A Novel Design of an Active Low 2:4 Decoder using Quantum-Dot Cellular Automata

Quantum-dot cellular automata (QCA) is a nanoscale technology with unique features compared to the silicon-based technology that has been recently used in the design of combinational and sequential logic circuits. Today, QCA is a well-known technology for the design of digital systems and provides a modern pattern for information processing and communication with higher speed, higher integration scale, higher switching frequency, and less power consumption compared to silicon-based technology. In this paper, the QCA technology is used to design an active-low 2:4 decoder using an active-high decoder. The initial scheme is optimized and an independent active-low decoder is presented. In the optimized structure, the number of cells, and the occupied space are decreased significantly followed by power consumption reduction and an increase in the output signal level compared to the initial scheme. The number of required clock phases to generate the output is also reduced to three. Design and simulation are carried out in QCA Designer.