Âé¶¹´«Ã½

Downsizing the future

24 July 1999

We’re one step closer to making molecular computers, which would use
molecules to represent the 0s and 1s of binary code instead of today’s much
larger silicon transistors. A team from Hewlett-Packard and the University of
California in Los Angeles has created a logic gate that uses a single layer of
organic molecules as a switch. Applying a voltage to the switch causes the
molecules to change shape, breaking a connection and preventing current from
flowing (Science, vol 285, p 391). But so far the team can only stop
the flow—they cannot restore it.

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