Patent ID: 8206568

Claim:
A method for molecular analysis comprising: forming sidewalls extending through a membrane between two surfaces of the membrane to define an aperture in the membrane; depositing by an atomic layer deposition technique a layer of material, selected from aluminum oxide and magnesium oxide, on the aperture sidewalls and the two surfaces of the membrane to form a nanopore in the membrane; configuring the nanopore with the deposited material layer in a liquid ionic solution that is characterized by a solution pH of at least about 8 and that includes nucleic acid polymer molecules to be analyzed; applying a gradient in electrical potential between the two membrane surfaces defining the nanopore to cause the nucleic acid polymer molecules in the ionic solution to translocate through the nanopore; providing a nanopore sidewall surface electrical charge state, with the deposited material layer, that is substantially electrically neutral at the ionic solution pH to enable both positively-charged and negatively-charged ions and nucleic acid polymer molecules in the ionic solution to translocate through the nanopore substantially without charge selectivity; and producing an electrical sensing signal as nucleic acid polymer molecules translocate through the nanopore.