Specific Process Knowledge/Lithography/EBL/EBLresist

From LabAdviser

E-beam resists in the cleanroom

We recommend all groups or users to have their own bottle of e-beam resist inside the cleanroom.

  • Find a blue-capped glass bottle in the cupboard next to office 055 in 346 (outside the cleanroom).
  • Bring the bottle inside gowning; clean it thoroughly on the outside with water or alcohol
  • Bring the bottle to a fumehood inside the cleanroom; clean the bottle and the lid thoroughly on the inside with the main solvent of your resist. For CSAR, ZEP, mr EBL, and most PMMAs, it is anisole. If in doubt which solvent your e-beam resist contains, read the MSDS of the resist to be found here.
  • If you need to dilute the resist, find a measurement beaker and clean it thoroughly in same solvent as your own bottle. For CSAR, ZEP, mr EBL, and anisole-based PMMA, you can use the measurement beaker in the box inside the fumehood in E-4.
  • Let the bottle dry in the fumehood.
  • Bring the (main) bottle of resist to the fumehood. Carefully unscrew the lid of the resist bottle. If necessary, wipe the thread of the resist bottle before you pour resist into your own bottle; dried resists may sit on the thread and be transferred into your bottle (or worse into the large resist bottle) when pouring.
  • Clean all bottles on the outside with acetone or IPA, let them fume off in the fumehood. Clean the measurement beaker as well.
  • Find a label to your resist bottle; bottles without labels will be removed from the cleanroom.
  • Write name, Lotnumber, group and date on your bottle.


When spin coating e-beam resist, you should use a pipette to transfer resist from your bottle to the substrate. If you pour the resist directly from your bottle, you will leave resist in the thread that will soon dry out and leave particles in the resist. The disposable pipettes need to be thoroughly cleaned with a N2 gun before use (app. 20 s). After some practice, you can obtain particle-free 4" wafers if bottle and pipette (and spin coater) are properly cleaned.
Keep your resist bottles in up-right position, do not tilt or shake them too much, this can spread particles from the sidewall into the resist.


E-beam resists and Process flow

The table describes the e-beam resist used in the cleanroom for standard e-beam exposure. Some of resists are not provided by DTU Nanolab and some are not yet approved for common use in the cleanroom and are currently being tested. If you wish to test some of these resists or other resists, please contact Lithography.

Standard DTU Nanolab resists purchased and tested by DTU Nanolab:

Resist Polarity Manufacturer Comments Technical reports Spin Coater Thinner Developer Rinse Remover Process flows (in docx-format)
CSAR Positive AllResist Standard positive resist, very similar to ZEP520. Allresist_CSAR62_English.pdf‎,, CSAR_62_Abstract_Allresist.pdf‎ See table here Anisole AR-600-546, AR-600-548, N50, MIBK:IPA IPA AR-600-71, 1165 Remover Process Flow CSAR.docx‎
Process Flow CSAR with ESPACER
Process Flow CSAR with Al
Process Flow LOR5A with CSAR


ZEP520A (not supplied by Nanolab anymore) Positive resist, contact Lithography if you plan to use this resist ZEON Positive resist ZEP520A.pdf, ZEP520A spin curves on SSE Spinner See table here Anisole ZED-N50/Hexyl Acetate,n-amyl acetate, oxylene. JJAP-51-06FC05.pdf‎, JVB001037.pdf‎ IPA acetone/1165 Process_Flow_ZEP.docx



Copolymer AR-P 617 Positive AllResist Approved, not tested yet. Used for trilayer (PE-free) resist-stack or double-layer lift-off resist stack. Please contact Lithography for information. AR_P617.pdf‎ See table here PGME AR 600-55, MIBK:IPA acetone/1165 Trilayer stack: Process_Flow_Trilayer_Ebeam_Resist.docx‎
mr EBL 6000.1 Negative MicroResist Standard negative resist mrEBL6000 processing Guidelines.pdf‎ See table here Anisole mr DEV IPA mr REM Process_Flow_mrEBL6000.docx‎


HSQ (XR-1541) Negative DOW Corning Approved. Standard negative resist HSQ Dow Corning, MSDS HSQ See table here TMAH, AZ400K:H2O H2O process flow HSQ

High resolution patterning with HSQ

AR-N 8200 Negative AllResist Both e-beam and DUV sensitive resist. Currently being tested, contact Thomas Pedersen for information. AR 300-47 H2O
AR-N 7520 Negative AllResist Both e-beam, DUV and UV-sensitive resist. Currently being tested, contact Peixiong Shi for information. AR-N7500-7520.pdf‎ See table here PGMEA AR 300-47, TMAH H2O



Non-standard DTU Nanolab resists not purchased by DTU Nanolab:

Resist Polarity Manufacturer Comments Technical reports Spinner Thinner Developer Rinse Remover Process flows (in docx-format)
PMMA Positive AllResist We have various types of PMMA in the cleanroom. Please contact Lithography for information. See table here Anisole MIBK:IPA (1:3), IPA:H2O IPA acetone/1165/Pirahna


ZEP7000 Positive ZEON Not approved. Low dose to clear, can be used for trilayer (PEC-free) resist-stack. Please contact Lithography for information. ZEP7000.pdf See table here Anisole ZED-500/Hexyl Acetate,n-amyl acetate, oxylene. IPA acetone/1165 Trilayer stack: Process_Flow_Trilayer_Ebeam_Resist.docx‎
AR-N 7500.18 Negative AllResist Both e-beam, DUV and UV-sensitive resist. Currently being tested, contact Thomas Pedersen for information. ARN7500.pdf‎ See table here PGMEA MIF726 H2O


If the resist is not adhering properly to the substrate, the coating looks like full of pinholes and the edge is not covered, try to remove the resist, dip 30s. in BHF, rinse 5 mins and spin dry, the spin coat again.