Comprehensive and Comparative Analysis of QCA-based Circuit Designs for Next-generation Computation

For the past several decades, VLSI design has been focused on lowering the size, power, and delay. As of now, this miniaturization does not seems to be a possible way to address the demands of consumers. Quantum Dot Cellular Automata (QCA) technology is a promising technique that is able to provide low-power high-speed circuits at nano-scale. Much work has been done in this area where the researchers have proposed a variety of combinational and sequential logic circuits for future computation. This article presents a concrete review of design approaches, logic circuits, clocking schemes, implementation tools, and possible fabrication methodologies presented so far in QCA technology. A critical comparative analysis is provided on the basis of reported performance parameters in the domain. The aim of this article is to collect all necessary information into a single source, highlight the research challenges to be taken in the near future, and enlighten the path for upcoming researchers in the area.