# US 10,371,664 B2 · Use of titanium nitride as a counter electrode > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,371,664 B2 - Document ID: US10371664B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/410,592 - Filed: 2017-01-19 - Published: 2017-07-27 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2016-01-21 - Assignees: Roche Molecular Systems, Inc. - Applicants: Roche Molecular Systems, Inc. - Inventors: Markus Wallgren; Janusz B. Wójtowicz; Robert A. Yuan; John Foster; Jason Komadina - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10371664B2 ## CPC - G01N 27/44791: {Microapparatus (sample containers with integrated microfluidic structures B01L3/5027)} - G01N 33/48721: {Investigating individual macromolecules, e.g. by translocation through nanopores (Coulter counters in general G01N15/12; fabrication methods for nanoscale apertures B81B1/00; sequencing of nucleic acids C12Q1/68)} - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) ## Abstract A nanopore cell includes a titanium nitride (TiN) counter electrode configured to be at a first electric potential. The nanopore cell also include a working electrode configured to be at a second electric potential and an insulating wall. The insulating wall and the working electrode form at least a portion of a well configured to contain an electrolyte at a voltage that is at least a portion of an electric potential difference between the first electric potential of the titanium nitride counter electrode and the second electric potential of the working electrode. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A nanopore-based sequencing system, comprising: a fluid chamber component; a titanium nitride (TiN) counter electrode configured to be at a first electric potential; and a sequencing chip comprising a plurality of nanopore cells, each nanopore cell comprising: a working electrode configured to be at a second electric potential; and an insulating wall, wherein the insulating wall and the working electrode form at least a portion of a well configured to contain an electrolyte at a voltage that is at least a portion of an electric potential difference between the first electric potential of the titanium nitride counter electrode and the second electric potential of the working electrode; and wherein the fluid chamber component comprises at least one flow channel that directs a fluid to traverse over different nanopore cells along a length of the at least one flow channel, and wherein the titanium nitride (TiN) counter electrode is located on a top surface inside the at least one flow channel, and wherein the titanium nitride (TiN) counter electrode substantially covers the top surface inside the at least one flow channel. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The nanopore-based sequencing system of claim 1, wherein the counter electrode includes a base material that has been sputtered with titanium nitride. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The nanopore-based sequencing system of claim 1, wherein the fluid chamber component forms at least a portion of a winding fluid chamber. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The nanopore-based sequencing system of claim 1, wherein the titanium nitride counter electrode is included on the fluid chamber component. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The opera sell nanopore-based sequencing system of claim 1, wherein titanium nitride is sputtered within a channel surface of the fluid chamber component. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The nanopore-based sequencing system of claim 1, wherein titanium nitride is sputtered on an entire surface of the fluid chamber component coupled to the sequencing chip. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The nanopore-based sequencing system of claim 1, wherein the fluid chamber component and the sequencing chip are coupled together by heating an intermediate metal layer. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The nanopore-based sequencing system of claim 1, wherein the sequencing chip includes a plurality of different nanopore sensors and each nanopore sensor includes a surface for receiving the fluid. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The nanopore-based sequencing system of claim 1, wherein the fluid chamber component and the sequencing chip together form at least a portion of a fluid chamber with an inlet delivering the fluid into the fluid chamber and an outlet delivering the fluid out of the fluid chamber. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The nanopore-based sequencing system of claim 1, wherein titanium nitride is utilized in a material utilized to make a connection between the counter electrode and an electrical potential source or sink. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The nanopore-based sequencing system of claim 1, wherein a common electrode is shared amongst a plurality of different nanopore cells. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The nanopore-based sequencing system of claim 1, wherein the working electrode is made at least in part of titanium nitride (TiN). ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The nanopore-based sequencing system of claim 1, wherein the working electrode comprises a spongy and porous TiN working electrode that is deposited by a deposition technique with conditions tuned to deposit sparsely-spaced TiN columnar structures or columns of TiN crystals above a conductive layer. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The nanopore-based sequencing system of claim 13, wherein the spongy and porous TiN working electrode has a specific surface area that is ten to a thousand times that of a specific surface area of a flat TiN working electrode with substantially identical dimensions. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The nanopore-based sequencing system of claim 13, wherein the spongy and porous TiN working electrode has an electrochemical capacitance that is ten to a thousand times that of an electrochemical capacitance of a flat TiN working electrode with substantially identical dimensions. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The nanopore-based sequencing system of claim 13, wherein the deposition technique comprises direct current (DC) reactive sputtering from a titanium target, and the conditions tuned to deposit sparsely-spaced TiN columnar structures or columns of TiN crystals above the conductive layer comprise using a low temperature, low substrate bias voltage, and high pressure for sputtering. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The nanopore-based sequencing system of claim 13, wherein a portion of the insulating wall covers a portion of the working electrode, and wherein the well has an opening above an uncovered portion of the working electrode, and wherein a base surface area of the working electrode is greater than a base surface area of the opening above the uncovered portion of the working electrode. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The nanopore-based sequencing system of claim 17, wherein the base surface area of the working electrode and the base surface area of the opening above the uncovered portion of the working electrode are selected based on a ratio of a capacitance associated with the working electrode and a capacitance associated with a membrane that spans across the opening. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The opera sell nanopore-based sequencing system of claim 13, wherein a portion of the insulating wall covers a portion of the working electrode, and wherein the well has an opening above an uncovered portion of the working electrode, and wherein the electrolyte can diffuse through spaces between sparsely-spaced TiN columnar structures or columns of TiN crystals and diffuse vertically down the uncovered portion of the working electrode and then horizontally to the covered portion of the working electrode.