Nanoscale content-addressable memory

1. A combined content addressable memory device and memory interface comprising:

at least one molecular wire crossbar memory (MWCM), including

a plurality of spaced-apart key nanowires,

a plurality of spaced-apart value nanowires adjacent to the plurality of key nanowires, and

a plurality of configurable switches positioned between the plurality of key nanowires and the plurality of value nanowires, each configurable switch defining a memory element;

a key microwire-nanowire grid (key MNG) electrically connected to the plurality of spaced-apart key nanowires; and

a value microwire-nanowire grid (value MNG) electrically connected to the plurality of spaced-apart value nanowires;

wherein at least one of the key or value MNGs selects multiple nanowires for a given key or value.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of key microwires comprises at least one complementary pair of microwires.

3. The device of claim 2 , further comprising a symmetric electrical connection connecting the key nanowires and the at least one pair of complementary key microwires.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of value microwires comprises at least one complementary pair of microwires.

5. The device of claim 4 , further comprising a symmetric electrical connection connecting the value nanowires and the at least one pair of complementary value microwires.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the memory element comprises a reconfigurable switch.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the memory element comprises a bi-stable molecule.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein a predefined combination of spaced-apart key nanowires define a set of memory keys, and wherein each of the memory keys corresponds to one and only one combination of the key nanowires.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein a predefined combination of spaced-apart value nanowires define a set of memory values, and wherein each memory value corresponds to one and only one combination of the value nanowires.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one MWCM is configured to implement a LernMatrix.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein one of the microwires is positioned at a distance farther from the MWCM than that of each other microwire, and wherein the microwire so positioned electrically drives each of the other microwires during a memory readout operation.

12. A content addressable memory device comprising:

a first plurality of nanowires configured to define key nanowires;

a second plurality of spaced-apart nanowires spaced apart from and extending substantially perpendicular to the first plurality of spaced-apart nanowires and configured to define value nanowires; and

a plurality of reconfigurable switches positioned between the plurality of key nanowires and the plurality of value nanowires, each reconfigurable switch defining a memory element;

wherein the memory device performs a plurality of different LernMatrix operations in response to an electrical signal.

13. The memory device of claim 12 , wherein the memory element comprises a bi-stable molecule.

14. The device of claim 12 , further comprising a symmetric electrical connection connecting the key nanowires to at least one pair of complementary key microwires.

15. The device of claim 12 , further comprising a symmetric electrical connection connecting the value nanowires to at least one pair of complementary value microwires.

16. A memory interface for interfacing with a nano-scaled memory device, the interface comprising:

a first microwire-nanowire grid (MNG) configured to define a key MNG that can electrically connect with a plurality of spaced-apart key nanowires; and

a second MNG configured to define a value MNG that can electrically connect with a plurality of spaced-apart value nanowires;

wherein the interface provides data signals to and receive data signals from the nano-scaled memory device by implementing a plurality of LernMatrix operations in response to an electrical signal.

17. The interface of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of key microwires comprises at least one complementary pair of microwires.

18. The device of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of value microwires comprises at least one complementary pair of microwires.

19. A method for operating a memory device configured to implement a LernMatrix, the method comprising:

providing a microwire/nanowire grid;

during a learning mode, reconfiguring junctions within the microwire/nanowire grid; and

reading out data from the memory device by performing a LernMatrix decoding operation and determining which microwires within the microwire/nanowire grid are most likely to encode into a set of nanowires contained in the microwire/nanowire grid.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising supplying a voltage to at least one key nanowire contained in the microwire/nanowire grid such that the potential between the at least one key nanowire and a corresponding at least one value nanowire also contained in the microwire/nanowire grid causes a corresponding non-conducting junction between the at least one key nanowire and at least one value nanowire to conduct an electrical current.