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Fabrication of solid-state nanopores with single-nanometre precision

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.

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Figure 1: Fabrication of silicon oxide nanometre-sized pores
Figure 2: Diameter versus time for a shrinking pore with an initial size of about 21 nm.
Figure 3: TEM-drilled nanopores in thin free-standing SiO2 membranes.
Figure 4: A model system explaining nanopore shrinking and expanding dynamics.

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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.

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Correspondence to C. Dekker.

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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)

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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

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