Nanopores are promising for many applications including DNA sequencing and molecular filtration. Solid-state nanopores are preferable over their biological counterparts for applications requiring durability and operation under a wider range of external parameters, yet few studies have focused on optimizing their robustness. We report the lifetime and durability of pores and porous arrays in 10 to 100 nm-thick, low-stress silicon nitride (SiNx) membranes. Pores are fabricated using a transmission electron microscope (TEM) and/or electron beam lithography (EBL) and reactive ion etching (RIE), with diameters from 2 to 80 nm. We store them in various electrolyte solutions (KCl, LiCl, MgCl2) and record open pore conductance over months to quantify pore stability. Pore diameters increase with time, and diameter etch rate increases with electrolyte concentration from Δd/Δt ∼ 0.2 to ∼ 3 nm/day for 0.01 to 3 M KCl, respectively. TEM confirms the range of diameter etch rates from ionic measurements. Using electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), we observe a N-deficient region around the edges of TEM-drilled pores. Pore expansion is caused by etching of the Si/SiO2 pore walls, which resembles the dissolution of silicon found in minerals such as silica (SiO2) in salty ocean water. The etching process occurs where the membrane was exposed to the electron beam and can result in pore formation. However, coating pores with a conformal 1 nm-thick hafnium oxide layer prevents expansion in 1 M KCl, in stark contrast to bare SiNx pores (∼ 1.7 nm/day). EELS data reveal the atomic composition of bare and HfO2-coated pores.
Keywords: electron beam lithography; electron energy loss spectroscopy; nanopore array; nanoporous membranes; silicon nitride; solid-state nanopore.