Many key technologies of our society, including so-called artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, have been enabled by the invention of transistor and its ever-decreasing size and ever-increasing integration at a large scale. However, conventional technologies are confronted with a clear scaling limit. Many recently proposed advanced transistor concepts are also facing an uphill battle in the lab because of necessary performance tradeoffs and limited scaling potential. We argue for a new pathway that could enable exponential scaling for multiple generations. This pathway involves layering multiple technologies that enable new functions beyond those available from conventional and newly proposed transistors. The key principles for this new pathway have been demonstrated through an interdisciplinary team effort at C-SPIN (a STARnet center), where systems designers, device builders, materials scientists and physicists have all worked under one umbrella to overcome key technology barriers. This paper reviews several successful outcomes from this effort on topics such as the spin memory, logic-in-memory, cognitive computing, stochastic and probabilistic computing and reconfigurable information processing.

Topographic templates can direct the self-assembly of block copolymers to achieve nanoscale patterns with high order. Previously, we have demonstrated well-aligned periodic lines, bends, and meshes using a sparse array of lithographically defined posts [1,2]. However, it is generally challenging to fabricate complex and non-periodic patterns using a sparse post array because the key information contained in the final pattern must be encoded in the sparse template. In this work, we present two cell-based design methods for fabricating complex patterns using directed self-assembly of polystyrene-b-polydimethylsiloxane (PS-b-PDMS) block copolymer thin films. For the first approach, we developed a set of template tiles consisting of square post lattices with a restricted range of geometric features. For all possible tile arrangements, we examined the resulting block copolymer patterns. We were able to predict a relatively simple template that will result in a desired complex pattern by combining tiles in different ways. For the second approach, we designed a binary-state system with ladder-shaped block copolymer structures using a square confinement. We developed design-rules for controlling alignment direction of the ladder-shaped structures by introducing openings around the square cells. These methods could provide a new template design method for a complex non-trivial block copolymer patterns.