Spin coater indian institute of technology roorkee. A custommade cell was used to control the solvent partial pressure above the film. Apogee 450 spin coater and have not fully read this manual should not operate the equipment. In general, higher spin speeds and longer spin times create thinner films.
Pdf fundamental understanding and modeling of spin. An accurate theory of spin coating would permit better design and control of the process in its various applications. Spin coating film thickness equations and theory guide ossila. Spin coating is a method to prepare thin and utra thin films of a soluble material on a solid substrate. Introduction optical lithography is the process of creating specific patterns on semiconductor wafers using a photosensitive material known as photoresist, pr and an ultraviolet light exposure system to. Spin coating is a batch process in which a liquid film is spread by centrifugal force onto a rotating substrate. Specialist in single wafer spin processing, spin cleaning and spin coating, spin developing, mask cleaning. Decades of industrial production have shown that the depositions of thin photoresists films, which constitute the main utilization of the spin coating process, are quasi perfectly controlled. Dynamics of polymer film formation during spin coating. The material is spread on a disklike substrate and under rotation it is partially removed by centrifucgal forces to form a homogeneous film. Spin coating defect theory and experiments zhimin zhu, joyce lowes, john berron, brian smith, dan sullivan brewer science, inc.
This process is widely used in semiconductor industry for depositing layers of photoresist i. Spin coating process theory spin coating process description. The spin coater spin150i is a versatile and highquality substrate spin coater made out of natural polypropylene. A spin coater has a chuck on which a wafer is held by vacuum. A process in which solution is spread evenly over a surface using centripetal force. Brewer spin coater standard operating procedure revision. Spin coating is a common technique for applying thin films to substrates. A typical process involves depositing a small puddle of a uid resin onto the center of a substrate and then spinning the substrate at high speed typically around 3000. Due to the simplicity of this technique, you will be able to produce great films even without a deep understanding of the background physics involved.
A modified equation for thickness of the film fabricated. A spin coater is mostly used for creating thin films with thicknesses below 10 nm of even, high quality thickness, using centripetal force. The range of the film thickness easily achieved by spin coating is 1200 micrometers 910. In a typical spin coating process, the photoresist is. Spin coating is a more recently developed way of getting onto piecemeal substrates, especially small flat disks, a uniform thin liquid film for the same end. A typical process involves depositing a small puddle of a. Deposition of inorganic salts from solution on flat. Spin coating of thin polymer film and thickness determination. The cee apogee spin coater is intended for use in a cleanroom environment to provide the proper processing conditions for the substrates. Spin coating is a procedure used to deposit uniform thin films to flat substrates.
Based on the results, equation 7 was used to modify the new equation. To perform spin coating, a substrate is placed on the turntable and then a liquid is deposited at the center of the substrate. The cee apogee 450 spin coater is intended for use in a cleanroom environment to provide the proper processing conditions for the substrates. Rotation is continued while the fluid spins off the edges of the substrate, until the desired thickness of the film is achieved. A typical spincoating process consists of four basic stages, 59 as shown in fig.
In order to generate this calculation, you will need to provide one known spin speed in rpm and a corresponding coating thickness. Epitaxial films through spin coating used in navson tech. This spin speed calculator provides the approximate velocity in rpm at which you will need to spin a substrate in order to arrive at a desired coating thickness. Unit operations lab spin coating 11 spin coating introduction spin coating is a process of coatings a flat surface by a thin liquid film facilitated by a fast rotation of the surface. The substrate is then rotated at high speed in order to spread the coating material by centrifugal force. The 6800 spin coater series is a family of compact spin coaters for low production spin coating applications and experimentation. Pdf fundamental understanding and modeling of spin coating. An excess amount of a solution is applied to a substrate manually. A modified equation for thickness of the film fabricated by.
Continuous films resiilted in all cases with no observ able pinhole type defects. If it is, water and chemicals can get pulled into the vacuum line. Fundamental understanding and modeling of spin coating process. A spinoff of the edge bead by abruptly increasing the spin speed at a certain stage of spin coating. Spin coating is performed in four steps, deposition, spin up, spin off, and evaporation, as shown in fig. The intensities of the incoming and reflected beam were measured with two photodiodes and the specular reflectivity was calculated. In this paper, the experiments were carried out using the most basic theory about the thickness of. With the help of this spin coater we can create a thin film on the flat surface of any. Spincoating is a method for applying liquidbased coatings onto a rotating substrate. Qualtech products industry precision spin coater is a professional polymer film application instrument to apply a uniform thin film or ultrathin polymer film onto flat samples and flat substrates, e. A machine used for spin coating is called a spin coater, or simply spinner. Pdf spincoater machine control via passivity with sliding. The apparatus used for spin coating is called a spin coater, or a spinner. Any information provided is not binding, can and will be changed without further notice.
The combination of spin speed and time selected for this stage will generally define the final film thickness meyerhofer 1978, miitzi et al. A prepared substrate is placed on a chuck of a spin coater which can be accelerated to a given speed. The coating liquid material is applied to the top of substrate in the deposition stage. In a dynamic dispense the substrate is first started spinning and allowed to. Spin coating of thin and ultrathin polymer filns 0. P6708d spin coater section 2 overview page 3 section 2 overview 2. Spin coating is used for the fabrication of thin films to deposit uniform coating of organic materials on flat surfaces 28. This calculator is based on the principle that the thickness of a coating generally varies inversely with the square root of a corresponding spin speed. The substrate to be covered is held by some rotatable fixture often using vacuum to clamp the substrate in place and the coating solution is dispensed onto the surface. This professional spin coater is designed and engineered offering the newest microchip technology combined with a precision high performance motor, advanced precision sensors, a large lcd display for comfortable reading under different light conditions, userfriendly programming, userfriendly sample handling, a continuous speed control, high. Tyona department of physics, benue state university, makurdi, nigeria received jun3 21, 2012, revised january 03, 20, accepted april 8, 20 abstract. A solution of material is dispensed onto the center of a wafer, which is then rotated at high speed. Physics and applications of dip coating and spin coating.
Make sure the nitrogen tank valve is open and that the pressure meter shows 3060 psi. Spin coating, film thickness, shear stress, nonnewtonian fluids. Usually a small amount of coating material is applied on the center of the substrate, which is either spinning at low speed or not spinning at all. Applying uniform thin films to flat substrates can be achieved by spin coating procedure. Unit operations lab spincoating 11 spin coating introduction spin coating is a process of coatings a flat surface by a thin liquid film facilitated by a fast rotation of the surface. Your wafer should not be wet or have sticky chemicals of any kind on the back side.
The 6800 spin coater series provides the ability to hold a product with a vacuum chuck and spin that chuck at precise speeds and for controlled periods of time. Spin coating is currently the predominant technique employed to produce uniform thin. Spin coating systems scs spin coating systems reliability and flexibility for research, development, and more. Spin coater apex spin nxgm1 spin coating is a procedure used to apply uniform thin films to flat substrates. This method is used to make polycrystalline inorganic coatings and amorphous films, such as polymers used in lithography. Spin speed is one of the most important factors in spin coating. A hene laser with a wavelength of 633 nm was mounted at 45 to a spin coater fig. Spin coating of thin polymer film and thickness determination by ellipsometry topic it is the aim of this experiment to become familiar with the spin coating technique to prepare thin polymer films and ellipsometry as a tool for thickness determination. This model can store up to three product recipes and offers three rampupandhold steps and one rampdown step for each recipe. Relatively minor speed variations at this stage can result in large thickness changes. While most spin processes require only two or three, this allows the maximum. Spin coater and have not fully read this manual should not operate the equipment.
Spin coating theory spin coating is a process by which thin uniform films of polymer are created enefits of spin coating are that is a fast effective means of depositing film to spin coat a film a desired polymer is dissolved into a suitable solvent, in our case usually dimethylformamide dmf, dimethyl sulfoxide dmso or utanone. Spin coating has been used for several decades for the application of thin lms. The spin coating process can use either solutions of the material or precursors to the material. The excess solution is thrown off the wafer into the basin. Description the sc9, equipped with a specially designed covered chuck system, is the optimal tool for uniformed coatings. Fundamental understanding and modeling of spin coating. The machine is used to make semiconductor thin films with a centrifugation force. The speed of the substrate in rpm affects the degree of radial centrifugal force applied to the liquid resin as well as the velocity and characteristic turbulence of the air immediately above it hellstrom 2007, supekar et al. Each program on a cee spin coater may contain up to ten separate process steps. Usually a small amount of coating solution is applied on the center of the substrate, which is either spinning at low speed or not spinning at all. In this paper, a novel control scheme for a spin coater machine is presented, based on passivity and sliding modes. Spin coating is a procedure used to deposit uniform thin films onto flat substrates. Although reported experiments in colloid spin coating began almost a century ago with walker and thompson1, a complete theory has not yet emerged. Etch, develop, clean edc spin coating theory h film thickness.
Feb 21, 2016 i describe how i designed and built a spincoater, and how you can use a similar motor control system in your own projects. The chuck spins causing the centripetal force which creates the thin film. Having an understanding of the mechanisms at work is a bonus, and will give you better insight. Laurell spin coater operation harvard medical school. A typical spin coating system for microelectronic wafers is shown in fig. Several films of polystyerene on sisio2 substrates are. Affordable spin coaters for spin process solutions. Spin coating theory spin coating is a process by which thin uniform films of polymer are created enefits of spin coating are that is a fast effective means of depositing film to spin coat a film a desired polymer is dissolved into a suitable solvent, in our case usually dimethylformamide dmf, dimethyl sulfoxide dmso or utanone a prepared substrate is placed on a chuck of a spin coater. Jun 14, 2012 this is a general schematic of a spin coater. At high rotation speeds, around to 10 000 rpm, such devices spin lowviscosity liquids to thicknesses from a few microns down to a few nanometers. A sim ple model first proposed by meyerhofer 3 has been found to capture much of the essential characteristics of the spin coating process even though it decouples evaporation and flow.
Dynamics, crystallization and structures in colloid spin. Microchemicals gmbh spin coating of photoresists thick resist films. An exact theory of spin coating would allow better understanding of design. Model p6708d 8 desktop precision spin coating system. Spin coating has been used for several decades for the appli cation of thin films. A lid is place on top of the spin coater to prevent splashing of solution and as a safety consideration. If it is used outside of a cleanroom environment, the substrate cleanliness may be compromised. The dynamics of spin coating involves the evolution of a.
The speed rpm affects the degree of centrifugal force applied to the resin and the turbulence of the air immediately above it. Spin coating is a technique used to spread uniform thin films on flat substrates by centrifugal force. A theoritical study on spin coating technique techno press. Spin coating processes are used in the microelectronics industry to coat wafers with photoresist which allow already existing layers on the wafer to be selectively etched. The flow of the liquid is governed by a balance between centrifugal driving force and viscous resisting force. Spin coating theory spin coating comprises two major processes which take place simultaneously. Spin coating general theory spin coating generally involves the application of a thin lm a few nm to a few um evenly across the surface of a substrate by coating casting a solution of the. Films spun from the most dilute solutions tended to be the most uniform, while at the highest concentrations 15 wtyo the film sur faces tended to exhibit some degree of waviness. So, the higher the angular speed of spinning, the thinner the film. Ultra t equipment model sc9 spin coaters ultra t equipment company, inc. When a solution of a material and a solvent is spun at high speeds, the centripetal force and the surface tension of the liquid together create an even covering. The resist film should be solventpoor enough to prevent further thinning, while the edge bead needs a viscosity still low enough for proper spinoff.
In the first stage the material is deposited on the turntable and. Standard operating procedure any question, contact staff 9403695318 revision. Low spin speeds, however, cause a pronounced edge bead and sometimes even prevent the. A simple way to coat a surface with a uniform film is by spin coating. Spin coating machine can be used to deposit epitaxial films of inorganic materials such as zinc oxide zno, lead ii iodide pbi 2, sodium chloride nacl and cesium lead bromide cspbbr 3 onto a variety of singlecrystal and singlecrystallike substrates. Cda should be displaying on the lcd of the controller indicating there is not vacuum applied yet.
Spin coating has been used for several decades for the appli cation of thin. Spin coating is used to deposit the photoresist films used in the lithographic stages of microelectronic manufacturing processes. Mathematically modeling the spin coating process is extremely challenging because of the complex cou pling of fluid rheology and solvent evaporation. This is followed by a very fast thousands of rpms rotation of the turntable. Either by reducing the spin speed, or by reducing the spin time. How to make an arizona penny can alcohol stove duration. If you have questions, contact the owner of the document marcello.
Spin coating is an important way of creating thin films in the microelectronics industry. Spincoating defect theory and experiments zhimin zhu, joyce lowes, john berron, brian smith, dan sullivan brewer science, inc. Experimental and theoretical study of the flow in the manifold of a curtain coater. Spin coaters instras scientific spin and dip coater.
The hot plate and uv curer are then used to bake or cure your thin f. Spin coating process theory spin coating has been used for several decades for the application of thin lms. Spin coating is also used to apply thin layers of polymers to wafers for various steps through out the manufacture of processed wafers. The model of the spin coating process presented here accounts for variations of concentration, viscosity, and diffusivity across the thickness of the spin coated film. An excess amount of a solution is placed on the substrate, which is then rotated at high speed in order to spread the fluid by centrifugal force. The substrate is spun at high speed, and a droplet of solution containing the coating is added at the center, spreads out, and evaporates. Radial variations in film thickness and concentration are neglected.
The solution is then dispensed onto the substrate either. Spin coating will result in a relatively uniform thin film of a specific thickness. Spin coater online spin coating thickness calculator. Modeling of spin coating even though spin coating has been universally used in the semiconductor industry long before, hardly any theoretical study has been initiated. Open the cover, and center your wafer on the chuck. The applied solvent is usually volatile, and simultaneously evaporates. The basic flow is unsteady radial drainage in which centrifugal and viscous forces so compete that ordinary newtonian liquid of constant viscosity tends toward a uniform film that grows. Spin coating is a simple process for rapidly depositing thin coatings onto relatively flat substrates. Spin coating is a deposition technique used to coat thin films of materials from a liquid solution. Typically you spin coat photoresist on a semiconductor wafer, but our spin coaters are also used for spin coating polymer thin films like blockcopolymers bcp as pdms and pmma, or as a lowcost solgel method e. A comprehensive study of spin coating as a thin film. The spin coater is then started and ought up to required speed as fast as possible.
It is primarily intended for substrates up to the maximum size. For universities and laboratories around the globe, scs spin coaters provide ideal technology for spin coating applications. Spin coating drainage and evaporation form thin film spin off and evaporation form thin film scriven. Both these two processes result in a decrease of the thickness of the liquid film. Spincoater is essentially a turntable maintained under vacuum conditions. After any remaining solvent has evaporated, spin coating results in a thin film ranging from a few nanometres. A typical process involves depositing a small puddle of a fluid resin onto the center of a substrate and then spinning the substrate at high speed typically around 3000 rpm. The substrate is then rotated at high speed in order to spread the coating material by.