US 11,536,708 B2Granted

Methods to fabricate dual pore devices

AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.

InventorsMark J. Saly, Keenan Navarre Woods, Joseph R. Johnson, Bhaskar Jyoti Bhuyan, William J. Durand, Michael Chudzik, Raghav Sreenivasan, Roger Quon

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Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide dual pore sensors and methods for producing these dual pore sensors. The method includes forming a film stack, where the film stack contains two silicon layers and two membrane layers, and then etching the film stack to produce a channel extending therethrough and having two reservoirs and two nanopores. The method also includes depositing a oxide layer on inner surfaces of the reservoirs and nanopores, depositing a dielectric layer on the oxide layer, and forming a metal contact extending through a portion of the stack. The method further includes etching the dielectric layers to form wells, etching the first silicon layer to reveal the protective oxide layer deposited on the inner surfaces of a reservoir, and etching the protective oxide layer deposited on the inner surfaces of the reservoirs and the nanopores.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method of forming a dual pore sensor, comprising:

forming a film stack, wherein the film stack comprises:
a first silicon layer,
a first membrane layer disposed on the first silicon layer,
a second silicon layer disposed on the first membrane layer, and
a second membrane layer disposed on the second silicon layer;
etching the film stack to produce:
a first reservoir in the first silicon layer,
a first nanopore in the first membrane layer,
a second reservoir in the second silicon layer,
a second nanopore in the second membrane layer, and
a channel in fluid communication with the first and second reservoirs and the first and second nanopores;
depositing a protective oxide layer on the second membrane layer and inner surfaces of the first and second reservoirs and inner surfaces of the first and second nanopores;
depositing a dielectric layer on the protective oxide layer disposed on the second membrane layer and covering the second nanopore;
forming a metal contact which extends through the dielectric layer, the protective oxide layer, and the second membrane layer, and at least partially into the second silicon layer;
etching at least a portion of the dielectric layer to form a well above the second nanopore;
etching at least a portion of the first silicon layer to reveal at least a portion of the protective oxide layer deposited on the inner surfaces of the first reservoir;
and
etching the protective oxide layer deposited on the inner surfaces of the first and second reservoirs and the inner surfaces of the first and second nanopores.

15 more elements

A method of forming a dual pore sensor, comprising:

forming a film stack, wherein the film stack comprises:
a first silicon layer,
a first membrane layer disposed on the first silicon layer,
a second silicon layer disposed on the first membrane layer,
a second membrane layer disposed on the second silicon layer,
a first reservoir in the first silicon layer,
a first nanopore in the first membrane layer,
a second reservoir in the second silicon layer,
a second nanopore in the second membrane layer, and
a channel in fluid communication with the first and second reservoirs and the first and second nanopores;
depositing a protective oxide layer on the second membrane layer and inner surfaces of the first and second reservoirs and inner surfaces of the first and second nanopores;
depositing a dielectric layer on the protective oxide layer disposed on the second membrane layer and covering the second nanopore;
forming a metal contact which extends through the dielectric layer, the protective oxide layer, and the second membrane layer, and at least partially into the second silicon layer, wherein the metal contact comprises a metal;
etching at least a portion of the dielectric layer to form a well above the second nanopore;
etching at least a portion of the first silicon layer to reveal at least a portion of the protective oxide layer deposited on the inner surfaces of the first reservoir;
etching the protective oxide layer deposited on the inner surfaces of the first and second reservoirs and the inner surfaces of the first and second nanopores;
and
depositing a spacer layer on at least the inner surfaces of the first and second nanopores.

15 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.