https://nanyte.com/photoresists/adex · last updated 2026-09-28
- Manufacturer
- DJ MicroLaminates
- Tone
- negative
- Chemistry
- Epoxy (SU-8 type)
- Thickness
- 5–75 µm
- Developer
- Cyclohexanone
- Applications
- Microfluidics · MEMS structural · Electroplating / molding · High aspect ratio
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
Coating — dry-film lamination
ADEX is supplied as a pre-cut dry-film sheet and applied by hot-roll lamination — it is not spin-coated. Thickness is fixed per sheet, 5–75 µm, selected by sheet rather than by spin speed.
- ADEX is laminated onto the substrate with a heated roll or vacuum laminator, not spin-coated -- there is no spin curve, and thickness is fixed per sheet.
- Process guideline table (identical in both datasheets, p.1): remove the PP cover sheet by peeling at room temperature (18-25°C) on a cool surface
- laminate via hot roll or vacuum at 50-70°C @ 1 ft/min (0.3 m/min)
- remove the carrier PET by peeling at room temperature.
- No lamination pressure figure is published (SUEX's data sheets state 5-10 psi / 30-65 kPa; ADEX's do not).
- No pre-lamination substrate dehydration-bake step, no edge-bead-removal step, and no substrate-cleaning recommendation are mentioned in ADEX's data sheets (unlike SUEX and the SU-8 families).
- Adhesion
- Not addressed in ADEX's data sheets -- no adhesion-promoter recommendation, for or against, is given anywhere in either document (SUEX's data sheets state promoters are 'typically not useful').
Soft bake
- Soft bake
- Not published — characterize on-tool
- Notes
- Neither ADEX data sheet lists a bake step between lamination and exposure -- the process guideline table goes directly: remove PP cover sheet -> laminate -> remove carrier PET -> expose -> PEB -> develop -> hardbake (optional). SUEX's data sheets describe an optional 80-85°C / 5 min 'post lamination bake' for improved adhesion; no such step is mentioned anywhere in ADEX's data sheets.
SOURCE: ADEX datasheet
Process guidelines / Process guideline table, p.1 of both the undated 'DJML-ADEX-Data-Sheet.pdf' and the Rev June 2020 ADEX datasheet
Exposure dose
ADEX's dose is published per sheet thickness, not as a single number. Read the row for the sheet you laminate and run a dose array around it.
- As published
- Dose follows the sheet you laminate, measured on silicon: 90 mJ/cm² for a 5 µm sheet, 200 for 25 µm and 875 for the 75 µm sheet.
| Sheet | Dose |
|---|---|
| 5 µm | 90 mJ/cm² |
| 10 µm | 125 mJ/cm² |
| 15 µm | 150 mJ/cm² |
| 20 µm | 175 mJ/cm² |
| 25 µm | 200 mJ/cm² |
| 30 µm | 215 mJ/cm² |
| 40 µm | 250 mJ/cm² |
| 50 µm | 325 mJ/cm² |
| 75 µm | 875 mJ/cm² |
SOURCE: ADEX datasheet
'Typical process conditions' table, p.1, footnoted 'on Silicon' — identical in the undated 'DJML-ADEX-Data-Sheet.pdf' and the Rev June 2020 ADEX datasheet. One dose per standard sheet thickness; the table carries no wavelength label, so none is given here.
Development
- Developer
- Cyclohexanone
- Rinse
- IPA rinse (datasheet footnote **, both datasheets; no further detail on duration or technique is given).
- Developer family
- Solvent
Not published for this resist: Dilution, Time, Method — characterize on-tool.
SOURCE: ADEX datasheet
Process guidelines table + 'Typical process conditions' table, p.1 of both the undated 'DJML-ADEX-Data-Sheet.pdf' and the Rev June 2020 ADEX datasheet
Hard bake, etch & strip
- Hard bake
- 150–200 °C · 60–120 min
- Stripper
- Difficult to remove after cure -- the two ADEX datasheets differ slightly on the recommended method. The undated 'DJML-ADEX-Data-Sheet.pdf' states: 'Removal after cure is difficult. It is best removed with laser ablation techniques. It is only partially removed with resist strippers.' The Rev June 2020 sibling instead states: 'Removal after cure is difficult. In certain cases, films can be removed in hot NMP.' Uncured ADEX (prior to PEB / cure) can be cleaned with acetone; other, less stringent solvents may be used but may be less effective (Clean-up / Clean Up section, p.2 of both datasheets).
- Storage
- The undated 'DJML-ADEX-Data-Sheet.pdf' gives: 0°C (32°F) -> 18-24 months shelf life; 18-23°C (64-73°F) -> 12 months. The Rev June 2020 sibling gives shorter figures for the same two conditions: 0°C (32°F) -> 12 months; 18-23°C (64-73°F) -> 6 months (adding 'longer shelf-life at room temperature is expected'). Both agree: store in a dark, dry location, covered with black polyethylene when not in use to exclude UV transmission, at or below 25°C, and avoid high temperatures (risk of increased molecular weight and altered performance and stability).1
Not published for this resist: Descum, Etch resistance — characterize on-tool.
SOURCE: ADEX datasheet
Process guidelines / Process guideline table, p.1 of both the undated 'DJML-ADEX-Data-Sheet.pdf' and the Rev June 2020 ADEX datasheet
Where it's used
Practical notes from the datasheet
ADEX is DJ MicroLaminates' i-line-sensitive, chemically-amplified negative epoxy dry-film photoresist -- the same underlying dry-film-lamination chemistry family as the company's thicker SUEX product, but supplied in thinner standard sheets (5-75 µm vs. SUEX's 20 µm-1 mm) and marketed specifically for microfluidics, bio-sensor/bio-assay devices, force/load sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and CMOS-compatible permanent 3D MEMS structures, plus plating molds and copper redistribution layers in wafer-level packaging. Because it laminates via a heated roller or vacuum press rather than a spindle, its process is defined by roller temperature, speed and (for the vacuum option) chamber pressure rather than a spin curve, and its exposure dose and develop time are both published as per-sheet-thickness tables rather than single values -- treat the row matching the target sheet thickness as the starting point. ADEX is capable of >5:1 aspect-ratio structures with <5% thickness variation and can be stacked in multiple layers or thicknesses for taller features, with demonstrated good image quality up to 100 µm of combined/stacked thickness. Both datasheets agree the cured film is difficult to remove with conventional solvent-based strippers, differing only on the recommended fallback (laser ablation per the primary document; hot NMP per the June 2020 revision), so any process needing to remove ADEX after cure should test the specific removal route against the actual cure history rather than assume either figure applies unconditionally.
Troubleshooting
Common failure modes for ADEX, 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.
Air bubbles are trapped under ADEX after lamination. What went wrong?
One cause DJ MicroLaminates names is the sheet touching the substrate too early. It says not to lay the film on a warm hotplate and roll it by hand: it sticks and traps air between film and substrate, permanently. The film should not contact the substrate until it is within about 1 cm of the laminator rollers, with the top sheet held away until the roller forces it down. Use a laminator that controls temperature, line speed and pressure uniformity; the ADEX process table gives hot roll or vacuum lamination at 50-70 °C and 1 ft/min (0.3 m/min).
SOURCE: DJ MicroLaminates, "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)" for SUEX…
DJ MicroLaminates, "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)" for SUEX and ADEX (djmicrolaminates.com) — Pre-Processing: Can I laminate the sheets with a hand roller and hot plate?, Which laminator do you recommend?; Processing: lamination steps. DJ MicroLaminates, "ADEX Epoxy Thin Film Rolls/Sheets Product Data Sheet" (no revision date printed) — Process guidelines, p.1
My wafer bows after the ADEX post-exposure bake and the film starts lifting at the edge. How do I cut the stress?
The bow comes from the film shrinking during the PEB while firmly bonded to the wafer, plus the cooling rate afterwards; if the stress gets too high the film delaminates. DJ MicroLaminates reduces it with a lower PEB temperature, a PEB in an oven rather than on a hotplate, and a slow cool to below 50 °C over at least 3-5 hours, ideally overnight. For ADEX the process table offers 85 °C for 10-20 min as the cooler alternative to 95 °C for 5-10 min, and the June 2020 sheet recommends the hardbake for stress relief as well as chemical resistance.
SOURCE: DJ MicroLaminates, "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)" for SUEX…
DJ MicroLaminates, "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)" for SUEX and ADEX (djmicrolaminates.com) — Optimization: How do I eliminate wafer bow? DJ MicroLaminates, "ADEX Thin Film Rolls/Sheets Product Data Sheet", Rev June 2020 — Typical Process Procedure and Process guideline, p.1
Exposed ADEX features cracked and delaminated after the wafers sat overnight. Where can I pause the process?
Before the PEB, not after it. DJ MicroLaminates says exposed wafers can be held in a closed container for a week or more, but not once they have been post-exposure baked: the stresses in the exposed areas distort the resin in the unexposed areas, and that leads to cracking and delamination of the exposed features. If a line has to stop, stop between exposure and PEB, and develop soon after the bake.
SOURCE: DJ MicroLaminates, "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)" for SUEX…
DJ MicroLaminates, "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)" for SUEX and ADEX (djmicrolaminates.com) — Development: In-process delay: can I hold the in-process substrates after exposure or PEB?
ADEX isn't clearing fully between features. Is the develop too short?
Check it against the row for your sheet. The ADEX table gives cyclohexanone develop times by thickness: 5 min for 5 µm, 12 min for 20 µm, 20 min for 40-50 µm and 30 min for 75 µm, followed by an IPA rinse. The same table lists the resolution for each sheet, from 2 µm at 5 µm thick to 8 µm at 75 µm. DJ MicroLaminates' general develop method is face down on a stainless steel wire screen with very gentle agitation, a quick rinse with fresh developer, a second bath, then IPA.
SOURCE: DJ MicroLaminates, "ADEX Epoxy Thin Film Rolls/Sheets Product…
DJ MicroLaminates, "ADEX Epoxy Thin Film Rolls/Sheets Product Data Sheet" (no revision date printed) — Process guidelines and Typical process conditions table, p.1-2. DJ MicroLaminates, "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)" for SUEX and ADEX (djmicrolaminates.com) — Development: How should I develop, rinse and dry?
ADEX adheres poorly on gold and glass. What surface prep does DJ MicroLaminates give?
Gold is particularly poor for adhesion, and copper and glass are difficult but workable with the right pretreatment. Glass should be polished with a polishing compound and rinsed until DI water wets it evenly; copper needs a weak acid etch followed by neutralisation with 5 % NH4OH. Substrates must be free of organic contamination and metal oxides, and cleaned and dried immediately before lamination. Chemical adhesion promoters are typically not useful. Silicon and composite materials give the best adhesion.
SOURCE: DJ MicroLaminates, "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)" for SUEX…
DJ MicroLaminates, "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)" for SUEX and ADEX (djmicrolaminates.com) — Pre-Processing: Steps to be taken to prepare the substrate; Which substrates do SUEX and ADEX adhere to?
Sources & disclaimer
- DJ MicroLaminates — ADEX datasheet (No printed revision date on the document itself. This is the file currently linked from djmicrolaminates.com's Resources / 'Data Sheets / Research Papers' page as the 'ADEX Data Sheet'; the /2020/08/ upload-date path is the live, current location of that filename.) · accessed 2026-07-22
- https://djmicrolaminates.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/ADEX-Data-Sheet-June-2020.pdf — ADEX (R) Thin Film Rolls/Sheets Product Data Sheet, Rev June 2020, Copyright 2020 -- an earlier/sibling revision of the same product, not currently linked from the live site's Resources page. Used to cross-check the primary datasheet's process table (the two documents' dose / develop-time / resolution figures are identical at every thickness) and to source the explicit 'Rev June 2020' date label the primary document lacks. Minor wording/figure differences from the primary document: shelf life is longer in this revision (12/6 months vs. the primary's 18-24/12 months), its Clean Up section calls the acetone step 'prior to cure' rather than 'prior to PEB', and its removal guidance names hot NMP rather than laser ablation.
- Storage and Handling / Recommended Shelf Life / Shelf Life sections, p.2 of both datasheets.
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.