Bridging the Gap Between Molecular FCN and Design Automation with SIM(7)-MolPDK: A Physically Simulated Standard-Cell Library

As CMOS technology approaches its physical and economic limits, alternative computing paradigms are being explored to overcome scaling, power, and manufacturing challenges. Field-Coupled Nanocomputing (FCN) is a promising post-CMOS approach that transmits information via electrostatic interactions rather than current flow. The molecular implementation of FCN—Molecular Field-Coupled Nanocomputing (MolFCN)—follows the Quantum-dot Cellular Automata (QCA) paradigm and offers room-temperature operation, ultra-high logic density, and ultra-low energy consumption. Recent advances in molecular device characterization and simulation make MolFCN circuit design more feasible than ever. However, most existing MolFCN circuits are manually designed under simplified assumptions, limiting their physical realism and scalability. While automated FCN design frameworks exist, they require verified Standard-Cell Libraries (SCLs), which are currently unavailable for molecular implementations. This work introduces SIM(7)-MolPDK, the first fully simulated MolFCN standard-cell library, enabling integration into an automatic FCN design framework. For the first time, physically realistic MolFCN circuits are synthesized automatically and validated through physical-level simulations, bridging the gap between molecular device research and design automation.

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