# US 11,442,026 B2 · Crack structure and tunneling device with a layer exhibiting a crack-defined gap between two cantilevering parts > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,442,026 B2 - Document ID: US11442026B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/947,831 - Filed: 2020-08-19 - Published: 2020-12-03 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2015-12-14 - Assignees: Zedna AB - Applicants: Zedna AB - Inventors: Valentin Dubois; Frank Niklaus; Göran Stemme - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11442026B2 ## CPC - G01N 21/9505: {Wafer internal defects, e.g. microcracks} - C12Q 1/6869: Methods for sequencing - G01N 27/3278: {involving nanosized elements, e.g. nanogaps or nanoparticles (nanopores G01N33/48721; magnetic beads G01N27/745)} - 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)} - H10N 70/00: Solid-state devices having no potential barriers, and specially adapted for rectifying, amplifying, oscillating or switching (integrated devices or assemblies of multiple devices H10N79/00) - H10P 14/3462: {Nanowires} - H10P 50/00: Etching of wafers, substrates or parts of devices - H10P 74/203: {Structural properties, e.g. testing or measuring thicknesses, line widths, warpage, bond strengths or physical defects} - B82Y 5/00: Nanobiotechnology or nanomedicine, e.g. protein engineering or drug delivery - B82Y 15/00: Nanotechnology for interacting, sensing or actuating, e.g. quantum dots as markers in protein assays or molecular motors - B82Y 40/00: Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures - 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) - C12Q: MEASURING OR TESTING PROCESSES INVOLVING ENZYMES, NUCLEIC ACIDS OR MICROORGANISMS (immunoassay G01N33/53); COMPOSITIONS OR TEST PAPERS THEREFOR; PROCESSES OF PREPARING SUCH COMPOSITIONS; CONDITION-RESPONSIVE CONTROL IN MICROBIOLOGICAL OR ENZYMOLOGICAL PROCESSES - H10N: ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES ## Abstract Disclosed is a method of making a crack structure on a substrate, the crack structure being usable as a tunnelling junction structure in a nanogap device, including the controlled fracture or release of a patterned layer under built-in stress, thereby forming elements separated by nanogaps or crack-junctions. The width of the crack-defined nanogap is controlled by locally release-etching the film at a notched bridge patterned in the film. The built-in stress contributes to forming the crack and defining of the width of the crack-defined nanogap. Further, by design of the length of the bridge in a range between sub-μπι to >25μαι, the separation between the elements, defined by the width of the crack-defined nanogaps, can be controlled for each individual crack structure from <2 nm to >100 nm. The nanogaps can be used for tunneling devices in combination with nanopores for DNA, RNA or peptides sequencing. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A crack structure on a substrate, comprising: a substrate; a layer of sacrificial material, located on the substrate and having an open space; a layer of selected material (s) provided on the layer of sacrificial material, the layer of selected material (s) being patterned to exhibit a crack-defined gap between two cantilevering parts extending across said open space, a width of the crack-defined gap predetermined by a length of the cantilevering parts and by built-in stress in the material(s); a space material layer, located on the layer of selected material(s) and having at least one further open space; and a further layer of one or more selected material(s) provided on the spacer material layer, the further layer of selected material(s) being patterned to exhibit a further crack-defined gap between further cantilevering parts in a transverse direction thereof, extending across said further open space and said defined gap perpendicularly or rotated by another angle, a width of said further crack-defined gap predetermined by a length of the further cantilevering parts and by the built-in stress. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The crack structure according to claim 1, wherein the width of the crack-defined gap is less than 100 nm. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The crack structure according to claim 2, wherein the width of the crack-defined gap is less than 3 nm. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The crack structure according to claim 2, wherein characteristics of the tunneling currents of a tunneling junction formed by the width of the crack-defined gap depend on the type and/or composition of the elements in the crack-defined gap, for gas sensing, bio molecule sensing/DNA detection. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The crack structure according to claim 1, wherein the layer of selected material(s) comprises a stacked structure of one or more electrically conductive layers separated by one or more dielectric layers. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The crack structure according to claim 5, wherein the conductive material consists of gold, platinum, single or few-layer graphene, titanium nitride, and superconducting materials. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The crack structure according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is made from a material selected from the group consisting of Si, silicon carbide, glass, quartz, sapphire, GaAs, GaN, InP, and polymer. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The crack structure according to claim 7, wherein the substrate is a single crystals wafer containing CMOS integrated circuits. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The crack structure according to claim 1, wherein the material in the sacrificial material layer is selected from the group consisting of Al2O3, Si, SiO2, SiN, Al, single or few-layer graphene, and polymer. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The crack structure according to claim 9, wherein the sacrificial material is provided by deposition techniques including, any of atomic layer deposition (ALD), sputtering, evaporation, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), layer transfer, spray coating, spin coating, and epitaxial growth. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The crack structure according to claim 1, wherein the crack-defined gap is placed on top of a pore. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The crack structure according to claim 1, wherein the crack-defined gap is placed in a flow channel in such a way that at least part of the liquid flowing through the flow channel passes through the crack-defined gap. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The crack structure according to claim 1, wherein said cantilevering parts and further cantilevering parts are collapsed onto one another thereby defining a pore at the interface between the two crack-defined gap and the further crack-defined gap.