Nanocomputing in the Presence of Defects and Faults: A Survey

Abstract

Computing systems implemented with nanotechnology will need to employ defect-and fault-tolerant measures to improve their reliability due to the large number of factors that may lead to imperfect device fabrication as well as the increased susceptibility to environmentally induced faults when using nanometerscale devices. Researchers have approached this problem of reliability from many angles and this survey will discuss many promising examples, ranging from classical fault-tolerant techniques to approaches specific to nanocomputing. The research results summarized here also suggest that many useful, yet strikingly different solutions may exist for tolerating defects and faults within nanocomputing systems. Also included in the survey are a number of software tools useful for quantifying the reliability of nanocomputing systems in the presence of defects and faults.

Sigma-delta domain bandpass and band-elimination wave filters

“…(29) when z io is normalized to 1 ohm. The impedance values of blocks (2, 3) and (3,4) are the same with those of blocks (1, 2) and (0, 1) respectively. …”

“…The discontinuous quantum phenomena make construction of nanometer-scale analog circuits impossible. In addition, the devices and the circuits are vulnerable to electromagnetic interference, atmospheric neutrons, and other physical attacks to cause transient errors [3][4][5].…”

“…Fault-tolerant architectures have long been researched [3][4][5][6]. Well-known fault tolerant techniques include hardware and information redundancies.…”

Self-checking ripple-carry adder with Ambipolar Silicon NanoWire FET

“…Among on-line testing strategies, self-checking circuits offer an efficient way of testing circuits without adding redundant voter circuitries such as in Triple Modular Redundancy [3].…”

“…When compared to offline testing, online testing does not require stalling the system operation for error diagnostics and thus eliminate complex software routines to test the unit. In order to design an online testable system, redundancy is the most traditional approach to mitigate failures [3]. Redundancy is generally used in terms of the replication of functions temporally or physically to detect faults.…”