Abstract
Single nanometre-sized pores (nanopores) embedded in an insulating membrane are an exciting new class of nanosensors for rapid electrical detection and characterization of biomolecules. Notable examples include α-hemolysin protein nanopores in lipid membranes1,2 and solid-state nanopores3 in Si3N4. Here we report a new technique for fabricating silicon oxide nanopores with single-nanometre precision and direct visual feedback, using state-of-the-art silicon technology and transmission electron microscopy. First, a pore of 20 nm is opened in a silicon membrane by using electron-beam lithography and anisotropic etching. After thermal oxidation, the pore can be reduced to a single-nanometre when it is exposed to a high-energy electron beam. This fluidizes the silicon oxide leading to a shrinking of the small hole due to surface tension. When the electron beam is switched off, the material quenches and retains its shape. This technique dramatically increases the level of control in the fabrication of a wide range of nanodevices.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Kasianowicz, J.J., Brandin, E., Branton, D. & Deamer, D.W. Characterization of individual polynucleotide molecules using a membrane channel. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 93, 13770–13773 (1996).
Howorka, S., Cheley, S. & Bayley, H. Sequence-specific detection of individual DNA strands using engineered nanopores. Nature Biotechnol. 19, 636–639 (2001).
Li, J. et al. Ion-beam sculpting at nanometre length scales. Nature 412, 166–169 (2001).
Gribov, N.N., Theeuwen, S.J.C.H., Caro, J. & Radelaar, S. A new fabrication process for metallic point contacts. Microelectron. Eng. 35, 317–320 (1997).
Chen, G.S., Boothroyd, C.B. & Humphreys, C.J. Electron-beam-induced damage in amorphous SiO2 and the direct fabrication of silicon nanostructures. Phil. Mag. A 78, 491–506 (1998).
Chen, G.S., Boothroyd, C.B. & Humphreys, C.J. Novel fabrication method for nanometre-scale silicon dots and wires. Appl. Phys. Lett. 62, 1949–1951 (1993).
Ajayan, P.M. & Iijima, S. Electron-beam-enhanced flow and instability in amorphous silica fibres and tips. Phil. Mag. Lett. 65, 43–48 (1992).
Taylor, G.I. & Michael, D.H. On making holes in a sheet of fluid. J. Fluid. Mech. 58, 625–639 (1973).
Lanxner, M., Bauer, C.L. & Scholz, R. Evolution of hole size and shape in {100}, {110} and {111} monocrystalline thin films of gold. Thin Solid Films 150, 323–335 (1987).
Acknowledgements
We thank P. F. A. Alkemade, E. W. J. M. van der Drift, J. Jansen, J. Prost, D. M. Stein and M. Zuiddam for technical assistance and fruitful discussions. This work was financially supported by the Dutch Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM). X.S.L. wishes to thank the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation for support.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors have a patent pending on this work.
Supplementary information
41563_2003_BFnmat941_MOESM1_ESM.mov
Supplementary Movie 1 Shrinking a nanopore in silicon oxide using a TEM microscope. This movie shows a sequence of TEM micrographs displayed 25 times faster than the original recording rate.The initial diameter of 26 nm was reduced down to 2 nm in about 10 minutes. (MOV 3700 kb)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Storm, A., Chen, J., Ling, X. et al. Fabrication of solid-state nanopores with single-nanometre precision. Nature Mater 2, 537–540 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat941
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat941
This article is cited by
-
Fabrication of angstrom-scale two-dimensional channels for mass transport
Nature Protocols (2024)
-
Spatially multiplexed single-molecule translocations through a nanopore at controlled speeds
Nature Nanotechnology (2023)
-
Photothermal regulated ion transport in nanofluidics: From fundamental principles to practical applications
Nano Research (2023)
-
Optimizing the sensitivity and resolution of hyaluronan analysis with solid-state nanopores
Scientific Reports (2022)
-
Drilling accurate nanopores for biosensors by energetic multi-wall carbon nanotubes: a molecular dynamics investigation
Journal of Molecular Modeling (2022)