Remarkable potential of pattern based computing on an organic molecular layer using the concept of cellular automata

We have assembled molecular multi-level switches (0, 1, 2, 3) on an atomically flat metallic substrate (Figure 1 a). The molecules self-assemble in the form of an organic bi-layer. Each molecule functions as a cellular automata (CA) cell when assembled in an ordered pattern, otherwise they are conductance switch. The molecular bi-layer satisfies three fundamental criteria of cellular automaton circuitry. First, the single molecule cell, or a small area of molecules ¿updates¿ itself independently of the distant neighborhood (parallelism). Secondly, the new CA state depends on the distribution of states of its immediate surroundings (locality). Third, the laws that govern the state of a molecule do not change over the entire surface (homogeneity). In spite of following the fundamental properties of CA, there are crucial issues need to be addressed before we use the CA template for a real-time computation. In this letter, several such issues have been addressed leading to the conclusion that a simple realization of CA template can lead to the realization of remarkable computing power that was otherwise impossible to realize using existing hardware.