Information capacity of nanowire crossbar switching networks

Crossbar switching networks formed by nanowires are promising future data storage devices. This work addresses the fundamental question: What is the information storage capacity of a crossbar switching network? The two major classes of nanowire crossbar switching networks are considered, those with ohmic and those with semiconductive switches. The focus is on the first class which is in the center of current nanotechnology research. Exact, simple approximate, and asymptotic expressions of the information storage capacity are provided as functions of the network size. The derivations indicate technological and geometrical considerations in the design of efficient nanowire devices.