Fabrication of Small-Scale Solid-State Nanopores by Dielectric Breakdown

As a tool for next-generation DNA sequencing, solid-state nanopores have significant advantages in terms of stability and process integration. However, traditional manufacturing methods such as FIB and TEM are pretty expensive and require higher-skilled operators. In this paper, we explored the effect of the initial leakage current on the dielectric breakdown time and then demonstrated a low-cost and rapid method of fabricating SiNx nanopores. We prepared nanopores of appropriate size by changing the voltage and cut-off current, and finally realized the preparation of nanopores as small as a few nanometers and as large as tens of nanometers. We also found that the thinned area of silicon nitride film affects the value of the initial leakage current, thereby impacting the time of dielectric breakdown. The foundation of these problems helps us to perfect the fabrication of nanopores by dielectric breakdown.