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It only takes one molecule to make a switch

Researchers have used laser pulses to make a special carbon molecule switch an
electron’s path in a predictable way.
FUNDAMENTAL
DIGITAL ECONOMY RESEARCH

© Andrea Danti/stock.adobe.com

For the first time ever, an international research team has demonstrated a switch
made from a single molecule called fullerene. Supported in part by the EU-funded
PETACom project, the researchers managed to use fullerene to switch the path of an
incoming electron in a way they could predict. Their research  was published in the
journal ‘Physical Review Letters’.

So what does this mean in terms of real-world applications? As described in a press

release  posted by the University of Tokyo, Japan, the switching process – aided
by a carefully tuned laser pulse – can be between three to six orders of magnitude
faster than switches in microchips. The actual speed depends on the laser pulses
used. This means that if today’s network switches were replaced by fullerene
switches, it could lead to computers with capabilities that far exceed those possible

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with electronic transistors. It could also lead to microscopic imaging devices with
unparalleled levels of resolution.

Like a transistor, but faster

“What we’ve managed to do here is control the way a molecule directs the path of an
incoming electron using a very short pulse of red laser light,” states study first author
Dr Hirofumi Yanagisawa from the University of Tokyo’s Institute for Solid State
Physics in the press release. “Depending on the pulse of light, the electron can either
remain on its default course or be redirected in a predictable way. So, it’s a little like
the switching points on a train track, or an electronic transistor, only much faster. We
think we can achieve a switching speed 1 million times faster than a classical
transistor. And this could translate to real world performance in computing. But
equally important is that if we can tune the laser to coax the fullerene molecule to
switch in multiple ways at the same time, it could be like having multiple microscopic
transistors in a single molecule. That could increase the complexity of a system
without increasing its physical size.”

The fullerene molecule is a series of carbon atoms that form a sphere. When
positioned on a metal point, fullerenes orientate in a particular way that enables them
to direct electrons predictably. Laser pulses emitted at quadrillionths or even
quintillionths of a second towards the fullerene molecules trigger the emission of
electrons.

“This technique is similar to the way a photoelectron emission microscope produces

images,” explains Dr Yanagisawa. “However, those can achieve resolutions at best
around 10 nanometers, or ten-billionths of a meter. Our fullerene switch enhances
this and allows for resolutions of around 300 picometers, or three-hundred-trillionths
of a meter.”

The results achieved with support from the PETACom (Petahertz Quantum
Optoelectronic Communication) project pave the way for switches that perform
computational tasks much faster than today’s microchips. However, there are still
many obstacles to overcome before we see the fullerene switch-based technology in
our computer devices.

For more information, please see:

PETACom project website 

Keywords
PETACom, fullerene, molecule, carbon, electron, switch, laser, computer

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Related projects

PETACom

Petahertz Quantum Optoelectronic

Communication

8 September 2022
PROJECT

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Last update: 7 March 2023

Record number: 443009

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Permalink: https://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/443009-it-only-takes-one-molecule-to-
make-a-switch

© European Union, 2023

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