Teaching a Cross-Disciplinary Nanocomputing Systems Course

The end of photolithography as the driver for Moore’s Law is predicted within few years and different emerging technologies (mostly nanotechnology) are expected to replace the current CMOS-based system integration paradigm. As nanotechnology is emerging, there is a strong need for well-educated engineers in nanocomputing systems design, and research and education efforts are also called to overcome numerous nano-based systems issues. This paper proposes an interdisciplinary course in nanocomputing systems by introducing two emerging technologies: Crossbar-based Nano-Architecture and Quantum-Dot Cellular Automata (QCA). The goals of the course are to introduce our students to the design trends of computing systems in the nanotechnology era, and make them highly competitive in future engineering jobs market. The course will be offered as undergraduate seniors/graduate course.