Toward nanoelectronic systems integration

A novel nanometer-scale electronic technology, called nanoelectronics is emerging. Nanoelectronic discrete devices, such as resonant tunneling diodes and transistors, single-electron transistors, bistable quantum-cells, quantum interference devices, etc. have been proposed and built. Technology and physics of the devices are reasonably well understood, but there exists a gap between device physics and nanoelectronic systems integration. In this paper it is shown that in case of local quantum coherence, i.e., if coherence is restricted to the internal dynamics of Coulomb-coupled devices, system dynamics can be described by a set of coupled ordinary nonlinear differential equations. In this case virtual charges, voltages and currents, obeying Kirchoff´s equations, can be assigned to the dynamic variables of the state equations, thus circuit models can be introduced. We also show that edge-driven arrays performing ground state computing are locally passive systems if the Coulomb-coupled devices are excited by the input signals only. In order to perform signal processing or computing, external energy should be pumped into the array, and the pumped array should be locally active. Adiabatic pumping is one way of injecting energy to the signal path