Wafer-scale fabrication of solid-state nanopore array with a novel SpacerX process

Solid-state nanopores (SSNPs) have emerged as a transformative platform in nanotechnology and biotechnology, yet their application is limited by the lack of cost-effective, reproducible fabrication technology. Here, we introduce a novel SpacerX process for wafer-scale fabrication of well-ordered nanopore arrays inspired by spacer patterning used in the standard semiconductor manufacturing process. This technique is intrinsically scalable and features tunable nanopore dimensions, with an open-pore rate exceeding 99.9%, even in an academic cleanroom. We successfully demonstrated a silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) nanopore array with a diameter of ~30 nm, non-uniformity below 10%, and spacing of 10 μm. By further reducing the spacer size, the nanopore diameter can be minimized to 10 nm. We fabricated multi-pore devices and showed that dual-pore devices offer higher detection throughput for DNA molecules. The SpacerX process only involves two ultraviolet lithography steps with one mask, and can be readily adopted by commercial foundries, thus opening the possibility of mass-producing sub-10 nm SSNPs at extremely low cost.