Engineering and Scientific International Journal (ESIJ) ISSN 2394-7187(Online)

Volume 7, Issue 3, July – September 2020 ISSN 2394 - 7179 (Print)

Quantum Dot Cellular Automato Process in

Image Processing Techniques
M. Subhashini
Senior Executive, Lacustrine Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Chennai

Abstract— This paper presents the important of employing Quantum Dot Cellular Automato in Image processing. Quantum
Dot Cellular Automato is anupcoming technology of Nano electronics ensuring very low power consumption, maximized
clock speed, low silicon area utilization and performance enriching parallel processing techniques. Here we discussed the
fundamental of image processing techniques and application role of quantum dot cellular automato in it.

Keywords — Quantum Dot Cellular Automato; Image Processing; Nano Electronics

1. Introduction The above flow chart explains steps in digital image

processing. Image enhancement is defined as aggregate of
pixels composing an image either in spatial or frequency
Digital image processing is a two-dimensional light
domain where in spatial domain direct manipulation of
intensity f (x, y) value of f at spatial co-ordinates x and y.
pixel is taken place in case of frequency domain
Color image processing employs colors which simplifies
modification of Fourier transform of image will take place
object identification and extraction. Human eye can discern
followed by convolution. Image enhancement techniques
nearly thousands of color shades. Three quantities for
are discussed in figure 2.
quality description includes radiance, luminance,
brightness where radiance describes total energy from light
source in watts, luminance describes amount of energy
observed by observer from light source and brightness
describes color sensation. The primary colors are blue,
green and red. These primary colors added up to produce
secondary colors. Magenta produced from the combination
of red and blue where cyan is the combination of green and
blue, yellow is the combination of red and green and white
is the combination of all the three primary colors. The color
models facilitate specification of colors in a standard 3-D
co-ordinate system and subspace where each color
represented as dots (single point). There are three color
models they are represented in below table.

Table 1: Color models and their applications

Fig.2: Image enhancement techniques
COLOR MODELS APPLICATONS
RGB Color monitors, color video Point processing modifies grey level of pixel
camera independently of neighbor whereas mask processing
CMY Color printer modifies each pixel in image to be enhanced. Point
YIQ (where I, Q are Color Tv broadcast processing includes contract stretching technique to
chromatic components such improve low contrast images explained in figure 3,
as in phase and Quadrature)
compression of dynamic ranges when it exceeds the
capability of display device. Gray level splicing is to
highlight specific range of grey level. Example: Flaws in x-
ray images, masses of water in satellite images. Bit plane
splicing instead of highlighting intensity range highlights
specific bit and Histogram processing denotes the
probability of occurrence of grey level which gives us
useful information about possibility of contrast
enhancement and it is further classified as histogram
Fig. 1: Flow chart of digital image processing equalization and histogram specification.

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DOI: 10.30726/esij/v7.i3.2020.73018
Engineering and Scientific International Journal (ESIJ) ISSN 2394-7187(Online)
Volume 7, Issue 3, July – September 2020 ISSN 2394 - 7179 (Print)

grouping in a raster image with the purpose for information

extraction, after raster image is processed by applying
image classification techniques, the resultant raster can be
employed for the creation of thematic maps. These would
further be analyzed or processed with suitable technique so
that the final goal of image processing is met. The image
classification techniques are classified in to three types
depending on interaction between operator and the
computer,
 Supervised image classification
 Un supervised image classification
 Object oriented image analysis
Fig. 3: Point processing techniques.
2. Nano Electronics
There are different types of spatial filters used in
image enhancement techniques. The techniques are
discussed in figure 4. Electronic device today reduced to Nano scale size.
Most image and video processing algorithms resulted in
demand of speed and computational power. The Very
Large-Scale Integration technologies includes silicon Nano
wires, carbon Nano tubes, single electron transistors,
resonant tunneling diode and single molecule device
replaces conventional CMOS technology. Quantum Dot
Cellular Automato (QCA) resulted in parallel pipelined
architecture and speedy operation using electric charges
position for coding information instead electric current
flow and resulted in reduced power consumption and
computational complexity. In today’s age of digitalization,
the presence of digital images and videos is almost
omnipotent. Various quality images subjected to different
level of noise parameters such as unrestricted motion of the
camera on recording image, uncontrollable conditions of
Fig. 4: Types of spatial filters indoor and outdoor environment and susceptibility of noise
while transmission. Image processing is done for purpose
Smoothening filters used for blurring and noise of noise reduction, Feature extraction, face recognition,
reduction in pre-processing steps and removes small details skeletonizing, segmentation, thinning, thickening, shape
from image. Median filters are used in noise reduction extraction, object detection and tracking. Mathematical
instead of blurring a grey level of pixel replaces median of morphology is a less complex way of carrying out the
grey level in neighbor of pixel. It preserves edge sharpness. image processing. VLSI implementation in image
Sharpening filters are used to highlight fine details and processing includes Implementation of nonlinear filters and
enhance blurred detail as a part of image acquisition. Image video noise reduction.
restoration involves inverse filtering and Least Mean
Square (LMS) filter also called as Weiner filter, Image 3. Quantum Dot Cellular Automato Process
segmentation involves edge detection by Laplacian filter
and uniform cost algorithm of Dijkstra. Thresholding Cellular automata are the process for simplified
process involves Global thresholding and Local mathematical modelling of complex structures which when
thresholding methods. Gray level interpolation is classified implemented using coupled quantum dots is known as
as zero order interpolation and cubic convolution. Quantum Dot Cellular Automata. It is a design of complex
Derivative filters make use of Robert cross gradient architecture in Nano scale size using modern VLSI
operator, prewitt operator and sobel operator. technique an alternative for CMOS. QCA is transistor less
architecture with electrons doped in quantum dots of QCA
1.1 Image Classification cell results in both positive and negative charges and on
columbic interactions results in bistability that helps in
The digital image classification is an area under the binary information exchange and to perform computation.
umbrella of image processing and basically dealt with pixel This is an advanced computing practice eliminates need of

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DOI: 10.30726/esij/v7.i3.2020.73018
Engineering and Scientific International Journal (ESIJ) ISSN 2394-7187(Online)
Volume 7, Issue 3, July – September 2020 ISSN 2394 - 7179 (Print)

transistors in processing binary data. The fundamental implemented using five cells. Majority gate act as a
phenomenon is utilization of coulomb’s force for configurable AND or OR gate with 2 input A and B and
interactions between subatomic particles. Hence binary Sel that controls behavior. When QCA AND or OR gate
digits are represented as charge configurations in place of connected with not gate sequential and combinational
the conventional current levels representation. Coulomb circuits can be designed. Figure 6 explains various QCA
interactions are responsible for device- device coupling and designs.
eliminate the need of current flow. With the help of
clocked control of the device the functions like power gain,
control of power dissipation as well as pipelined
computation are put through. It improves integration
density up to 1012 cells/cm and terahertz of switching
frequency. Important notable feature is its potential to cross
wires in a plane. This new information representation
method called a processing in wire method. Innovative
designs from QCA are
 QCA T Flipflop
 5 Input majority gates
 Serial communication system
 2n to 1 multiplexer
Fig.6: QCA cell designs
QCA also involves in morphological edge detection,
thresholding, noise removal. Quantum Dot Cellular The majority gate with two input A and B results in
Automato overcomes hardware implementation difficulties logic AND output when third input Sel is 0 and logic OR
in existing algorithm. Mathematical morphology algorithm when Sel value is 1. Thus, tunnel junction act as a capacitor
for implementing complex algorithm is a field of image couple’s potential on dot to other to provide path for
processing using tools in image processing applications. quantum mechanical tunneling shows rearrangement of
Mathematical morphology process involves two tasks single charges with neighbor cell to perform computation
erosion and dilation. It involves two sets of input the input task.
and structuring element which is binary structuring element
white pixel representing back ground and black pixel
representing for ground. Superimpose input and structure
elements. In conventional technique 0 and 1 are 4. Application Role of Quantum Dot Cellular
represented as voltage or current where in quantum dot Automato Process in Image Processing
array the information is stored as electron pairs. The QCA Techniques
cell representation is denoted in Figure 5. QCA cell is a
combination of four quantum dots in a square array by 4.1 Image Masking
tunnel barrier (Interaction between the dots by coulomb
interactions and Quantum mechanical tunneling). The QCA plays an important role in image masking
electron tunnels across dots but not outside the cell. The techniques includes designing of low power encoder circuit.
two motion electrons are represented on opposite corners Stegnalysis performed to show retrieval of encoded image
of a cell. without employing secret key. This methodology involves
conversion of input image in to binary image and key from
the user called the cipher image undergoes xor operation
and resulted in binary image. The encoding operation is
explained in the figure 7.

Fig. 5: QCA cell representing binary

representation “0” and “1”.

QCA designs include successive placement of QCA

cells that act as a binary wire, 3 input majority gates Fig.7: Encoder design resulted with mask image

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DOI: 10.30726/esij/v7.i3.2020.73018
Engineering and Scientific International Journal (ESIJ) ISSN 2394-7187(Online)
Volume 7, Issue 3, July – September 2020 ISSN 2394 - 7179 (Print)

The process is divided in to four processes. The mas various computing techniques which operate on binary data.
resulted output constituting cipher image and mask image The technique of Quantum Dot Cellular Automata would
is sent to receiver. The cipher image when undergoes xor be employed to the image in the gray scale or binary data
operation with mask image results in original input image. format for the process of image classification.
The decoding operation is explained in the figure 8. This
resulted in retrieval of original image. 6. Conclusion

This paper presents the innovation technology called

Quantum Dot Cellular Automato in designing VLSI
architecture which finds its application in image processing
resulting in reduced power consumption and reduced
mathematical complexity. Thus, this paper dealt with the
study of image processing techniques and the procedures
carried out in ease way by employing Quantum Dot
Cellular Automato process in it.
Fig.8: Retrieval of original image using decoder circuit

Morphological erosion and dilution involves the References

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5. Future Scope

Image classification from given image initially

requires the removal of noise which is best done by
converting image to a gray scale. This gray scale image is
considered as a binary image which could be subjected to

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