Carbon nanotube-based nonvolatile random access memory for molecular computing

A concept for molecular electronics exploiting carbon nanotubes as both mol ecular device elements and molecular wires for reading and writing informat ion was developed. Each device element is based on a suspended, crossed nan otube geometry that Leads to bistable, electrostatically switchable ON/OFF states. The device elements are naturally addressable in large arrays by th e carbon nanotube molecular wires making up the devices. These reversible, bistable device elements could be used to construct nonvolatile random acce ss memory and logic function tables at an integration level approaching 10( 12) elements per square centimeter and an element operation frequency in ex cess of 100 gigahertz. The viability of this concept is demonstrated by det ailed calculations and by the experimental realization of a reversible, bis table nanotube-based bit.