What is spin coating?

Spin coating is commonly used for quickly applying uniform thin films to substrates, from a few nanometers to a few microns in thickness. A thin film is created by dispensing photo-resist, sol-gel or other fluid or polymer, on a rotating substrate. Most substrates can be spin coated: small 5 mm fragments, semiconductor wafers up to 450 mm, microscope slides, square glass or photo masks, or even LED panels up to 1 meter!  (Also read our spin coating theory.)

Are you looking for any equipment to spin coat, develop, etch, spin rinse/dry?

Our spin coaters are suitable for spin coating, but also for developing, wet chemical etching or spin rinse/dry. The spin bowl construction material can be either Polypropylene (NPP) or PTFE (TFM) for maximum chemical compatibility. The basic units for fragments and substrate sizes up to 150 mm (SPIN150i) or up to 200 mm (SPIN200i) comes with full programming features and 3 I/O ports to add and control external equipment. The POLOS Advanced series can be customized to any spin coating or spin process requirement you may have.

Is the touchpanel solvent safe?

The Spin Coater control panel is integrated in a polypropylene body and covered by a solvent resistant, protective FEP film. The touch panel can simply be unhooked from the spin coater body and the LAN cable can be disconnected.

Where do you plan to place the equipment? Can I use the spin processor in a Cleanroom, in a Lab, under a Fume Hood? Can I use the spin coater in a Glove Box or integrate the coater in a wet bench?

Yes, our spin coaters come standard with a detachable control panel (LAN connection) to easily fit in a standard glove box, and can be used in an argon environment. We offer in-deck units to use in your existing wet bench. All POLOS and SPIN150i spin coaters are cleanroom compatible.

 
Available with USB-foot pedal: : Pedal 1: Lid unlock, Pedal 2: Start/Stop, Pedal 3: Vacuum on/off.

Do you want to use a spin coater in a glove box?

A glovebox provides a versatile working space isolated from the outside (room) atmosphere, designed to shield operators from danger, and enable repeatable spin coating in a high purity inert atmosphere.

The SPIN150i Spin Processor has been specifically designed for R&D purposes and is ideal for processing small fragments and wafers up to 150mm in a clean, particle-free environment. The chamber can be supplied in either Natural Polypro (NPP) or PTFE for greater chemical compatibility. The versatile platform with 3 programmable I/O ports is ideal for applications including photoresist spin coating, etch, develop or cleaning processes, or, when used in a glove box with proper filtered exhaust, processes with aggressive chemicals. 
 
The detachable keyboard, connected using a standard CAT5 ethernet cable, makes it easy to install the SPIN150i into the glovebox. The small footprint and height of only 250mm (9.84”) allows the unit to fit through a standard air-lock.

The keyboard can be installed, either inside or outside the glove box. The large icons on the touchscreen panel and  chemical resistant keyboard are glove-friendly. Alternatively the unit can be operated by optional foot switch.

For OEM-installations we also offer in-deck spin coaters, which are designed for full integration* into the glove box.

Jacomex glove box with a spin coater SPIN150i integration and  the Vigor glove box with a spin coater SPIN150i table top.
 

Do I need nitrogen purge?

Only if your process requires an N2 environment in the process chamber. The nitrogen purge can reduce air turbulence in the chamber. All spin coating models come standard with a height adjustable syringe holder and diffuser with nitrogen connector, that you can simply connect to your nitrogen supply (ID 4mm – OD 6mm tubing). But you hook up the nitrogen only if you want to.

Do I need Clean Dry Air (CDA)?

Connecting the motor purge to a clean dry air, or compressed air (CDA) source ensures no vapors can enter the motor housing. Isolating the spin motor from the fumes of the process environment increases tool life-time.

Do I need Compressed Air for pneumatic control?

Only for the POLOS advanced spin processors a compressed air connection is available. This is necessary to control valves, the use of a pneumatic lid or some of the other options, only available on the Advanced models. Connector: ID 6mm – OD 8mm. Requirement: min. 300 – max. 400kPa (or Min. 3.0bar – max. 4.0bar.)

Is it easy to clean the process chamber?

We offer clear, transparent (PET) process chamber liners to minimize cross-contamination between different processes, and for easy cleaning. Also done with our own esPRO line VOC-Free Resist Cleaner. Ecofriendly, non-explosive, and safe to handle, our resist cleaner lowers costs by eliminating scrubbing and cleaning time.

Can I spin coat fragments?

The 150 mm SPIN150i spin coaters come standard with a fragment adapter and vacuum chuck. (For the 200 mm spin coater you have the option between a vacuum chuck for 200mm or a vacuum chuck for smaller substrates that fits the fragment adapter.) The fragment adapter has a 10 mm opening. It can easily be pressed over the vacuum chuck and is ready for spin coating.  Optionally we also offer fragment adapters with a 1 mm or 2.5 mm opening.

Can I spin on glass?

In the semiconductor industry the sol-gel method is often used to deposit silicon dioxide. This method is known as the Spin-On Glass method (SOG).
Films are normally formed from SOG sols using a spin coating technique. Typically silicon alkoxide (tetraethoxysilane - TEOS or Si(OC2H5)4), water (H2O) , isopropanol ((CH5)2CH(OH)) and hydrochloric acid (HCl). All chemicals are compatible with standard Polypropylene. The substrate must be cleaned first. Our Polos Advanced spin coaters can be equipped with a megasonic cleaning unit, for enhanced spin cleaning method.

Can I spin on microscope slides?

All chucks fit easily on the same base, suitable for clockwise (CW) and counter clockwise (CCW) rotation. We offer recessed chucks specifically designed for your microscope slides. And a full range of vacuum or non-vacuum chucks for round or rectangular substrates or even thin wafers or foils. Chucks can easily be exchanged. Have a look at our spin coating chucks!

Can I hook up my existing vacuum pump?

You can run all our spin coaters either with or without vacuum (requires a mechanical chuck). For the correct operation of vacuum chucks and adapters, the vacuum supply requirements are: - 70 kPa (-21 inchHg) (relative to atmospheric pressure). Connector: ID 6mm (1/4”) – OD 8mm

What is the Thin Film Thickness Uniformity after spin coating?

Thin Film uniformity is influenced by viscosity, process temperature, rotational speed, acceleration and time.
The film thickness d corresponds directly to the rotational speed ω. Thickness , where ɑ contains photoresist specific parameters alike angular viscosity. Every vendor of a photoresist publishes curves for d vs. w (normally specified by the resist vendor at 3,000 or 4,000 rpm).   For typical photoresists and film thicknesses we achieve a uniformity of better than 5%. The speed can be set from 1-12,000 rpm, time 0.1-99999 sec/step. Vacuum can also affect film uniformity in some processes.  Vacuum can be set on or off. We offer mechanical chucks for non-vacuum applications.

Our low-cost FR-portable thickness film measurement tool is recommended for quick scan of the layer thickness.

What is the coating uniformity?

Accurate acceleration and stable RPM are critical factors for Coating Uniformity. Our digital motor speed controller, with incremental speed signal feed back, guarantees acceleration / deceleration of 1-30,000 rpm/sec and a spin speed  accuracy within 0.1 rpm, no overshoot, no stutter. With programmable clockwise and counter-clockwise rotation and puddle function, our spin coaters provide all the necessary precision for critical spincoating processes. For typical photoresists and film thicknesses we achieve a uniformity of better than 5%.

Is it easy to program a spin coating recipe?

Yes, the intuitive, color touchscreen display makes it extremely easy to program a spinner process. There is unlimited program storage for recipes of multiple steps / each. You can label your programs with icons and even store the programs on a USB-stick. When running your process recipe, the controller graphically displays the recipe progress.

How do you control an external Fluid Dispenser on a spin coater?

3 Build-in programmable relay-contacts control an external dispense unit or dispenser pump. The dispense can be programmed in the process recipe on the spinner. Connector: DSub9 female. Contact Ratings:0.5 A/125 VAC – 0.3A/60VDC. Unit can be hooked up with a standard DSub9 female connector.

Can we apply Megasonic Cleaning on a SPIN200i spin coater?

POLOS Advanced spincoater equipped with a Prosys Megpie transducer operated around 1MHz is typically used after CMP processes, for particle removal or for metal lift off processes.
(link to: YouTube)

When do you need your spin coater?

SPIN150i and SPIN200i spin coaters are usually available from stock. Call us for your required lead time!

How to spin coat thin polymer film on glass substrates with a spin coater?