Measurement systems based on metal/dielectric nanostructures for electrochemical analyses

In this paper, we described and compared various techniques and materials for dielectric/metal/dielectric nanostructure fabrication in order to choose the best solution for electrochemical system applications. The metal/dielectric nanostructures proposed to be realised by standard Si technology processes are nanoelectrode (NE) arrays, and they will be used as the working electrode in the electrochemical systems. They are more suitable and reproducible than similar self-organised nanostructures. The design calculation reveals better electrical characteristics for the systems with spaced electrodes, where the inactive area is higher than the active zone. The measured current is three orders of magnitude higher for the array with micrometric distances between two adjacent nanoelectrodes than for nanometric distances. The described SiO2/Pt/Si3N4 nanostructures have important applications in the electrochemical system fabrication for pollution control and biomedical measurements.