A DNA sequencing device which integrates transverse conducting electrodes for the measurement of electrode currents during DNA translocation through a nanopore has been nanofabricated and characterized. A focused electron beam (FEB) milling technique, capable of creating features on the order of 1 nm in diameter, was used to create the nanopore. The device was characterized electrically using gold nanoparticles as an artificial analyte with both DC and AC measurement methods.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn in situ electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) technique has been developed to investigate the dynamic processes associated with electron-beam nanofabrication on thin membranes. In this article, practical applications germane to e-beam nanofabrication are illustrated with a case study of the drilling of nanometer-sized pores in silicon nitride membranes. This technique involves successive acquisitions of the plasmon-loss and the core-level ionization-loss spectra in real time, both of which provide the information regarding the hole-drilling kinetics, including two respective rates for total mass loss, individual nitrogen and silicon element depletion, and the change of the atomic bonding environment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe morphology of porous silicon is studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) by making an oxide replica of the pore structure. Highly branched n-type porous silicon samples were prepared and a replica was formed by oxidation of the pores followed by selective removal of the silicon substrate to expose the oxide pores. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy images confirmed many previously held assumptions about porous silicon formation, including the fractal structure and crystallographic propagation; they also provided a clearer understanding of the details of pore formation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDielectrophoresis is an effective method for capturing nanoparticles and assembling them into nanostructures. The frequency of the dielectrophoretic alternating current (ac) electric field greatly influences the morphology of resultant nanoparticle assemblies. In this study, frequency regimes associated with specific gold nanoparticle assembly morphologies were identified.
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