A new nano-design of configurable logic module based on coplanar reversible adder and modified Fredkin gates using quantum technology

Abstract

Quantum Dot Cellular Automata (QCA) and reversible logic have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional CMOS technology, offering several advantages, such as ultra-dense structures and ultra-low-power consumption. Among the crucial components of processors, the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) has witnessed significant advancements in reversible computing, leading to energy-efficient and high-speed computing systems, particularly beneficial for Digital Signal Processing (DSP) applications. Conventional ALUs, reliant on irreversible logic, encounter energy inefficiencies due to information loss during computations, resulting in increased power consumption. Moreover, they may face limitations in processing speed, impacting real-time processing capabilities, especially for complex DSP tasks involving intensive arithmetic and logic operations. In response to these challenges, a research paper presents a pioneering approach, proposing a novel reversible ALU design using QCA nanotechnology. The proposed design ingeniously incorporates Modified Fredkin (MF) gates, and a coplanar reversible full adder based on the HNG gate, skillfully leveraging the unique features of QCA nanotechnology to optimize the ALU's energy-efficient and high-speed performance for DSP applications. This revolutionary QCA reversible ALU comprises 330 QCA cells arranged in a compact 0.41 μm2 area, skillfully realized through the coplanar clock-zone-based crossover approach. Its core computational elements, the three MF gates, and the innovative coplanar reversible full adder empower the ALU to execute a remarkable array of 20 distinct arithmetic and logic operations, showcasing its versatility in handling diverse DSP tasks. The proposed structure undergoes extensive simulations utilizing QCADesigner version 2.0.3 to confirm its performance. The evaluation results manifest substantial improvements compared to previous designs, boasting a 30% reduction in area occupancy, a 20% decrement in cell count, a 10% reduction in latency, and a 10% decrease in quantum cost compared to the best-known previous structure. These compelling outcomes solidify the potential of the proposed reversible ALU as a transformative advancement in energy-efficient and high-speed computing for DSP applications.