Fabrication of Solid-state Nanopore Array with Controlling Geometry

Nanopore is a nanoscale hole or channel with a diameter/width between 1 and 100 nanometers, usually in a free-standing membrane, and it brings extraordinary properties for a variety of potential applications in various industrial sectors. Since manufacturing of solid-state nanopore was first reported in 2001, solid-state nanopore has become a hot topic within the last two decades. As increasing number of manufacturing methods have been reported, with continuously decreased sizes from micrometer to nanometer, even approaching 1 nm until recently. To enable more robust, sensitive, and reliable devices required by the industry, researchers have started to explore methods to manufacture nanopore array (multiple nanopores in a single chip) which presents unprecedented challenges on the fabrication efficiency, accuracy and repeatability, applicable materials, and cost. As a result, the exploration of fabrication of nanopore array is still in the fledging period with various bottlenecks. In addition, only pursuing the crafts of solid-state pores fabrication is not enough in meeting wider potential industrial needs. While fabrication lays the foundation, and pore manipulation is indispensable for meeting diversified industrial demands. By enabling adaptability, lowering costs, and boosting efficiency, it bridges the gap between lab-scale innovations and real-world scalability. This dual focus is critical for next-generation technologies in healthcare, energy, and environmental sectors. Therefore, in this thesis, a wide range of manufacturing methods of nanopores with their achievable morphologies, sizes, and inner structures for characterizing the main features, are listed in the following chapter, based on which manufacturing of nanopore array is further addressed. An appropriate resolution was proposed in fabrication of large scale of solid-state nanopore array within a hybrid method - FAST, which represent four key steps. This hybrid method can be accounting as an effective approach for forming a large scale ordered nanoporous patterns. Moreover, I will introduce a novel phenomenon of pore evolution, which is unique and distinguished to the previous observations. To explain this unpresented phenomenon, a new mechanism to explain the pore evolution was elucidated by deriving a new mathematical expression and Materials Studio (MS) simulation, explaining systematically the nanopore-on-the-substrate kinetics, which matched well with the experimental pore evolution. This kinetic model also provided an evidence and theoretical support to the manufacturing of conical pores.