IBM Brings Single-Atom Data Storage, Molecular Computers Closer to Reality

Schematic three-dimensional image of a molecular "logic gate" of two naphthalocyanine molecules, which are probed by the tip of the low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope. By inducing a voltage pulse through the tip to the molecule underneath the tip (shown in the back), the two hydrogen atoms in the adjacent molecule (in white at the center of the molecule in front) change position and electrically switch the entire molecule from "on" to "off". This represents a rudimentary logic-gate, an essential component of computer chips and could be the building block for computers built from molecular components. Credit: IBM