ABSTRACT
Solid-state nanopores, which are pores of nanometer size, can be fabricated using various materials, including silicon oxide and graphene, as well as by various techniques such as e-beam sculpting, ion-track etching, and electrochemical anodization. Nanopore-based structures have applications in a range of research fields, including resistive random access memory (RRAM) and biomolecule detection, owing to their controllability on the nanometer scale. Here, we review diverse fabricating methods for conventional and conical nanopore structures and describe their application. Especially, the technique for the conical nanopore involves metal penetration into a ceramic material by annealing at a high temperature. Details of the fabrication process, mechanism, and nanopore design are discussed. Moreover, RRAM and biomolecule sequencing (single-molecule detection) are presented as examples of the applications of nanopore-based structures.
