2007/04/21 by Christof Teuscher · 59 citations
Computer Science · Engineering · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Memory and Neural Computing #Computation #Computer architecture #Computer network #Computer science #Distributed computing #Electrical engineering #Electronics #Engineering #Graphene research and applications #Interconnection #Molecular Junctions and Nanostructures #Network topology #Robustness (evolution) #Scalability #Synchronization (alternating current) #Telecommunications #Topology (electrical circuits) #cond-mat.dis-nn #cs.AR #nlin.AO
paper · pdf · doi:10.1063/1.2740566
published in Chaos An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science 17(2), 026106 (American Institute of Physics)
arxiv created 2007/04/21 · openalex publication_date 2007/06/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Future nanoscale electronics built up from an Avogadro number of components need efficient, highly scalable, and robust means of communication in order to be competitive with traditional silicon approaches. In recent years, the networks-on-chip (NoC) paradigm emerged as a promising solution to interconnect challenges in silicon-based electronics. Current NoC architectures are either highly regular or fully customized, both of which represent implausible assumptions for emerging bottom-up self-assembled molecular electronics that are generally assumed to have a high degree of irregularity and imperfection. Here, we pragmatically and experimentally investigate important design tradeoffs and properties of an irregular, abstract, yet physically plausible three-dimensional (3D) small-world interconnect fabric that is inspired by modern network-on-chip paradigms. We vary the framework's key parameters, such as the connectivity, number of switch nodes, and distribution of long- versus short-range connections, and measure the network's relevant communication characteristics. We further explore the robustness against link failures and the ability and efficiency to solve a simple toy problem, the synchronization task. The results confirm that (1) computation in irregular assemblies is a promising and disruptive computing paradigm for self-assembled nanoscale electronics and (2) that 3D small-world interconnect fabrics with a power-law decaying distribution of shortcut lengths are physically plausible and have major advantages over local two-dimensional and 3D regular topologies.