https://nanyte.com/photoresists/az-p4110 · last updated 2026-09-28
- Manufacturer
- Merck KGaA (AZ Electronic Materials)
- Tone
- positive
- Chemistry
- DNQ-novolak
- Thickness
- 1–3 µm
- Developer
- AZ 400K at 1:4, or at 1:3 / AZ 421K (unbuffered) for films above 12 µm; AZ Developer 1:1 where aluminium must not be etched; AZ 340 is also listed
- Applications
- Electroplating / molding · Etch mask
Cross-checked — the spin curve (where published) and the single-value figures were read twice, independently, from the datasheet, with any disagreement settled against it.
- Substrate
- Resist
- Exposed
Spin coating
Data points
| Series | rpm | µm | Published dose |
|---|---|---|---|
| AZ P4110 | 1000 | 2.7 | — |
| 1500 | 2.3 | — | |
| 2000 | 2.0 | — | |
| 2500 | 1.8 | — | |
| 3000 | 1.6 | — | |
| 3500 | 1.5 | 90 mJ/cm² · 1.5 µm row · Suss MA-200 mask aligner within 10 % of a bracket edge | |
| 4000 | 1.3 | — | |
| 4500 | 1.2 | — | |
| 5000 | 1.1 | — |
Values are the manufacturer’s starting points, not a guarantee — characterize on your own tool. Series digitized from a published figure are approximate (±10 %).
Published dose is the datasheet’s own thickness bracket, quoted as printed — the full table and its citation are in the exposure section. A thickness the table does not cover shows nothing, and a thickness within 10 % of a bracket edge shows every bracket it could fall in.
read from figure — the red cross markers legended 'P4110' on the 'Typical spin curves (150mm substrate)' chart, p.2 of the AZ P4000 Series technical datasheet, Rev. (08/21). Nine plotted markers at 500 rpm steps from 1000 to 5000 rpm; no numeric table accompanies the chart. Each point is read against the chart's 1 µm gridlines; treat each value as a figure read of about ±5 %.
- The curve runs from about 2.7 µm at 1000 rpm to 1.1 µm at 5000 rpm, so the grade's rated 1.0-3.0 µm range is almost exactly the span of a normal spin window, with 2.0 µm landing near 2000 rpm.
- The chart is for a 150 mm substrate.
- The sheet notes that films up to 8.0 µm, depending on wafer size, can be spun to equilibrium from these curves, and that single films above 7.0 µm are not spun to equilibrium — thicker coats come from timed spread-and-spin programs or multiple coats.
- No dispense volume or acceleration is published for spins inside this range; the only coating sequence given is for films above 20 µm.
- Adhesion
- HMDS recommended — 'Substrates must be clean, dry, and free of organic residues. Oxide forming substrates (Si, etc.) should be HMDS primed prior to coating AZ P4000' (Substrate preparation, p.6). A soft bake towards 115 °C also improves adhesion to most metals.
Soft bake
- Soft bake
- 95–115 °C
- Notes
- No time is published for this grade. The process-considerations page gives 95-115 °C and calls bake conditions application specific; the typical-process box on p.1 prints the window as 90-115 °C, so the two pages differ by 5 °C at the low end, and the narrower one is carried. Temperatures towards 115 °C improve adhesion to most metals, and thicker films may need a ramped bake to stop solvent outgassing from raising bubbles.
SOURCE: Soft bake section, p.6, and typical process box, p.1, of the AZ P4000 Series technical datasheet, Rev. (08/21)
Exposure dose
AZ P4110's dose is published against film thickness, not as a single number. Read the row for the film you coat and run a dose array around it.
- As published
- No dose is given for AZ P4110 by name. The series table gives approximate Suss MA-200 aligner doses by film thickness: 90 mJ/cm² at 1.5 µm, 135 mJ/cm² at 3.5 µm and 800 mJ/cm² at 12 µm.
| Film thickness | Dose |
|---|---|
| 1.5 µm | 90 mJ/cm² |
| 3.5 µm | 135 mJ/cm² |
| 12 µm | 800 mJ/cm² |
SOURCE: 'Approximate exposure dose requirement vs. film thickness…
'Approximate exposure dose requirement vs. film thickness (Suss MA-200)' table, p.5 of the AZ P4000 Series technical datasheet, Rev. (08/21): 1.5 µm 90 mJ/cm², 3.5 µm 135 mJ/cm², 12 µm 800 mJ/cm². The table is published for the P4000 series as a whole, indexed by film thickness rather than by grade.
Development
- Developer
- AZ 400K at 1:4, or at 1:3 / AZ 421K (unbuffered) for films above 12 µm; AZ Developer 1:1 where aluminium must not be etched; AZ 340 is also listed
- Dilution
- AZ 400K 1:4 for better selectivity on thinner films, 1:3 for films above 12 µm; AZ Developer 1:1
- Method
- spray or immersion
- Developer family
- Buffered alkaline
Not published for this resist: Time, Rinse — characterize on-tool.
SOURCE: Developing section, p.6, and companion products, p.1, of the AZ P4000 Series technical datasheet, Rev. (08/21)
Hard bake, etch & strip
- Hard bake
- 100–110 °C
- Etch resistance
- 'Excellent substrate adhesion for wet etch applications' (p.1); a 100-110 °C hard bake 'improves adhesion in wet etch or plating applications and improves pattern stability in dry etch processes' (p.6).
- Stripper
- AZ 300T, AZ 400T or AZ Kwik Strip (companion products, p.1).
Not published for this resist: Descum, Storage — characterize on-tool.
SOURCE: Hard bake section, p.6, and dielectric insulator table, p.5, of the AZ P4000 Series technical datasheet, Rev. (08/21)
Where it's used
Practical notes from the datasheet
AZ P4110 is the low-viscosity end of the P4000 series (18 cSt at 23 °C), a general-purpose positive resist whose photoactive compound is engineered not to poison plating solutions and to extend plating bath life. At 1-3 µm it is the thinnest grade for plating and wet-etch masks. At these thicknesses the sheet requires no rehydration hold, and its approximate aligner dose for a 1.5 µm film is 90 mJ/cm². Soft bake in the 95-115 °C window, leaning high when adhesion to metal matters; develop in AZ 400K 1:4, which the sheet recommends for thinner films because it is more selective. A post-exposure bake is not generally needed, though 100-115 °C can widen process latitude and reduce standing waves under monochromatic exposure.
Grades in this family
Other grades in the AZ P4000 Series line differ mainly in coating thickness:
| Grade | Thickness |
|---|---|
| AZ P4110 (this page) | 1–3 µm |
| AZ P4210 | 2–4 µm |
| AZ P4330-RS | 3–5 µm |
| AZ P4400 | 4–6 µm |
| AZ P4620 | 6–20 µm |
| AZ P4903 | 10–30 µm |
Troubleshooting
Common failure modes for AZ P4110, answered from the manufacturer's datasheet and application notes. These are starting points — your substrate, tooling and environment shift the specifics, so calibrate on-tool.
What dose should AZ P4110 start from — the 600–850 mJ/cm² in the reference process looks far too high?
It is. That reference process is a 12 µm AZ P4620 film. The datasheet's approximate dose-versus-thickness table for a Suss MA-200 aligner gives 90 mJ/cm² at 1.5 µm, which sits inside AZ P4110's 1.0–3.0 µm range; the next row, 135 mJ/cm² at 3.5 µm, is already thicker than this grade. At these thicknesses much of the light reaches the substrate, so MicroChemicals notes the dose also shifts with substrate reflectivity — re-check it on metal, ITO or glass.
SOURCE: AZ P4000 Series Technical datasheet (Merck, Rev. 08/21) —…
AZ P4000 Series Technical datasheet (Merck, Rev. 08/21) — Approximate Exposure Dose Requirement vs Film Thickness (Suss MA-200), p.5; Reference Process (12 µm AZ P4620), p.3; Thickness Grades, p.1. MicroChemicals 'Photolithography Trouble Shooter' application note — Changed Substrate Reflectivity?, p.9
AZ P4110 lifts off during HF or BOE etching — how do I keep it down?
HF diffuses into the resist and can peel it over large areas, either during the etch or after the rinse, as the film swells. MicroChemicals' work-arounds are a thicker film as a barrier — AZ P4110 is the thinnest grade in the series, reaching about 2.7 µm at 1000 rpm on its spin curve — and buffered HF (BOE) in place of straight HF. From the datasheet: HMDS-prime oxide surfaces and hard bake at 100–110 °C, which improves wet-etch adhesion. (Its advice to bake toward the top of the 95–115 °C soft-bake range is stated for adhesion to metals, not oxide.)
SOURCE: MicroChemicals 'Photolithography Trouble Shooter' application…
MicroChemicals 'Photolithography Trouble Shooter' application note — Using HF-Containing Etchants?, p.11. AZ P4000 Series Technical datasheet (Merck, Rev. 08/21) — Typical Spin Curves, p.2; Substrate Preparation, Soft Bake and Hard Bake, p.6
Does AZ P4110 need the 30–60 minute rehydration hold?
Not as a formal step. The datasheet requires a hold only for P4000 films thicker than 4.0 µm, beyond AZ P4110's 1.0–3.0 µm range. The film still needs some water back after the soft bake: MicroChemicals puts rehydration at about 1 min for a 1 µm film, rising with thickness, and notes development rate drops significantly below about 40 % relative humidity. A slow develop on a dry day can point at the room rather than the dose.
SOURCE: AZ P4000 Series Technical datasheet (Merck, Rev. 08/21) —…
AZ P4000 Series Technical datasheet (Merck, Rev. 08/21) — Typical Process, p.1; Film Rehydration, p.6. MicroChemicals 'Photolithography Trouble Shooter' application note — Development: Insufficient Development Rate (Sufficient Rehydration?), p.6
Unexposed AZ P4110 thins in the developer — which developer and dilution keep the dark loss down?
Use AZ 400K at 1:4, which the datasheet says gives improved developer selectivity for thinner films; it recommends the stronger 1:3 mix and the unbuffered AZ 421K for films above 12 µm. AZ Developer 1:1 is the option where aluminium must not be etched. MicroChemicals adds that dark erosion grows faster than development rate as concentration rises, and that an under-baked film erodes faster, so check the soft bake is within 95–115 °C.
SOURCE: AZ P4000 Series Technical datasheet (Merck, Rev. 08/21) —…
AZ P4000 Series Technical datasheet (Merck, Rev. 08/21) — Developing and Soft Bake, p.6. MicroChemicals 'Photolithography Trouble Shooter' application note — Development: Dark Erosion Too High, p.9–10
Sources & disclaimer
- Merck KGaA (AZ Electronic Materials) — AZ P4110 datasheet (Rev. (08/21)) · accessed 2026-09-10
- https://www.microchemicals.com/dokumente/datenblaetter/tds/merck/en/tds_az_p4620_photoresist.pdf — AZ P4620 Photoresist Data Package, 'Thick Photoresist Product Summary' (p.3): the table lists the 'P4000 Series' row with Platform 'DNQ' — the basis for classifying AZ P4110 as dnq-novolak.
Manufacturer datasheet values are starting points; optimal parameters depend on your substrate, equipment and environment. Product names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. NANYTE is not affiliated with the manufacturers listed. Last updated 2026-09-28.