You are here

Photoresist Spin Coater - L10 (no Au)

Photoresist Spin Coater - L10 (no Au)

Silicon Lithography
North Cleanroom
1.720

Solvent hood with Headway Spinner to apply photoresist.
Do NOT remove Labware from this tool!

Compatible Materials: 
Si / SiGe / Hi k Layers: Oxides / Nitrides / Top-Electrode Polysilicon, TaN, Al Chemicals: Photoresist, Developer, Acetone, Methanol, IPA
Incompatible Materials: 
III-V, Liftoff Processes, Corrosive Etching (Except Developer), Au, Ag, Hg, Cu Developers, Au, Ag, Hg, Cu films

1. Log on to the tool using the LabAccess terminal.
2. Line the spinner basin with clean room wipes. (NOTE: Since these wipes are “trash” you can do your part to keep the lithography bay tidy by using “used” wipes that are laying around instead of getting new wipes from the dispenser.) 3-4 wipes should be enough to cover the sides of the basin – use more if you are coating a lot of wafers
3. Choose the correct wafer chuck size and push it onto the spindle.
4. Turn the spinner ‘power’ on
5. Set the correct spin time on the thumbwheels.
6. Push ‘start’ to do a test run during which you can set the ‘acceleration’, ‘speed’, and ‘deceleration’ to the appropriate settings. When the test run is complete, push the ‘reset’ button.
7. To put photo resist (PR) on a wafer:
a. Place your wafer centered on the chuck.
b. Turn the vacuum on by pushing the ‘vacuum’ button – make sure your wafer is held securely by gently nudging the side with tweezers.
c. Put the photo resist (AZ5209E) in the center of your wafer (~2-3 dropper-fulls is all that is needed to coat a 4 inch wafer if the acceleration is turned to the highest setting – please do not waste the photo resist as it is very expensive!)
d. Push the ‘start’ button to spin the photo resist on. If something goes wrong during the spinning (eg. Wafer falls off the chuck), you can stop the spin by pushing the ‘reset’ button.
e. After each run, the ‘reset’ button LED will be on. Push the ‘reset’ button in order to turn the LED off before your next run.
f. Turn the vacuum off by pushing the ‘vacuum’ button, and remove your wafer.
8. If you are not pleased with the photo resist coat (eg. Not uniformly coated, or particles in the PR) you can remove the photo resist by rinsing your wafer in acetone, then methanol, then isopropanol, and finally DI water. Make sure to dispose of any acetone, methanol, or isopropanol in the waste containers located above the blue solvent cabinet – please do NOT dump them down the sink! Also, dispose of any solvent-soaked wipes in the red waste can for solvents.
9. When you’re finished coating your wafers with photo resist (PR), please place the PR-soaked wipes into a ziplock bag (located on the wall next to the hood), seal the bag closed, and place in the red solvent waste can. Please make sure that the bag is properly sealed because these PR fumes are harmful when inhaled!
10. Take the wafer chuck off the spindle and place the lid back over the spinner basin.
11. Please clean up any PR drops, etc…that may have been spilled in the hood area using acetone and wipes, and dispose of properly in the red solvent waste can.
12. Log off of the tool using the LabAccess terminal.