Specific Process Knowledge/Lithography/Coaters/Spin Coater: RCD8 processing: Difference between revisions
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=Dispense= | =Dispense= | ||
The dispensed | Resist dispense on the Spin Coater: RCD8 can only be done manually, as the motorized media arm was decommissioned in 2024. Manual dispense is done by administering the resist directly onto the substrate, after it has been loaded into the machine but before the recipe has been started. It can be done by pouring the resist directly from a bottle (for thin resists such as the AZ resists or SU-8 3005) or by pushing it out of a prefilled syringe (for thick resists like SU-8 3035 and XFT 75). | ||
The volume dispensed from a syringe may be estimated by measuring the distance the resist level is displaced during a dispense, and calculating the corresponding volume using the diameter of the syringe (23 mm). A displacement of 10 mm corresponds to a dispensed volume of 4 ml. This calculation can also be used to mark the syringe with appropriately spaced guide lines in order to dispense a specific volume. | |||
==Tips and tricks for dispensing thick resist== | |||
High viscosity resists, such as the SU-8 formulations for coating thicknesses 50µm and above, are difficult to dispense. To have any kind of control, they require use of a dispense syringe. | |||
'''Filling the syringe:'''<br> | |||
Syringes should be filled the day before spin coating, and should be stored vertical in order to allow bubbles to settle at the top. | |||
'''Dispensing from the syringe:'''<br> | |||
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Text below was in the original section "Automatic dispense" TARAN 27-08-2025 | |||
Automatic dispense on the Spin Coater: RCD8 is done using a Nordson EFD Performus VII pressurised cartridge dispense system. The syringe containing the resist is mounted on the media arm, and the resist is dispensed using a nitrogen pressure supplied by the control box. The dispense rate is controlled by the nitrogen pressure, while the dispense time, and thus the volume, is set in the recipe. The dispensed volume may be estimated by measuring the distance the resist level is displaced during a dispense, and calculating the corresponding volume using the diameter of the syringe (23 mm). A displacement of 10 mm corresponds to a dispensed volume of 4 mL. | Automatic dispense on the Spin Coater: RCD8 is done using a Nordson EFD Performus VII pressurised cartridge dispense system. The syringe containing the resist is mounted on the media arm, and the resist is dispensed using a nitrogen pressure supplied by the control box. The dispense rate is controlled by the nitrogen pressure, while the dispense time, and thus the volume, is set in the recipe. The dispensed volume may be estimated by measuring the distance the resist level is displaced during a dispense, and calculating the corresponding volume using the diameter of the syringe (23 mm). A displacement of 10 mm corresponds to a dispensed volume of 4 mL. | ||