A DNA sequencing device which integrates transverse conducting electrodes for the measurement of electrode currents during DNA translocation through a nanopore has been nanofabricated and characterized. A focused electron beam (FEB) milling technique, capable of creating features on the order of 1 nm in diameter, was used to create the nanopore. The device was characterized electrically using gold nanoparticles as an artificial analyte with both DC and AC measurement methods. Single nanoparticle/electrode interaction events were recorded. A low-noise, high-speed transimpedance current amplifier for the detection of nano to picoampere currents at microsecond time scales was designed, fabricated and tested for future integration with the nanopore device.

Nanopore DNA sequencing devices show promise for rapidly decoding genetic information, although single nucleotide detection appears to be beyond the sensitivity of present transmembrane current measurement schemes. In this paper, a nanodevice combining nanoelectrodes with a nanopore was made to measure the nucleotide dependent transverse tunneling currents during the translocation of DNA through the nanopore. A custom high speed, low noise, integrated circuit current amplifier was designed and fabricated to measure the tunneling current. This nanodevice was characterized electrically using 2nm to 20nm gold nanoparticles as an artificial construct for DNA using both DC and AC detection schemes. Measured transverse tunneling currents were found to be quantized, probably according to the number of nanoparticles residing within the pore.

This paper describes a new structure for a lownoise, low-offset, high-speed operational amplifier with a bandwidth up to 10MHz, designed in a 0.35µm CMOS process. Design strategies are discussed for minimizing both thermal noise and flicker noise. Special techniques are investigated to maximize the unity gain bandwidth. A digital trimming method is explored to correct for a 10mV input-referred offset.