A Mask-Free Passivation Process for Low Noise Nanopore Devices

Solid-state nanopores have been studied widely for the label-free analysis of single biomolecules. The translocation of charged biomolecules through a solid-state nanopore is driven by the applied voltage across a thin membrane. The ionic current changes in response to the translocation of DNA through the nanopore. Solid-state nanopores have many advantages over biological nanopores, such as α-hemolysin and MspA, but the high DNA translocation velocity and the inherent noise in solid-state nanopores have hindered its applications to more precise measurements, such as DNA sequencing. This paper reports a simple and reproducible way of passivating the surface of a nanopore device using an insulating layer, photodefinable PDMS (P-PDMS), to reduce noise and enhance the accuracy of the electrical measurements. This new approach does not require a separate photo-mask or sophisticated micro-alignment equipment to pattern the insulating layer. The pit structure on the back side of the support chip serves as a mask, enabling mask-free photolithography, and the insulating layer only on top of the free-standing silicon nitride membrane can be irradiated selectively by UV and removed by subsequent development in toluene. The resulting nanopore device with a small free standing silicon nitride membrane surrounded by a thick insulating layer showed improved noise characteristics. The root-mean-square noise of the ionic current was reduced to 3.8 pA from 90.8 pA by the formation of a micron-thick insulating layer. The overall performance of the nanopores with an insulating layer was improved significantly when tested with the double-stranded DNA (λ-DNA).