IBM develops molecular ‘switch’
1 min read
IBM researchers have described the ability to switch a single molecule ‘on’ and ‘off’ – a basic element of computer logic – using two hydrogen atoms within a naphthalocyanine molecule. Previously, researchers at IBM and elsewhere have demonstrated switching within single molecules, but the molecules would change their shape when switching, making them unsuitable for building logic gates for computer chips or memory elements.
According to IBM, the concept of using molecules as electronic components is still in its infancy and only a few examples of individual molecules serving as switches or memory elements have been demonstrated to date.
Most of these molecules are complex, 3d structures and placing them on a surface while maintaining their function is extremely difficult, making them unsuitable as building blocks for computer logic.
The switching within the molecule used by the IBM researchers is said to be ‘well defined, highly localised, reversible, intrinsic to the molecule and does not involve changes in the molecular frame’. It adds this molecule could be used as a building block for more complex molecular devices that serve as logic elements. As the shape of the molecule does not change during switching, single switches can be coupled in a controlled way. The switching process should also work with molecules embedded in more complex structures.
