Quantum-Dot Cellular Automata Technology for High-Speed High-Data-Rate Networks

Abstract

In today’s technology, optical networking plays a vital role in reducing data losses, thereby providing higher data rates between the transreceivers. The very large scale integration circuits in the modulator–demodulator (MODEM) usually fabricated using complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology have serious scaling limitations; hence, device scaling beyond 65 nm technology becomes highly challenging. Quantum-dot cellular automata (QCA) is one of the most promising nanotechnologies that enable areas of smaller size, i.e. 60% less design area than the CMOS technology, with capability to produce high speed by taking less cycles compared with the other CMOS designs to reduce scaling issues. The QCA-based designs are considered as the best alternative solutions to the transistor-based (CMOS) designs. This paper deals with the implementation of the logic gates NOT, AND, OR, NAND, NOR, XOR and XNOR using both CMOS and QCA technologies, while the QCA allows more possible design structures for each logic gate to enable optimization of the area. Finally, the proposed QCA-based logic gate design and CMOS-based designs are compared in terms of the design area, cell count and the speed of the designs. QCA designer 2.0.3 and virtuoso CADENCE Computer-Aided Design tools are used for carrying out the work.