Molecular electronics could offer 1000x more density than silicon chips

The article discusses the emerging field of molecular electronics as a potential successor to traditional silicon-based chips, which are approaching physical and economic limits. Current leading-edge chips, such as Apple’s A17 Pro built on TSMC’s 3 nm process, face challenges like electron tunneling causing leakage and excessive heat, alongside the prohibitive cost of advanced fabrication facilities exceeding $20 billion. Molecular electronics proposes using individual molecules as functional electronic components, exploiting quantum properties like directional electron flow and quantum interference to achieve device densities up to 10¹⁴ per square centimeter—about 1,000 times greater than silicon chips. Molecular electronics operates on fundamentally different principles, with charge transport occurring via quantum tunneling across molecular junctions. The conductance depends heavily on molecular length and configuration, with benzene-based molecules demonstrating constructive or destructive quantum interference based on connection geometry, enabling novel electronic behaviors. Creating reliable molecular junctions requires electrodes spaced under 3 nanometers, achieved through techniques such as electromigration, self