Nanopore fabrication and applications thereof
AssigneesThe University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Carl Zeiss NTS GmbH
InventorsAdam R Hall, Jijin Yang, David C Ferranti, Colin A Sanford
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Abstract
In one aspect, methods of nanopore formation in solid state membranes are described herein, In some embodiments, a method of forming an aperture comprises providing at least one solid state membrane in a chamber, selecting a first dose of ions sufficient to provide a first aperture of predetermined diameter through the membrane and exposing a surface of the membrane at a first location to the first dose of ions in a focused ion beam having a focal point of diameter less than or equal to about 1 nm to remove material from the membrane at the first location thereby providing the first aperture having the predetermined diameter or substantially the predetermined diameter.
Claims20
A method of forming an aperture comprising:
- providing at least one solid state non-metallic membrane in a chamber;
- selecting a first dose of ions sufficient to provide a first aperture of predetermined diameter through the membrane;
- and
- exposing a surface of the membrane at a first location to the first dose of ions through a focused ion beam having a focal point of diameter less than or equal to about 1 nm to remove material from the membrane at the first location providing the first aperture having the predetermined diameter or substantially the predetermined diameter, wherein the first dose of ions is selected with reference to data derived from one or more reference membranes comprising one or more structures formed by exposure to one or more quantified doses of ions of an ion beam.
A method of forming an aperture comprising:
- providing at least one solid state membrane in an aperture formation chamber;
- selecting a first dose of ions sufficient to provide a first aperture through the membrane;
- and
- exposing a surface of the membrane at a first location to the first dose of ions in an ion beam to provide the first aperture, wherein the membrane is thinned in the formation chamber in an area proximate the first location.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.