Atojoule MOSFET logic devices using low voltage swings and low temperature.

Previous estimates of the performance limits of MOSFET logic devices, including the possibility of low temperature operation, have used the conventional static electrical behavior as the starting point. Typically, such studies conclude that the minimum voltage swing is ~200mV, leading to practical limits on power dissipation and switching speed that prohibit the combination of very low power dissipation and very high speed achieved by Josephson junction logic. At such low voltages, the device behavior becomes very sensitive to fabrication, making high yields difficult. Here, we consider the conditions which must be met to achieve high speed and low power VLSI logic devices through voltage swings of ~25mV.