Feedback to this page: click here

Exposure dose

During exposure of the resist, the photoinitiator, or photo-active component, reacts with the exposure light, and starts the reaction that makes the resist develop in the developer. In a positive resist, it makes the resist become soluble in the developer. In a negative resist, usually assisted by thermal energy in the post-exposure bake, it makes the resist insoluble in the developer. The amount of light required to fully develop the resist in the development process, is the exposure dose. The optimal exposure dose is a function of many parameters, including the type of resist, the resist thickness, and the sensitivity of the resist.

The resist sensitivity is a measure of how efficiently it reacts to the exposure light. Spectral sensitivity is the sensitivity of the resist as a function of wavelength. It is usually given simply as the range from the wavelength below which absorption in the resist material makes lithography impractical to the wavelength at which the photoinitiator is no longer efficiently activated. The spectral sensitivity is listed in the Resist Overview. Within this range, the optical absorption is commonly used as a measure of sensitivity. A high absorption coefficient signifies a high sensitivity, as the light is absorbed by the photoinitiator. Because of spectral sensitivity, the optimal dose of a given resist type and thickness is also a function of the spectral distribution of the exposure light, i.e. the equipment used for the exposure, see table below. Made using a combination of experience, calculation, and assumption, the values given in the Relative exposure dose table may be used to estimate the dose for one equipment from the known dose on another equipment.

Due to reflection and refraction at the interface between the resist and the substrate, the optimal dose may also be a function of the type of substrate used. Unless otherwise stated, the exposure doses given here are for standard silicon wafers.

Apart from the already mentioned factors, the optimal dose also depends on the developer chemistry and the parameters used in the development process. Finally, the requirements to the lithographic process in terms of resolution, bias (line broadening), etch selectivity, side wall angle, etc. may narrow down, or widen, the process window. The exposure doses given in the sections below should be used as a starting point for individual fabrication process development.

	Lamp	Installed filter	Adjusted intensity	Filter options
KS Aligner	350 W Hg	i-line notch filter 365nm (FWHM = 7 nm)	7 mW/cm² @ 365 nm (Constant Intensity)	no filter (broadband) 313 nm (notch) 303 nm (notch)
Aligner: MA6 - 2	500 W Hg-Xe	i-line notch filter 365nm (FWHM = ? nm)	The intensity is set by the user ~13 mW/cm² @ 365 nm	no filter (broadband) UV400 (350 - 400 nm) UV350 (280 - 350 nm) UV250 (240 - 260 nm)
Aligner-6inch	350 W Hg	SU-8 long-pass filter (50% i-line) Broadband i-, h-, and g-line	7 mW/cm² @ 365 nm (Constant Power)	no filter (broadband) i-line (notch)

The most powerful UV lines in the Hg spectrum are the i-, h-, and g-lines at 356 nm, 405 nm, and 435 nm wavelength, respectively. While the Hg lamp produces little or no intensity in the deep-UV (UV-C) range, the Hg-Xe lamp has increased output below 300 nm.

Calculating exposure time

The exposure dose, D [J/m²], is given by:

D = I x t ,

where I [W/m²] is the intensity of the exposure light, and t [s] is the exposure time. As the intensity is specific to the spectral sensitivity of the sensor used to measure the exposure light, and the exposure time is specific to the spectral distribution of the exposure light (cf. spectral sensitivity), this dose is specific to the combination of exposure source and optical sensor.

Given the optimum exposure dose, the exposure time is calculated as:

t = D / I .

It is important to keep in mind that this exposure time is valid only for a specific combination of exposure source and optical sensor, as well as for a specific development process.

Comparison: Relative exposure dose

	KS Aligner	Aligner: MA6 - 2	Aligner-6inch
AZ 5214E	1	1	0.5
AZ 4562	1	1	0.5
AZ MiR 701	1	1	0.2
AZ nLOF 2020	1	1	1
SU-8	1	1	0.6 - 1

Exposure dose when using AZ 351B developer

KS Aligner (351B)

The KS Aligner has an i-line notch filter installed. This results in an exposure light peak around 365 nm with a FWHM of 7 nm. Dependent on the spectral sensitivity of the resist, the optimal dose may be increased compared to broadband exposure on the Aligner-6inch. Unless otherwise stated, the exposure doses given here are for standard silicon wafers.

	Thickness	Dose	Development	Comments
AZ 5214E	1.5 µm	35-49 mJ/cm²	60 s	Positive process
	2.2 µm	56-70 mJ/cm²	70 s
	4.2 µm	~140 mJ/cm²	3 minutes
AZ 5214E	1.5 µm	21 mJ/cm²	60 s	Image reversal process. Reversal bake: 100s at 110°C. Flood exposure after reversal bake: 210 mJ/cm²
AZ 5214E	2.2 µm	24 mJ/cm²	70 s
AZ 4562	10 µm	~280 mJ/cm²	5 minutes	Multiple exposure with 10 s pauses is recommended.

Additional information:

AZ 5214E image reversal

1.5 µm resist on boron glass: around 49 mJ/cm² (supplied March 2013 by Morten Bo Lindholm Mikkelsen, DTU Nanotech).

Aligner-6inch (351B)

The Aligner-6inch has a long pass filter designed for SU-8 exposure installed. The SU-8 filter has no transmission in the 250-330 nm range, and close to full transmission in the 400-500 nm range. In the 350-370 nm range, the transmission is approximately 0.5. This results in a broadband exposure light consisting of the i-line (365 nm), the h-line (405 nm), and the g-line (435 nm) from the Hg spectrum. Dependent on the spectral sensitivity of the resist, the optimal dose may be decreased compared to i-line exposure on the KS-Aligner. Unless otherwise stated, the exposure doses given here are for standard silicon wafers.

	Thickness	Dose	Development	Comments
AZ 5214E	1.5 µm	17-25 mJ/cm²	60 s	Positive process
AZ 5214E	1.5 µm	10.5 mJ/cm²	60 s	Image reversal process. Reversal bake: 100s at 110°C. Flood exposure after reversal bake: 210 mJ/cm²
AZ 5214E	2.2 µm	12 mJ/cm²	70 s
AZ 4562	10 µm	~140 mJ/cm²	5 minutes	Multiple exposure with 10s pauses is recommended.

Exposure dose when using AZ 726 MIF developer

This section is under construction

KS Aligner (726)

The KS Aligner has an i-line notch filter installed. This results in an exposure light peak around 365 nm with a FWHM of 7 nm. Dependent on the spectral sensitivity of the resist, the optimal dose may be increased compared to broadband exposure on the Aligner-6inch. Unless otherwise stated, the exposure doses given here are for standard silicon wafers.

	Thickness	Dose	Development	Comments
AZ 5214E	1.5 µm	60 mJ/cm²	Single puddle, 60 s	Positive process
AZ 4562	10 µm	300-350 mJ/cm²	Multiple puddle, 4 x 60 s	Multiple exposure with 10 s pauses is recommended. Process not yet established.
AZ MiR 701	1 µm	~150 mJ/cm²	Single puddle, 60 s	PEB: 60 s at 110°C Preliminary results
	2 µm	~175 mJ/cm²	Single puddle, 60 s	PEB: 60 s at 110°C Preliminary results
	4 µm	~200 mJ/cm²	Single puddle, 60 s	PEB: 90 s at 110°C Preliminary results
AZ nLOF 2020	2 µm	84-112 mJ/cm²	Single puddle, 60 s	Side wall angle ~15°. For lover angle, develop 30 s (~5°)

Aligner: MA6 - 2 (726)

Unless otherwise stated, the exposure doses given here are for standard silicon wafers.

No process results yet. Use Relative exposure dose table to estimate dose.

Aligner-6inch (726)

The Aligner-6inch has a long pass filter designed for SU-8 exposure installed. The SU-8 filter has no transmission in the 250-330 nm range, and close to full transmission in the 400-500 nm range. In the 350-370 nm range, the transmission is approximately 0.5. This results in a broadband exposure light consisting of the i-line (365 nm), the h-line (405 nm), and the g-line (435 nm) from the Hg spectrum. Dependent on the spectral sensitivity of the resist, the optimal dose may be decreased compared to i-line exposure on the KS-Aligner. Unless otherwise stated, the exposure doses given here are for standard silicon wafers.

No process results. Use Relative exposure dose table to estimate dose.