Abstract ▼ AI-Helper

We propose a two-step lithography process to minimize edge-bead issues caused by thick photoresist (PR) coating. In the conventional PR process, the edge bead can be efficiently removed by applying an edge-bead removal (EBR) process while rotating the silicon wafer at a high speed. However, applying...

We propose a two-step lithography process to minimize edge-bead issues caused by thick photoresist (PR) coating. In the conventional PR process, the edge bead can be efficiently removed by applying an edge-bead removal (EBR) process while rotating the silicon wafer at a high speed. However, applying conventional EBR to the production of desired PR mold with unique negative patterns cannot be used because a lower rpm of spin coating and a lower temperature in the soft bake process are required. To overcome this problem, a two-step lithography process was developed in this study and applied to the fabrication of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film having super-hydrophobic characteristics. Following UV exposure with a first photomask, the exposed part of the silicon wafer was selectively removed by applying a PR developer while rotating at a low rpm. Then, unique PR mold structures were prepared by employing an additional under-exposure process with a second mask, and the mold patterns were transferred to the PDMS. Results showed that the fabricated PDMS film based on the two-step lithography process reduced the height difference from 23% to 5%. In addition, the water contact angle was greatly improved by spraying of hydrophobic nanosilica on the dual-scaled PDMS surface.

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