Fabrication of high-aspect-ratio silicon nanostructures using near-field scanning optical lithography and silicon anisotropic wet-etching process

A new process in which near-field scanning optical lithography (NSOL) is combined with anisotropic wet-etching of (110) silicon is developed for the fabrication of high-aspect-ratio (HAR) nanochannels. In the proposed process, NSOL is applied to produce nanopatterns on a commercial positive photoresist as in an optical lithography. The use of a commercial photoresist is an advantage of this process because it allows the direct application of many photoresists currently available without pretreatment, saving cost and time. A bare (110) silicon wafer coated with a thin Si₃N₄ layer, of approximately 10 nm thickness, is used as the sample and the photoresist is spincoated on the Si₃N₄ layer to a thickness of about 50–80 nm. Nanopatterning of the photoresist using a contact mode NSOL, transfer of the photoresist pattern onto the Si₃N₄ layer by reactive ion etching, and anisotropic wet etching of the silicon wafer using the patterned Si₃N₄ layer as an etch mask, lead to the intended HAR nanostructures. Fabrication of silicon nanochannels with a channel width below 150 nm and an aspect ratio greater than 3 is demonstrated. PACS 81.16.Nd; 81.16.Rf; 85.40.Hp     

纳米水通道内水的流动特性研究

由于纳米水通道在水处理方面的潜在应用以及它与生物水通道的相似性,人们对纳米水通道的研究受到广泛重视.文章重点介绍了近10年来在纳米水通道方面的研究进展,特别是在外力或外电场扰动下,纳米碳管内水的流动特性.主要包括：热噪音环境下受控水通道内水流的开关特性;外电场驱动下纳米管道内水流的行为;受生物水通道的复杂结构启发的纳米水泵设计.     

Control water molecules across carbon-based nanochannels

It is important to know the mechanisms of water molecules across carbon-based nanochannels, which is not only beneficial for understanding biological activities but also for designing various smart devices. Here we review the recent progress of research for water transfer across carbon-based nanochannels. In this review, we summarize the recent methods which can affect water molecules across these nanochannels. The methods include exterior factors(i.e., dipolar molecules and gradient electric fields) and interior factors(namely, cone-shaped structures, nonstraight nanochannels, and channel defects). These factors can control water permeation across nanochannels efficiently.     

纳米水通道内水的流动特性研究

由于纳米水通道在水处理方面的潜在应用以及它与生物水通道的相似性,人们对纳米水通道的研究受到广泛重视.文章重点介绍了近10年来在纳米水通道方面的研究进展,特别是在外力或外电场扰动下,纳米碳管内水的流动特性.主要包括:热噪音环境下受控水通道内水流的开关特性;外电场驱动下纳米管道内水流的行为;受生物水通道的复杂结构启发的纳米水泵设计.     

Fabrication of nanochannels via near-field electrospinning

A simple and low-cost method is suggested to fabricate nanochannels via Near-Field Electrospinning (NFES). In this process, orderly and patterned nanofibers direct-written by NFES are used as sacrificial templates. Well-defined nanochannels are available after the removal process of both sacrificial fibers and material coating over the fibers. The sacrificial fiber, controlled by NFES, dominates the channel geometry. The channel width ranges from 133 nm to 13.54?μm while the applied voltage increases from 1.2 kV to 2.5 kV. Complicated wave-shape and grid pattern channels are presented under a corresponding movement of substrate. This method integrates electrospinning with conventional MEMS fabrication technology and has a potential in micro/nano manufacturing.     

Strongly accelerated and humidity-independent drying of nanochannels induced by sharp corners

Measurements are shown indicating that the drying rate of nanochannels can be enhanced by up to 3 orders of magnitude relative to drying by vapor diffusion, and that the drying rate is independent of the relative humidity of the environment up to a relative humidity of more than 90%. Micromachined Pyrex glass nanochannels of 72 nm height and with sharp corners (corner angles 7 degrees) were used. Available theory shows that the sharp corners function as a low-resistance pathway for liquid water, siphoning (wicking) the water to a location close to the channel exit before it evaporates. The described phenomena are of importance for the understanding of drying processes in industry and agriculture. The introduction of sharp corners or grooves can furthermore be beneficial for the functioning of microheat pipes and capillary-pumped loops.     

Shape effect of nanochannels on water mobility

Confinement can induce unusual behaviors of water. Inspired by the fabrication of carbon nanotubes with noncircular cross sections, we performed molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the mobilities of water confined in carbon nanochannels with circular, square, and equilateral triangular cross sections over a variety of dimensions. We find that water exhibits disparate mobilities across different types of channels below 0.796 nm². Notably, compared with the other two channels, water in equilateral triangular channels displays the greatest mobilities. Moreover, at 0.425 nm², different ordered structures are found in the three channels, and water inside the square channel exhibits an extremely low mobility. It is also found that above 0.796 nm², the mobilities along the tube axis of water converge to that of the bulk. These phenomena are understood by analyzing the structure, dynamics, and hydrogen bonding of water. Our work explores the mobilities of water across noncircular carbon nanochannels, which may expand the prospect of noncircular nanochannels in scientific studies and practical applications, such as desalination and drug delivery.     

低维限域结构中水与物质的输运

低维限域结构中水与物质的输运研究,对于解决界面化学和流体力学中的遗留问题十分关键.近年来,研究人员采用分子动力学模拟和实验手段研究低维限域结构中水与物质的输运,并将其应用于物质输运、纳米限域化学反应、纳米材料制备等领域.本文从理论和实验的角度总结一维和二维纳米通道的水与物质输运,介绍了本研究组提出的"量子限域超流体"概念,并用于解释纳米通道中超快物质的输运现象;在此基础上概述了一维纳米通道中的分子动力学模拟和水浸润性,以及外部环境(如温度和电压)对限域结构中水浸润性的调控,同时阐述了低维限域结构中的液体输运;对二维纳米通道中的分子动力学模拟、液体浸润性以及液体输运进行了综述;讨论了纳米通道限域结构在物质输运、纳米限域化学反应和纳米材料制备等领域的应用;对低维限域结构中水与物质输运面临的挑战和前景进行了展望.     

Elution of residual ions with etching of heavy ion-injected polyimide

The experiment was carried out to estimate the amount of residual ions after the etching of polyimide irradiated by heavy ions, where etching resulted in a channel of measurable depth in the polyimide. None of the analytical techniques presents each ion separately in etched polyimide containing heavy ions. Activation analysis was used for the irradiated polyimide to see how the injected ions were eluted into the solution by etching. When the irradiated polyimide was etched for only a little longer than the time needed to dissolve a selected range of incident ions, the bulk began subsequently to dissolve. The residual radioactivity in polyimide was found to fall below the limit of detection when the depth of the etched channel appeared 10% deeper than the expected value.     

Nanoscale fluid flows in the vicinity of patterned surfaces

Molecular dynamics simulations of dense and rarefied fluids comprising small chain molecules in chemically patterned nanochannels predict a novel switching from Poiseuille to plug flow along the channel. We also demonstrate behavior akin to the lotus effect for a nanodrop on a chemically patterned substrate. Our results show that one can control and exploit the behavior of fluids at the nanoscale using chemical patterning.     

Fabrication of bovine serum albumin nanotubes through template-assisted layer by layer assembly

One-dimensional protein nanostructures have many potential applications in the biomedical field. In this article, protein nanotubes have been fabricated via sequential filtration of bovine serum albumin (BSA) solution at pH 3.8 and 7.0 through the nanochannels of anodic aluminum oxide templates. The morphology of the nanostructures has been examined using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Circular dichroism and UV/Vis spectroscopy have been used to select experimental conditions such as the pH values and the etching solution to release the fabricated protein nanotubes to minimize potential damage to the bioactivity of BSA. These results indicate that much more study needs to be done to strengthen the mechanical stability of the protein nanotubes and to better control their morphology.     

Molecular simulations of electroosmotic flows in rough nanochannels

A highly efficient molecular dynamics algorithm for micro and nanoscale electrokinetic flows is developed. The long-range Coulomb interactions are calculated using the Particle–Particle Particle–Mesh (P³M) approach. The Poisson equation for the electrostatic potential is solved in physical space using an iterative multi-grid technique. After validation, the method is used to study electroosmotic flow in nanochannels with regular or random roughness on the walls. The results show that roughness reduces the electroosmotic flow rate dramatically even though the roughness is very small compared to the channel width. The effect is much larger than for pressure driven flows because the driving force is localized near the walls where the charge distribution is high. Non-Newtonian behavior is also observed at much lower flow rates. Systematic investigation of the effect of surface charge density and random roughness will help to better understand the mechanism of electrokinetic transport in rough nanochannels and to design and optimize nanofluidic devices.     

Surface-charge-governed ion transport in nanofluidic channels

A study of ion transport in aqueous-filled silica channels as thin as 70 nm reveals a remarkable degree of conduction at low salt concentrations that departs strongly from bulk behavior: In the dilute limit, the electrical conductances of channels saturate at a value that is independent of both the salt concentration and the channel height. Our data are well described by an electrokinetic model parametrized only by the surface-charge density. Using chemical surface modifications, we further demonstrate that at low salt concentrations, ion transport in nanochannels is governed by the surface charge.     

Superconducting flux flow transistor fabricated by an inductively coupled plasma etching technique

Superconducting flux flow transistors (SFFT) was successfully fabricated by an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching technique. YBaCuO thin films on LaAlO₃ substrate were patterned as a three-terminal device by a conventional wet etching method and the ICP system. The characteristics of a fabricated device were investigated by examining the I–V curves under various applied currents. The control current dependence of the transresistance was also measured. The SFFT with a channel fabricated by the ICP system showed a transistor-like characteristic over the liquid nitrogen temperature.     

Streaming currents in a single nanofluidic channel

We report measurements of the streaming current, an electrical current generated by a pressure-driven liquid flow, in individual rectangular silica nanochannels down to 70 nm in height. The streaming current is observed to be proportional to the pressure gradient and increases with the channel height. As a function of salt concentration, it is approximately constant below approximately 10 mM, whereas it strongly decreases at higher salt. Changing the sign of the surface charge is found to reverse the streaming current. The data are best modeled using a nonlinear Poisson-Boltzmann theory that includes the salt-dependent hydration state of the silica surface.     

Electrochemical liftoff of freestanding GaN by a thick highly conductive sacrificial layer grown by HVPE

Separation technology is an indispensable step in the preparation of freestanding GaN substrate. In this paper, a largearea freestanding GaN layer was separated from the substrate by an electrochemical liftoff process on a sandwich structure composed of an Fe-doped GaN substrate, a highly conductive Si-doped sacrificial layer and a top Fe-doped layer grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy(HVPE). The large difference between the resistivity in the Si-doped layer and Fe-doped layer resulted in a sharp interface between the etched and unetched layer. It was found that the etching rate increased linearly with the applied voltage, while it continuously decreased with the electrochemical etching process as a result of the mass transport limitation. Flaky GaN pieces and nitrogen gas generated from the sacrificial layer by electrochemical etching were recognized as the main factors responsible for the blocking of the etching channel. Hence, a thick Si-doped layer grown by HVPE was used as the sacrificial layer to alleviate this problem. Moreover, high temperature and ultrasonic oscillation were also found to increase the etching rate. Based on the results above, we succeeded in the liftoff of ～ 1.5 inch GaN layer. This work could help reduce the cost of freestanding GaN substrate and identifies a new way for mass production.     

U型槽刻蚀工艺对GaN垂直沟槽型金属-氧化物-半导体场效应晶体管电学特性的影响

U型槽的干法刻蚀工艺是GaN垂直沟槽型金属-氧化物-半导体场效应晶体管(MOSFET)器件关键的工艺步骤,干法刻蚀后GaN的侧壁状况直接影响GaN MOS结构中的界面态特性和器件的沟道电子输运.本文通过改变感应耦合等离子体干法刻蚀工艺中的射频功率和刻蚀掩模,研究了GaN垂直沟槽型MOSFET电学特性的工艺依赖性.研究结果表明,适当降低射频功率,在保证侧壁陡直的前提下可以改善沟道电子迁移率,从35.7 cm^2/(V·s)提高到48.1 cm^2/(V·s),并提高器件的工作电流.沟道处的界面态密度可以通过亚阈值摆幅提取,射频功率在50 W时界面态密度降低到1.90×10^12 cm^-2·eV^-1,比135 W条件下降低了一半.采用SiO2硬刻蚀掩模代替光刻胶掩模可以提高沟槽底部的刻蚀均匀性.较薄的SiO2掩模具有更小的侧壁面积,高能离子的反射作用更弱,过刻蚀现象明显改善,制备出的GaN垂直沟槽型MOSFET沟道场效应迁移率更高,界面态密度更低.     

Laser fabricated microchannels inside photostructurable glass-ceramic

Microchannels have been fabricated by laser direct-write in photostructurable glass-ceramic (Foturan) for their application in 3D-microfluidic systems. A Nd:YAG laser delivering 10 ns pulses at 355 nm wavelength has been used for irradiation. Afterwards, thermal treatment and chemical etching have been required for channel formation. The kinetics of channel formation and the channel morphology have been studied by optical and electron microscopy. A minimum accumulated energy (pulse energy multiplied by the number of pulses in a same site) is required to induce channel formation. Channels with symmetric round apertures at both ends can be obtained when using low pulse energies. On the contrary, irradiation with too high energetic pulses produces direct material damage in Foturan and provokes the formation of non-symmetric channels. One millimetre long channels with a minimum radius of 15 μm can be opened through Foturan slides after 15 min of chemical etching.     

Water transportation across narrow channel of nanometer dimension

Since the discovery of the carbon nanotube and aquaporin, the study of the transportation of water across nanochannels has become one of the hot subjects. When the radius of a nanochannel is only about one nanometer or a little larger, water confined in those nanoscale channels usually exhibits dynamics different from those in bulk system, such as the wet–dry transition due to the confinement, concerted hydrogen-bond orientations and flipping, concerted motion of water molecules, and strong interactions with external charges. Those dynamics correlate with the unique behavior of the water transportation across the channels, such as the extra-high permeability, excellent on–off gating behavior with response to the external mechanical and electrical signals and noises, enhancement by structure outside the channel, directional transportation driven by charges close to a channel or electric field. In this article, we review some of the recent progress on the study of the water molecules inside those narrow nanochannels.     

Compression and free expansion of single DNA molecules in nanochannels

We investigated compression and ensuing expansion of long DNA molecules confined in nanochannels. Transverse confinement of DNA molecules in the nanofluidic channels leads to elongation of their unconstrained equilibrium configuration. The extended molecules were compressed by electrophoretically driving them into porelike constrictions inside the nanochannels. When the electric field was turned off, the DNA strands expanded. This expansion, the dynamics of which has not previously been observable in artificial systems, is explained by a model that is a variation of de Gennes's polymer model.