Fabrication of 3-nm-thick Si3N4 membranes for solid-state nanopores using the poly-Si sacrificial layer process.

ABSTRACT: To improve the spatial resolution of solid-state nanopores, thinning the membrane is a very important issue. The most commonly used membrane material for solid-state nanopores is silicon nitride (Si3N4). However, until now, stable wafer-scale fabrication of Si3N4 membranes with a thickness of less than 5 nm has not been reported, although a further reduction in thickness is desired to improve spatial resolution. In the present study, to fabricate thinner Si3N4 membranes with a thickness of less than 5 nm in a wafer, a new fabrication process that employs a polycrystalline-Si (poly-Si) sacrificial layer was developed. This process enables the stable fabrication of Si3N4 membranes with thicknesses of 3 nm. Nanopores were fabricated in the membrane using a transmission electron microscope (TE

SUBMITTER: Yanagi I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4589763 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature