Fabrication of Nanopores in a 100-nm Thick Si<SUB>3</SUB>N<SUB>4</SUB> Membrane

Abstract

Textured alumina films have been used to fabricate nanoscale pores in Si3N4 membranes. A few nanometer-thick alumina layer was used as a masking material for nanopore fabrication, and the pattern was transferred into a 100-nm thick, 200 microm x 200 microm Si3N4 membrane by reactive ion etching (RIE). The nanopores were found to be concentrated in a approximately 150-microm diameter region at the center of the membrane.

25th Anniversary Article: Scalable Multiscale Patterned Structures Inspired by Nature: the Role of Hierarchy

“…An alternative for producing low‐cost filtration membranes has been suggested by the use of polymeric materials (Figure b) that allow the manufacturing process to be significantly simplified and, thereby, leads to a reduction in production costs . Furthermore, membranes with different properties can be easily produced by simply changing the polymeric materials used.…”

Fabrication of Solid State Nanopore in Thin Silicon Membrane Using Low Cost Multistep Chemical Etching

“…Recent advancements in nanofabrication techniques allow artificial solid-state nanopores to be fabricated in Si 3 N 4 , SiO 2 , Si, and alumina [2,6,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25]. These nanopore devices uncover many advantages, such as the ability to control a pore diameter, increased mechanical strength, and integration with micro/nano-devices.…”

“…To date, inductively-coupled plasma (ICP)-enhanced reactive ion etching (RIE) [13,17,21,22], focused ion beam (FIB) micromachining via transmission electron microscopy (TEM) technology [6,13,14,17,20,22,25], and electron beam lithography [2,12,18,20] have been used frequently to pattern micro and nanopores directly on the substrate after some modification. Despite the availability of large varieties in pore fabrication techniques, it is still very desirable to develop simpler and faster methods without using the above mentioned high energy electron beam techniques.…”

NUE (EEC): Integrating Nanodevice Design, Fabrication, and Analysis into the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum

“…These theoretical analyses will complement what students learned in the lab, and give students a solid understanding on mechanics of nanoscale materials, devices, and systems. Chung's research on nanodevices that will be covered in the proposed module (from left to right): nanoporous biosensor [6]; carbon nanotube device [7]; DNA sensor [8]; nanotube chemical sensor [9]; Si nanowire sensor; and a nanomaterial tester [10].…”

“…5)) will be introduced along with the fabrication steps, which will prepare undergraduate students for future nanodevice design. The nanodevices covered in the class will include the following (which are a focus of Dr. Chung's research): a nanoporous biosensor [6]; integration of carbon nanotube devices [7]; a DNA sensor [8]; nanotube chemical sensors [9]; Si nanowire sensors; a nanomaterial tester [10]; a chemical response sensor [11]; and nanoelectrodes for virus detection developed in collaboration with Dr. Liu at Northwestern University [12] . The major focus will be to deliver the concept of fabrication and manufacture for nanodevices, and the differences between fabrication of nanodevices as opposed to larger devices that ME students are accustomed to.…”