CRACK STRUCTURES, TUNNELING JUNCTIONS USING CRACK STRUCTURES AND METHODS OF MAKING SAME

摘要

A method of making a crack structure on a substrate, and usable as a tunnelling junction structure in a nanogap device. Such nanogap devices are in turn usable in a number of applications, notably in devices for so called quantum sequencing of DNA molecules. The method includes the controlled fracture or release of a patterned layer under built-in stress, thereby forming elements, e.g. cantilevering parts or electrodes, separated by nanogaps, so-called crack structures, or crack-junctions (CJs). The width of the crack-defined nanogap is controlled by locally release-etching the film at a notched bridge that is patterned in the film. The built-in stress contributes to forming the crack and defining of the width of the crack-defined nanogap. Further, by design of the length of the bridge in a range between sub-μπι to >25μαι, the separation between the elements, defined by the width of the crack-defined nanogaps, can be controlled for each individual crack structure from <2 nm to >100 nm. The nanogaps can be used for tunneling devices in combination with nanopores for DNA, RNA or peptides sequencing.