Flexible and in situ fabrication of nanochannels with high aspect ratios and nanopillar arrays in fused silica substrates utilizing focused ion beam

Abstract

Nanochannels fabricated in fused silica substrates are ideal tools for single (bio)molecular studies in biology and are promising in the development of innovative applications in chemistry. To obtain a higher throughput and a higher level of integration and functionalization, nanochannels with high aspect ratios and nano-in-nano structures are very much desired, but their fabrication is a challenge. Herein, we report a method for fabricating nanochannels with such challenging critical dimensions and structures in fused silica substrates by using a focused ion beam.