Method to create a free-standing membrane for biological applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10830756-B2
Application number	US-201816122171-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 5, 2018
Priority date	Sep 22, 2017
Publication date	Nov 10, 2020
Grant date	Nov 10, 2020

Abstract

Methods of manufacturing well-controlled nanopores using directed self-assembly and methods of manufacturing free-standing membranes using selective etching are disclosed. In one aspect, one or more nanopores are formed by directed self-assembly with block co-polymers to shrink the critical dimension of a feature which is then transferred to a thin film. In another aspect, a method includes providing a substrate having a thin film over a highly etchable layer thereof, forming one or more nanopores through the thin film over the highly etchable layer, for example, by a pore diameter reduction process, and then selectively removing a portion of the highly etchable layer under the one or more nanopores to form a thin, free-standing membrane.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for forming a substrate, comprising:
providing a substrate having a thin film over a highly etchable layer thereof;
forming one or more nanopores through the thin film over the highly etchable layer using a pore diameter reduction process; and
selectively removing a portion of the highly etchable layer under the one or more nanopores to form a thin, free-standing membrane, wherein the pore diameter reduction process comprises:
forming at least one first feature in the thin film;
depositing a block co-polymer in the first feature, the block co-polymer comprising at least a first domain and a second domain; and
etching the second domain.

2. A method for forming a substrate, comprising:
providing a substrate having a thin film over a highly etchable layer thereof;
forming one or more nanopores through the thin film over the highly etchable layer using a pore diameter reduction process; and
selectively removing a portion of the highly etchable layer under the one or more nanopores to form a thin, free-standing membrane, wherein the pore diameter reduction process comprises:
forming at least one first feature in the thin film;
depositing a dielectric material over the at least one first feature; and
etching a portion of the dielectric material over the at least one first feature.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the method further comprises:
repeating the depositing the dielectric material and the etching the portion of the dielectric material until at least one nanopore is formed.

4. A method for forming a substrate, comprising:
providing a substrate having a thin film over a highly etchable layer thereof;
forming one or more nanopores through the thin film over the highly etchable layer using a pore diameter reduction process; and
selectively removing a portion of the highly etchable layer under the one or more nanopores to form a thin, free-standing membrane, wherein the pore diameter reduction process comprises:
forming at least one first feature in the thin film;
oxidizing the substrate to form a dielectric material over the substrate to fill the at least one opening, the dielectric material having at least one seam formed therein; and
exploiting the at least one seam to form at least one nanopore.

5. A method for forming a substrate, comprising:
providing a substrate having a thin film over a highly etchable layer thereof;
forming one or more nanopores through the thin film over the highly etchable layer using a pore diameter reduction process;
selectively removing a portion of the highly etchable layer under the one or more nanopores to form a thin, free-standing membrane;
depositing one or more additional layers over the thin film; and
depositing a positive electrode and a negative electrode over the thin film.

6. A substrate, comprising:
a first silicon layer;
a dielectric layer disposed over the first silicon layer;
a second silicon layer disposed over a portion of the dielectric layer;
a free-standing membrane disposed over the second silicon layer, the free-standing membrane having at least one nanopore and at least one opening formed therethrough;
a first well disposed below the at least one nanopore; and
a second well disposed above the at least one nanopore.

7. The substrate of claim 6 , comprising:
a DNA-containing fluid in at least one of the first well and the second well.

8. The substrate of claim 6 , wherein a diameter of each of the at least one nanopore is less than or equal to about 100 nanometers.

9. The substrate of claim 6 , wherein a thickness of the free-standing membrane is less than or equal to about 50 nanometers.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Vora Ankit
• Ohno Kenichi
• Kraus Philip Allan
• Hesabi Zohreh
• Johnson Joseph R

Classifications

• H10W72/0198

  batch processes · CPC title

• B81C1/00087

  Holes · CPC title

• B81B2203/0127

  Diaphragms, i.e. structures separating two media that can control the passage from one medium to another; Membranes, i.e. diaphragms with filtering function · CPC title

• G01N33/48721 Primary

  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) · CPC title

• B82B3/0023

  comprising flexible or deformable elements · CPC title