A nanohole template is disclosed which includes a substrate and a vertically aligned nanocomposite (VAN) structure disposed over the substrate. The VAN structure is a metal nitride having circular periodic nanoholes of about 2 nm to about 20 nm in diameter.

Devices and methods for controlling molecular transport are disclosed herein. The devices include a membrane having a plurality of nanochannels extending therethrough. The membrane has an inner electrically conductive layer and an outer dielectric layer. The outer dielectric layer creates an insulative barrier between the electrically conductive layer and the contents of the nanochannels. At least one electrical contact region is positioned on a surface of the membrane. The electrical contact region exposes the electrically conductive layer of the membrane for electrical coupling to external electronics. When the membrane is at a first voltage, molecules flow through the nanochannels at a first release rate. When the membrane is at a second voltage, charge accumulation within the nanochannels modulates the flow of molecules through the nanochannels to a second release rate that is different than the first release rate. Methods of fabricating devices for controlling molecular transport are also disclosed herein.

Methods are provided for manufacturing well-controlled, solid-state nanopores and arrays thereof. In one aspect, methods for manufacturing nanopores and arrays thereof exploit a physical seam. One or more etch pits are formed in a topside of a substrate and one or more trenches, which align with the one or more etch pits, are formed in a backside of the substrate. An opening is formed between the one or more etch pits and the one or more trenches. A dielectric material is then formed over the substrate to fill the opening. Contacts are then disposed on the topside and the backside of the substrate and a voltage is applied from the topside to the backside, or vice versa, through the dielectric material to form a nanopore. In another aspect, the nanopore is formed at or near the center of the opening at a seam, which is formed in the dielectric material.

An electronic component comprises a substrate including a main surface on which a functional unit is formed and a cap layer defining a cavity enclosing and covering the functional unit. The cap layer is provided with holes communicating an inside of the cavity with an outside of the cavity. A resin layer covers the cap layer and the main surface and includes one or more bores and a solder layer having a thickness less than a thickness of the resin layer disposed within the one or more bores.

A method for manufacturing a device for ejecting a fluid, including the steps of: forming, in a first semiconductor wafer that houses a nozzle of the ejection device, a first structural layer; removing selective portions of the first structural layer to form a first portion of a chamber for containing the fluid; removing, in a second semiconductor wafer that houses an actuator of the ejection device, selective portions of a second structural layer to form a second portion of the chamber; and coupling together the first and second semiconductor wafers so that the first portion directly faces the second portion, thus forming the chamber. The first portion defines a part of volume of the chamber that is larger than a respective part of volume of the chamber defined by the second portion.

A first modulation voltage is applied to a thin film. An amount of a change in the phase of a current carried through the thin film with respect to the phase of the first modulation voltage is compared with a threshold. Upon detecting that the amount of the change in the phase exceeds the threshold is detected, the application of the first modulation voltage is stopped. Thus, a nanopore is formed on the thin film at high speed.

A method for creating at least one recess, in particular an aperture, in a transparent or transmissive material, includes: selectively modifying the material along a beam axis by electromagnetic radiation; and creating the at least one recess by one or more etching steps, using different etching rates in a modified region and in non-modified regions. The electromagnetic radiation produces modifications having different characteristics in the material along the beam axis such that the etching process in the material is heterogeneous and the etching rates differ from one another in regions modified with different characteristics under unchanged etching conditions.

An intermediate structure for a microfluidic device and a method for manufacturing a microfluidic device are provided. The method includes: a) providing a first substrate having a first layer thereon, and a second layer on the first layer; b) forming a first nanopore in the second layer, in such a way that a part of the first layer coincides with a bottom of the first nanopore; c) exposing said part of the first layer to a liquid etchant, thereby forming a cavity under the first nanopore, the cavity having a larger width than a width of the bottom of the first nanopore; d) filling the first nanopore and the cavity with a filling material, thereby forming a first plug; e) forming a bottom fluidic access for the nanopore by removing part of the first substrate and part of the first layer so as to expose the plug; and f) removing the plug, thereby fluidly connecting the bottom fluidic access to the nanopore.

A structure forming method according to an aspect is a structure forming method for forming a first hole and a second hole having width smaller than width of the first hole in a substrate with dry etching and forming a structure. The structure forming method includes forming an etching mask on the substrate, etching a portion of the etching mask overlapping a first hole forming region where the first hole is formed, etching a portion of the etching mask overlapping a second hole forming region where the second hole is formed, and performing the dry etching of the substrate using the etching mask as a mask.

Techniques regarding microfluidic chips with one or more vias filled with sacrificial plugs and/or manufacturing methods thereof are provided herein. For example, one or more embodiments described herein can comprise an apparatus, which can comprise a silicon device layer of a microfluidic chip comprising a plurality of vias extending through the silicon device layer. The plurality of vias comprise greater than or equal to about 100 vias per square centimeter of a surface of the silicon device layer and less than or equal to about 100,000 vias per square centimeter of the surface of the silicon device layer. Additionally, the apparatus can comprise a plurality of sacrificial plugs positioned in the plurality of vias.