Bit storage and bit flip operations in an electromechanical oscillator

Abstract

The Parametron was first proposed as a logic-processing system almost 50 years ago¹. In this approach the two stable phases of an excited harmonic oscillator provide the basis for logic operations^2,3,4,5,6. Computer architectures based on LC oscillators were developed for this approach, but high power consumption and difficulties with integration meant that the Parametron was rendered obsolete by the transistor. Here we propose an approach to mechanical logic based on nanoelectromechanical systems^7,8,9 that is a variation on the Parametron architecture and, as a first step towards a possible nanomechanical computer^10,11,12, we demonstrate both bit storage and bit flip operations.