Physical Science Laboratory
More than 150 years ago Charles Babbage originated the idea of a programmable
computer. Babbage conceived his analytical engine in a mechanical architecture
where logic was performed by moving parts. In the microelectronics age
these ground breaking ideas were forgotten as silicon transistor technology
was the system of choice for implementing logic. We demonstrate that in
the era of nanotechnology the mechanical computer can be revived and logic
can be implemented by electromechanical systems.
The Parametron is a logic processing system first developed 50 years ago [1]. It utilizes the parametrically excited resonance of a harmonic oscillator, where this oscillation has two stable phases separated by π radians, as the basis for logic operations. The computational architecture based on this principle was well developed using LC oscillators but was rendered obsolete by the transistor due to its high power consumption and integration difficulties in dense system architectures. To remedy these drawbacks, we propose to implement mechanical logic in the mould of the Parametron with electromechanical systems.
In the first steps to this goal, we demonstrate both bit storage and bit
flip operations in an electromechanical oscillator [2]. We do this by integrating
a two dimensional electron system into the mechanical oscillator which
enables electromechanical transduction via the piezoelectric effect [3].
This enables on-chip all electrical actuation of the parametric resonance
and detection of the fundamental mode as well as switching between the
two phases of oscillation i.e. all the necessary prerequisites for the
electromechanical Parametron computer. The electromechanical bit operation
demonstrated here paves the way for realizing a nanomechanical computer.
[1] E. Goto, Proc. IRE 47 (1959) 1304.
[2] I. Mahboob and H. Yamaguchi, Nature Nanotechnol. 3 (2008) 275.
[3] I. Mahboob and H. Yamaguchi, Appl. Phys. Lett. 92 (2008) 173109.
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