Fabrication of nanopores using electron beam

Sub-5 nm nanopores are widely used in single-molecule detections for biological and chemical applications. However, the traditional fabrication methods are difficult to reduce pore size to sub-5 nm. Focused electron beam irradiation inside a transmission electron microscope (TEM) is verified experimentally to be an effectively straightforward way to fabricate such small pores. The fabrication process can be explained by a simple physical collision model. We also fabricate graphene nanopores under various temperatures. The results verify that drilling at high temperature and direct thermal heating treatment can be beneficial to fabricate carbon nanostructure with high crystallization, which will promote the study of biological measurement. High temperature could also modulate the duration of fabrication, which can enhance the size control during nanopore fabrication.