https://nanyte.com/photoresists/ar-n-4400 · last updated 2026-10-15
- Manufacturer
- Allresist
- Grades
- AR-N 4400-05 · AR-N 4400-10 · AR-N 4450-10 · AR-N 4400-25 · AR-N 4400-501
- Tone
- negative
- Chemistry
- Chemically amplified
- Thickness
- 3–100 µm
- Developer
- AR 300-47 (4400-05, 4400-10, 4450-10), AR 300-46 (4400-25, 4400-50), AR 300-44 (4400-50), AR 300-475 (4400-05)
- Applications
- 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
Spin coating
Data points
| Series | rpm | µm |
|---|---|---|
| AR-N 4400-05 | 1000 | 5.0 |
| 2000 | 3.9 | |
| 3000 | 3.0 | |
| 4000 | 2.5 | |
| 6000 | 2.2 | |
| AR-N 4400-10 / 4450-10 | 500 | 17 |
| 1000 | 11 | |
| 2000 | 7.4 | |
| 3000 | 6.0 | |
| 4000 | 5.0 | |
| 5000 | 4.5 | |
| 6000 | 4.1 | |
| 7000 | 3.7 | |
| 8000 | 2.9 | |
| AR-N 4400-25 | 500 | 54 |
| 1000 | 30 | |
| 2000 | 18 | |
| 3000 | 13 | |
| 4000 | 10 | |
| 5000 | 9.2 | |
| 6000 | 8.0 | |
| AR-N 4400-50 | 500 | 122 |
| 1000 | 63 | |
| 2000 | 34 | |
| 3000 | 24 | |
| 4000 | 19 | |
| 5000 | 15 | |
| 6000 | 13 |
Values are the manufacturer’s starting points, not a guarantee — characterize on your own tool. Series digitized from a published figure are approximate (±10 %).
AR-N 4400-05: read from figure — 'Spin curve' chart, p.54 (film thickness 0–20 µm vs spin speed 0–8000 rpm, linear axes); trace identified by the legend label 'AR-N 4400-05' beside the lower, dark-blue curve with diamond markers. Five diamond markers are plotted (1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 and 6000 rpm); the fitted line continues unmarked to 8000 rpm and that tail is not read. Marker positions read to about ±0.3 µm. The 1000 rpm marker reads 5.0 µm, matching the Properties I table's 5 µm per 1000 rpm.
AR-N 4400-10 / 4450-10: read from figure — 'Spin curve' chart, p.54 (film thickness 0–20 µm vs spin speed 0–8000 rpm, linear axes); trace identified by the legend label 'AR-N 4400-10 und 4450-10' beside the upper, green curve with triangle markers. One curve is drawn for both grades. Nine triangle markers are plotted (500 to 8000 rpm); marker positions read to about ±0.3 µm. The 1000 rpm marker reads about 10.9 µm against the Properties I table's 10 µm per 1000 rpm, and the 8000 rpm marker sits below the fitted line, which ends near 3.4 µm.
AR-N 4400-25: read from figure — 'Spin curve' chart, p.55 (film thickness 0–140 µm vs spin speed 0–8000 rpm, linear axes); trace identified by the legend label 'AR-N 4400-25' beside the lower, red curve with square markers. Seven square markers are plotted (500 to 6000 rpm); the fitted line continues unmarked to 8000 rpm and that tail is not read. Marker positions read to about ±1 µm. The 1000 rpm marker reads about 30 µm against the Properties I table's 25 µm per 1000 rpm.
AR-N 4400-50: read from figure — 'Spin curve' chart, p.55 (film thickness 0–140 µm vs spin speed 0–8000 rpm, linear axes); trace identified by the legend label 'AR-N 4400-50' beside the upper, dark-blue curve with diamond markers. Seven diamond markers are plotted (500 to 6000 rpm); the fitted line continues unmarked to 8000 rpm and that tail is not read. Marker positions read to about ±1.5 µm. The 1000 rpm marker reads about 63 µm against the Properties I table's 50 µm per 1000 rpm.
- The chart markers run above the sheet's own table: at 1000 rpm they read about 10.9 µm for 4400-10 and 4450-10 (table 10 µm), about 30 µm for 4400-25 (table 25 µm) and about 63 µm for 4400-50 (table 50 µm), while 4400-05 matches at 5 µm.
- Neither the table nor the chart states a spin time, so treat both as starting points and measure thickness on your coater.
- Coating advice on the sheet: let the bottle stand undisturbed for at least a day to lose bubbles, and degas by ultrasound or vacuum from 4400-25 upward
- dispense slowly from a low height, always the same amount (the sheet cites 100 ml for a 4-inch wafer) onto a stationary wafer
- hold 10 s at 250–400 rpm, then ramp slowly to the final speed.
- Avoid speeds above 2000 rpm with 4400-50.
- A shorter time at final speed gives a thicker film.
- For 50–150 µm, up to four coats are possible, each dried before the next, which the sheet says gives steeper edges.
- Adhesion
- The sheet lists Allresist's own adhesion promoter AR 300-80 for all grades and calls adhesion very good; it does not mention HMDS.
Soft bake
- Soft bake
- 90 °C · hotplate
- Notes
- The sheet calls this step tempering, with ±1 °C tolerance, and the time depends on the grade, which sets the film: hot plate at 90 °C for 4 min (4400-05), 10 min (4400-10 and 4450-10), 45 min (4400-25) and 90 min (4400-50). On a convection oven the same four grades take 85 °C for 30 min, 60 min, 4 h and 7 h. Ramp the temperature up and down: cooling too fast can crack the film, and long or intense drying lowers sensitivity and lengthens development. Two places disagree with that table: the resolution examples on p.54–55 list tempering at 95 °C for 10 min on a hot plate, and the handling text on p.58 names 85 °C for the hot plate and 90 °C for the oven, the reverse of the table.
SOURCE: Process conditions table, 'Tempering' row, p.56; Process parameters tables, p.54–55; handling text on thick films, p.58
Exposure dose
Doses are broadband mask-aligner values that depend on the grade: 22 mJ/cm² for 4400-05, 26 for 4400-10, 33 for 4400-25, 52 for 4400-50 and 90 for the lift-off grade 4450-10. Run a dose array on your own tool to land the working dose.
- Post-exposure bake
- 100 °C · hotplate
Not published for this resist: Dose at 365 nm, Dose at 405 nm — characterize on-tool.
Development
- Developer
- AR 300-47 (4400-05, 4400-10, 4450-10), AR 300-46 (4400-25, 4400-50), AR 300-44 (4400-50), AR 300-475 (4400-05)
- Dilution
- per grade: AR 300-47 3:2 for 4400-05 and undiluted for 4400-10; see notes
- Time
- Not published — characterize on-tool
- Method
- puddle
- Rinse
- DI water, 30 s, then dry with care
- Developer family
- TMAH-based
SOURCE: Process conditions table, 'Development' row and rinse, p.56; Development recommendations table, p.56
Hard bake, etch & strip
- Hard bake
- 120 °C · 5 min · hotplate (optional — after a 100 mJ/cm² flood exposure)
- Descum
- Not published — characterize on-tool
- Etch resistance
- Plasma etch rates (5 Pa, 240–250 V bias): argon sputtering 3 nm/min, O2 122 nm/min, CF4 31 nm/min, and 81 nm/min in 80 CF4 + 16 O2. Glass transition temperature 102 °C.
- Stripper
- AR 300-76 for low crosslink density, AR 600-71 for high crosslink density; complicated plating structures or substrates treated at high temperature need AR 600-71 or AR 600-70. O2 plasma ashing also works for thick films.
- Storage
- Six months at 10–18 °C. Flash point 42 °C.
SOURCE: Process conditions table, 'Hardening of structures up to 300 °C (optional)' row, p.56; thermal stability chart, p.57
Where it's used
Practical notes from the datasheet
AR-N 4400 is the thick-film end of Allresist's negative chemically amplified line: a novolac with a crosslinker and an amine-based acid generator in the safer solvent PGMEA, sensitive to i-line, g-line, broadband UV, e-beam, X-ray and synchrotron. The five grades step up in solids (33, 45, 45, 52, 58 %) and in thickness per 1000 rpm (5, 10, 10, 25, 50 µm per the table). Resolution drops as the film grows: 1.0 µm for 4400-05, 2.0 µm for 4400-10, 3.5 µm for 4450-10 and 4400-25, and 5.0 µm for 4400-50, with contrast of 4.0, 4.0, 10, 5.0 and 6.0. The sheet shows 3 µm features in a 15 µm film (4400-10) and 5 µm trenches in a 40 µm film (4400-25), and 1.0 µm bars at 5 µm film for 4400-05. 4450-10 is the lift-off grade, developed longer at minimum dose to open an undercut. The text states thicknesses that do not line up: 4400-05 and 4400-10 are for films up to 10 and 20 µm and 4400-25 for 'up to 50 µm', while the development table lists 4400-25 at 13–25 µm and the sheet shows a 30 µm 4400-25 film. Dose and bake times depend on the grade. The crosslinking bake is critical: the 4400-05 charts show the clearing time climbing steeply with bake temperature, so hold the hot plate within its ±1 °C.
Troubleshooting
Common failure modes for AR-N 4400, 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.
How do I avoid bubbles when coating AR-N 4400-25 or 4400-50?
Leave the bottle undisturbed for at least a day, and from 4400-25 upward degas it with ultrasound or vacuum. Dispense slowly from a low height onto a stationary wafer, using the same volume each time, then hold 10 s at 250–400 rpm before ramping slowly to the final speed. For 4400-50 keep the final speed at or below 2000 rpm. The sheet does not give a dispense volume other than 100 ml for a 4-inch wafer.
SOURCE: Processing instructions for the handling of thick films (Allresist AR-N 4400, as of January 2014) — Coating, p.58
My thick AR-N 4400 film cracks after the soft bake. What does the sheet advise?
It says cooling too fast can cause tension cracks and recommends temperature ramps, both up and down. Drying times scale with thickness (hot plate 10 min at 10 µm, 45 min at 25 µm, 90 min at 50 µm), and long, intense drying lowers sensitivity and lengthens development, so use the grade's time rather than extending it.
SOURCE: Processing instructions for the handling of thick films (Allresist AR-N 4400, as of January 2014) — Tempering, p.58
AR-N 4400 will not develop after exposure. What should I check?
Check the crosslinking bake first. The sheet says a higher bake temperature slows development, and for 4400-05 the clearing time rises steeply with it; above 130 °C no development is possible even in AR 300-44. Keep the bake in the 85–105 °C range, within ±1 °C. A weaker developer for longer gives better image quality, but a developer that is too weak for the thickness will not clear it, which is why 4400-50 is developed in AR 300-44 for 18 min.
SOURCE: Process conditions, p.56; handling text (Crosslinking…
Process conditions, p.56; handling text (Crosslinking, Development), p.58; 4400-05 development-time chart, p.57 (Allresist AR-N 4400, as of January 2014)
Sources & disclaimer
- Allresist — AR-N 4400 datasheet ('As of January 2014' on every page (catalogue pages 54–59)) · accessed 2026-10-15
- https://www.allresist.com/portfolio-item/developer-ar-300-47/ — Allresist's own product page for developer AR 300-47: gives its main component as TMAH and its metal-ion content as under 0.1 ppm. Basis for the TMAH family key, together with the equivalent AR 300-44 and AR 300-475 pages, which are the other developers this sheet names.
- https://www.allresist.com/portfolio-item/developer-ar-300-44/ — Allresist's own product page for developer AR 300-44: gives its main component as TMAH and its metal-ion content as under 0.1 ppm. AR 300-46, also named on the sheet, has no entry here because its base chemistry is not stated in this document.
- Allresist 'Negative Photoresists AR-N 4400 (CAR 44)' product information, 'Properties I' tables: columns 4400-05, 4400-10 and 4450-10 on p.54, and 4400-25 and 4400-50 on p.55 (catalogue page numbers, as of January 2014).
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 2026-10-15.