Demultiplexers for Nanoelectronics Constructed From Nonlinear Tunneling Resistors

When using linear resistors to implement nanoelectronic resistor-logic demultiplexers, codes can be used to improve the voltage margins of these circuits. However, the resistors which have been fabricated in nanoscale crossbars are observed to be nonlinear in their current versus voltage (I-V) characteristics, showing an exponential dependence of current on voltage; we call these devices tunneling resistors. The introduction of nonlinearity can either improve or degrade the voltage margin of a demultiplexer circuit, depending on the particular code used. Therefore, the criterion for choosing codes must be redefined for demultiplexer circuits built from this type of nonlinear resistor. We show that for well-chosen codes, the nonlinearity of the resistors can be advantageous, producing a better voltage margin than can be achieved with linear resistors