Fabrication of nano-pillar chips by a plasma etching technique for fast DNA separation

The fabrication of quartz nano-pillars was investigated using dry etching with a Ni mask. The mask diameter increased during etching due to re-sputtering of the Pt/Cr seed layer. However, once the seed layer had been eroded the enlarged mask diameter did not increase any further. Hence, the use of the mask enabled the fabrication of nano-pillars with a high aspect ratio. In situ FTIR-ATR observation of HF quartz plate pressure bonding developed a new bonding technique involving the use of H₂SiF₆. The nano-pillar chips allowed then to size-separate DNA of 10 kbp and 38 kbp within 20 s.