe, 1985.) Given the enormous lead times and costs for research, development, production learning curves, and gaining substantial market share, does the development of molecular electronic devices for computers make sense? Guided by such questions, we will suggest some hybrid possibilities below.

It is difficult to suppress one’s enthusiasm for the development of a viable molecular technological base when one recognizes the possible scientific, industrial and economic spin-off opportunities.

— Forrest L. Carter, 1981

In the year 2000, when they look back at this age, they will wonder why it was not until the year 1960 that anybody began seriously to move in this direction.

---Richard P. Feynman, 1960

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Advanced Biotechnology Laboratory Department of Anesthesiology, College of Medicine, USA

    Conrad Schneiker & Stuart Hameroff

  2. Optical Sciences Center, USA

    Mark Voelker, Jackson He & Eustace Dereniak

  3. Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, 85724, USA

    Robert McCuskey

Authors
  1. Conrad Schneiker
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  2. Stuart Hameroff
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  3. Mark Voelker
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  4. Jackson He
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  5. Eustace Dereniak
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  6. Robert McCuskey
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA

    Felix T. Hong

Additional information

Dedicated to a pioneer of electronic NanoComputing

Forrest L. Carter (29 April 1930---20 December 1987)

and also to the godfather of NanoTechnology, Richard P. Feynman (11 May 1918---15 February 1988).

[Consider] the final questions as to whether, ultimately… we can arrange the atoms the way we want, the very atoms, all the way down!.,. Ultimately, we can do chemical synthesis…. When we get to the very, very small world---say circuits of seven atoms---we have a lot of new things that would happen that represent completely new opportunities for design.… We can use, not just circuits, but some system involving the quantized energy levels, or the interactions of quantized spins, etc.…

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Schneiker, C., Hameroff, S., Voelker, M., He, J., Dereniak, E., McCuskey, R. (1989). Nanoelectronics and Scanning Tunneling Engineering. In: Hong, F.T. (eds) Molecular Electronics. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-7482-8_43

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