Lucent Technologies Inc.

University of Illinois

The Johns Hopkins University

Gregory L Timp

David Anthony Muller

Jean-Pierre Leburton

Julien Vidal

Maria E Gracheva

Winston Timp

Utkur Mirsaidov

Glen D Wilk

Andrew P Feinberg

Aleksei Aksimentiev

Rafael Nathan Kleiman

Megan Lorraine O'Malley

Jeffrey Comer

Methods of trapping a deformed portion of a double-stranded polynucleotide in a membrane nanopassage are provided. In an aspect, the membrane has a nanopassage that defines a confine region, wherein the membrane separates a first fluid compartment from a second fluid compartment, and the nanopassage is in fluid communication with the first and second compartments. A polynucleotide is provided to the first fluid compartment and optionally a threshold voltage for the membrane and the polynucleotide is determined. A driving voltage across the membrane that is greater than the threshold voltage is applied to force a portion of the polynucleotide sequence into the nanopassage confine region, and decreased to a holding voltage bias to trap the polynucleotide portion in the nanopassage confine region. In particular, at least one nucleotide base-pair is fixably positioned in the nanopassage confine volume. In further embodiments, any of the trapping methods are used to characterize or sequence double stranded DNA.

Characterizing stretched polynucleotides in a synthetic nanopassage

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a solid-state selector having a vessel for carrying a liquid medium with one or more molecules surrounded by ions, a solid state conductive structure doped with impurities having one or more through-holes extending between two surfaces of the solid state conductive structure positioned within the liquid medium of the vessel, a voltage source coupled to the solid state conductive structure to selectively stimulate the ions surrounding the one or more molecules to pass through the one or more through-holes. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Solid state device

Provided are methods for detecting, characterizing or separating DNA based on methylation. Heterogeneous DNA populations are separated based on DNA methylation by providing a membrane having a nanopore through which an electric field is applied. DNA of interest is introduced, and for a given threshold voltage across the nanopore, only DNA having a methylation parameter of interest may transit the pore, thereby facilitating detection, characterization, or separation of DNA based on methylation. The methods are optionally used to detect a disease state that is associated with DNA methylation including, but not limited to, cancer.

Detecting and sorting methylated DNA using a synthetic nanopore

A semiconductor device having composite dielectric layer formed between a silicon substrate and a gate electrode. The composite gate dielectric layer including a layer of silicon oxide, SiO, having a dielectric constant of greater than about 3.9 and about 12 or less, and a complementary dielectric layer for inhibiting the flow of leakage current through the composite dielectric layer.

Method of fabricating a composite gate dielectric layer

A semiconductor device having a dielectric layer formed between a first and a second conductive layer. The dielectric layer comprising a layer of silicon oxide SiO, having a dielectric constant greater than about 3.9 and less than or equal to about 12.

Silicon oxide based gate dielectric layer

A semiconductor device having a dielectric layer formed between a first and a second conductive layer. The dielectric layer comprising a layer of silicon oxide, SiO , having a dielectric constant greater than about 3.9 and less than or equal to about 12.

In an imaging system for carrier profiling of a device structure, a doped semiconductor tip is utilized as an active dynamic sensing element for successively probing spaced-apart portions of the structure. At each probe position, the bias voltage applied between the tip and the structure is varied. While the bias voltage is being varied, a measurement is taken of the change in capacitance that occurs between the tip and the structure. These measurements provide an accurate high-resolution high-contrast image that is representative of the carrier profile of the probed portions of the device structure.

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Pittstown, NJ, United States of America

Gregory L Timp