Optical observation of DNA translocation through Al2O3 sputtered silicon nanopores in porous membrane

Nanopore sensors are being developed as a platform for analyzing single DNA, RNA, and protein. In nanopore sensors, ionic current measurement is widely used and proof-of-concept of nanopore DNA sequencing by it has been demonstrated by previous studies. Recently, we proposed an alternative platform of nanopore DNA sequencing that incorporates ultraviolet light and porous silicon membrane to perform high-throughput measurement. In the development of our DNA sequencing platform, controlling nanopore size in porous silicon membrane is essential but remains a challenge. Here, we report on observation of DNA translocation through Al2O3 sputtered silicon nanopores (Al2O3 nanopores) by our optical scheme. Electromagnetic wave simulation was performed to analyze the excitation volume on Al2O3 nanopores generated by focused ultraviolet light. In the experiment, DNA translocation time through Al2O3 nanopores was compared with that of silicon nanopores and we examined the effect of nanopore density and thickness of membrane by supplementing the static electric field simulation.