| Acetone removes organic impurities from substrates and is well-suited for greasy/oily contaminations. Its high evaporation rate, however, requires a
subsequent cleaning step in e. g. isopropyl alcohol in order to avoid striations
on the substrate. Acetone is not well-suited as lift-off medium due to the
high fire danger when heated and the trend of particles to be lifted to resorb
onto the substrate.Specification of acetone
Isopropyl alcohol is well-suited for rinsing contaminated
acetone off as well as removing particles
from surfaces. Therefore, this solvent is often
used in the second substrate cleaning step after
acetone. Additionally, isopropyl alcohol is used as
additive for anisotropic Si-etching.Specification of isopropyl alcohol
Butyl acetate is – besides PGMEA – a suited
thinner for AZ® and TI photoresists due to its
high boiling point.Specification of butyl acetate
Ethyl lactate is – besides PGMEA – a suited thinner
for AZ® and TI photoresists due to its high boiling
point.Specification of ethyl lactate
Methanol can be used as a powerful solvent for contaminated
acetone in a three-step (substrate) cleaning
process (acetone ... methanol ... isopropyl alcohol). However,
due to its toxicity, its application should be carefully
considered.Specification of methanol
MEK (ethyl methyl ketone) with its low boiling point can be used as additional thinner for spray coating resists, which require a fast resist
film drying on the substrate.Specification of MEK
NMP (1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone) is a powerful lift-off medium due to its
physical properties: NMP yields a low vapour pressure (no striation formation),
strongly solves organic impurities as well as resists, keeps solved
particles in solution, and can be heated due to its
high boiling point. For the same reasons, NMP (pure
or diluted in H2O) gives a very well-suited stripper
for photoresists processed under harsh conditions.Specification of NMP
PGMEA (1-methoxy-2-propyl-acetate) is the solvent/thinner of almost
all AZ® and TI photoresists due to its low vapour pressure and its
suppression of particle formation in the (further diluted) resist. Additionally,
PGMEA is often used for edge bead removal, since its low vapor
pressure prevents further thinning of the coated resist film. The trade
name of PGMEA is AZ® EBR Solvent.Specification of PGMEA
Beside Butyl acetate and ethanol, we supply all solvents listed above in VLSI quality in 2.5 L sales units. Acetone, isopropyl alcohol, and NMP are additionally available in ULSI grade. Other sales units or purification grades on request! |
Solvents
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