Exposure and development of thick polydimethylglutarimide films for MEMS applications using 254-nm irradiation

Ian G. Foulds; Robert William Johnstone; See-Ho Tsang; M. Pallapa

doi:10.1117/1.2909468

1 April 2008 Exposure and development of thick polydimethylglutarimide films for MEMS applications using 254-nm irradiation

Ian G. Foulds, Robert William Johnstone, See-Ho Tsang, M. Pallapa

Author Affiliations +

Journal of Micro/Nanolithography, MEMS, and MOEMS, Vol. 7, Issue 2, 023003 (April 2008). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.2909468

Abstract

Polydimethylglutarimide (PMGI)-based resists are finding increasing use in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) as both sacrificial and structural materials. PMGI-based resists are commercially available and were originally designed for use in bilayer lift-off applications. Literature on deep-UV exposure and development of PMGI films is limited to films less than 2.5 μm in thickness, and use only tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH)-based developers. We investigate the exposure and development of PMGI films greater than 6 μm in thickness using the two main classes of developer for PMGI, TMAH, and tetraethylammonium hydroxide (TEAH)-based developers. At these thicknesses, a nonuniform dose through the film due to the optical absorption of the PMGI leads to large gradients in the dissolution properties. We report etch rates as a function of surface dose and development time. Additionally a model is developed to provide a basic predictor of development depth and other important data for fabrication process planning and development.

©(2008) Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

Citation Download Citation

Ian G. Foulds, Robert William Johnstone, See-Ho Tsang, and M. Pallapa "Exposure and development of thick polydimethylglutarimide films for MEMS applications using 254-nm irradiation," Journal of Micro/Nanolithography, MEMS, and MOEMS 7(2), 023003 (1 April 2008). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.2909468

Published: 1 April 2008

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