https://nanyte.com/photoresists/az-10xt · last updated 2026-09-28
- Manufacturer
- Merck
- Tone
- positive
- Chemistry
- DNQ-novolak
- Thickness
- 4–20 µm
- Exposure dose
- 380 mJ/cm² at 365 nm
- Developer
- AZ 400K
- Applications
- Electroplating / molding · Etch mask
Cross-checked — two independent extractions agree on the spin curve and the single-value figures.
- Substrate
- Resist
- Exposed
Spin coating
Data points
| Series | rpm | µm | Published dose |
|---|---|---|---|
| AZ 10XT 520cP | 1000 | 14 | — |
| 1500 | 12 | — | |
| 2000 | 10 | — | |
| 2500 | 9.0 | — | |
| 3000 | 7.8 | — | |
| AZ 10XT 220cP | 1000 | 9.8 | — |
| 1500 | 7.7 | — | |
| 2000 | 6.6 | — | |
| 2500 | 5.9 | — | |
| 3000 | 5.3 | — | |
| AZ 10XT 100cP | 1000 | 6.7 | — |
| 1500 | 5.6 | — | |
| 2000 | 5.0 | — | |
| 2500 | 4.4 | — | |
| 3000 | 4.0 | — |
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.
AZ 10XT 520cP: read from figure, "SPIN CURVES (200MM SILICON)", p.1 of AZ 10XT Series Technical datasheet (Rev. 03/21) — one of three viscosity-grade curves on the same chart, identified by its red 520cP legend entry
AZ 10XT 220cP: read from figure, "SPIN CURVES (200MM SILICON)", p.1 of AZ 10XT Series Technical datasheet (Rev. 03/21) — identified by its blue 220cP legend entry; consistent with the '220cps, 6µm thick film' reference process on p.3-4 and p.6-7 of the same datasheet
AZ 10XT 100cP: read from figure, "SPIN CURVES (200MM SILICON)", p.1 of AZ 10XT Series Technical datasheet (Rev. 03/21) — identified by its green 100cP legend entry
- Spin curves cover 1000-3000 rpm on 200 mm silicon for three viscosity grades (520 cP, 220 cP, 100 cP), each a single, unambiguously legended line on one chart (not a multi-SKU chart, so no grade-identification ambiguity) — values above are read from the figure, not a published numeric table, so treat each as an estimate read from the chart.
- Coating note (p.12): the spin-curve graphs assume coating to equilibrium
- thicker coats can be produced off-curve by shortening spin time and letting the film 'self level', which this document does not quantify.
- No dispense volume, spin ramp, or edge-bead detail is published anywhere in this datasheet.
- Adhesion
- HMDS recommended — Oxide-forming substrates (e.g. Si) should be HMDS primed prior to coating AZ 10XT (PROCESS CONSIDERATIONS > SUBSTRATE PREPARATION, p.12).
- Rehydration
- A rehydration delay of 30-60 minutes between soft bake and exposure is required for films thicker than 5.0 µm; delay time varies with film thickness and ambient humidity. The front-page process summary lists a 30-minute rehydration hold as the typical value, and the 6 µm and 12 µm reference processes each specify a 30-minute 'Post Bake Delay'; the 24 µm double-coat reference process uses a 45-minute delay.1
Soft bake
- Soft bake
- 110 °C (95–110 °C) · 2 min · hotplate
- Rehydrate
- 30–60 min (films over 5 µm)
- Notes
- This is the reference 6 µm-film softbake, repeated identically across all four 6 µm reference processes (dense lines and holes, on Si and on Cu; p.3, p.4, p.6, p.7). The datasheet states soft bake time is 'film thickness dependent' (p.1) and that AZ 10XT soft bake temperature should generally be in the 95-110°C range (p.12, PROCESS CONSIDERATIONS > SOFT BAKE), with ramped temperatures possibly needed for very thick films to avoid solvent-outgassing bubbles. Other documented thicknesses use different bakes: 12 µm at 110°C/180 s (p.9); a 24 µm double coat at 110°C/80 s (first layer) then 115°C/180 s (second layer) (p.10).
SOURCE: Reference Process tables, p.3-4 and p.6-7 of AZ 10XT Series Technical datasheet (Rev. 03/21) (6 µm film on Si/Cu)
SOURCE: FILM REHYDRATION, p.12: "A rehydration delay of 30-60 minutes…
FILM REHYDRATION, p.12: "A rehydration delay of 30-60 minutes between soft bake and exposure is required for films >5.0µm thick."
Exposure dose
The manufacturer publishes 380 mJ/cm² at 365 nm. Dose scales with film thickness and depends on your optics, so treat it as a starting point and run a dose array.
- Dose at 365 nm
- 380 mJ/cm²
- Dose at 405 nm
- Not published — characterize on-tool
- As published
- 380 mJ/cm² i-line is the datasheet's 6 µm-on-silicon figure; the same film on copper needs more, and a 24 µm double coat took 1785 and 1875 mJ/cm² on two g-h-line tools.
SOURCE: Reference Process tables, p.3-4 of AZ 10XT Series Technical datasheet (Rev. 03/21)
| Film thickness | Dose |
|---|---|
| 6 µm | 455 mJ/cm² |
SOURCE: REFERENCE PROCESS (DENSE LINES IN 6µM FILM THICKNESS ON CU)…
REFERENCE PROCESS (DENSE LINES IN 6µM FILM THICKNESS ON CU), p.6 of AZ 10XT Series Technical datasheet (Rev. 03/21): "i-line @ 455mJ/cm2 nominal (0.48NA)". i-line is the 365 nm mercury line.
| Film thickness | Dose |
|---|---|
| 6 µm | 445 mJ/cm² |
SOURCE: REFERENCE PROCESS (HOLES IN 6.0µM FILM THICKNESS ON CU), p.7…
REFERENCE PROCESS (HOLES IN 6.0µM FILM THICKNESS ON CU), p.7 of AZ 10XT Series Technical datasheet (Rev. 03/21): "i-line @ 445mJ/cm2 nominal (0.48NA)". i-line is the 365 nm mercury line.
Development
- Developer
- AZ 400K
- Dilution
- 1:4
- Time
- 7 min
- Method
- immersion
- Rinse
- Not published — characterize on-tool
- Developer family
- TMAH or buffered alkaline
SOURCE: Reference Process tables (dense lines / holes, 6 µm film, Si…
Reference Process tables (dense lines / holes, 6 µm film, Si and Cu), p.3-4 and p.6-7 of AZ 10XT Series Technical datasheet (Rev. 03/21)
Hard bake, etch & strip
- Hard bake
- 90–100 °C
- Stripper
- AZ Kwik Strip, AZ 300T, or AZ 400T (solvent-based removers), per PROCESS CONSIDERATIONS > STRIPPING, p.12 of AZ 10XT Series Technical datasheet
Not published for this resist: Descum, Etch resistance, Storage — characterize on-tool.
SOURCE: PROCESS CONSIDERATIONS > HARD BAKE, p.12 of AZ 10XT Series Technical datasheet (Rev. 03/21)
Where it's used
Practical notes from the datasheet
AZ 10XT is a thick positive-tone plating resist pitched by the vendor as an upgrade over conventional thick DNQ resists in sidewall profile, aspect ratio and photospeed. Like other thick DNQ-class positive resists it needs a rehydration wait — 30-60 minutes between soft bake and exposure for any film over 5 µm — before it develops reliably; skipping it is a common source of process trouble on thick coats, and the wait grows to 45 minutes for the datasheet's 24 µm double-coat process. Post-expose bake is explicitly optional and every reference process in this datasheet runs with none, consistent with a non-chemically-amplified resist. It develops in either TMAH (AZ 300MIF/AZ 435MIF) or a buffered alkaline developer (AZ 400K, used in most of the reference processes here) — the datasheet does not name one as preferred. HMDS priming is called out explicitly for oxide-forming substrates such as silicon. Exposure dose and softbake time both scale sharply with target film thickness and substrate: at the same 6 µm film thickness the i-line nominal rises from 380 mJ/cm² on silicon to 445-455 mJ/cm² on copper, so confirm the working dose on your own tool. A first-time user should follow the specific reference-process table for their target thickness and substrate rather than a single rule of thumb.
Troubleshooting
Common failure modes for AZ 10XT, 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.
My 12 µm AZ 10XT film clears at the top but stalls near the substrate — what did I skip?
Most likely the rehydration hold. The datasheet makes a 30–60 min delay between soft bake and exposure a requirement for films over 5.0 µm, and says the time needed varies with film thickness and ambient humidity. Its own reference runs hold 30 min at 6 and 12 µm and 45 min for the 2 × 12 µm double coat. MicroChemicals adds that development rate drops significantly below about 40 % relative humidity, so keep the room at a steady 40–50 %.
SOURCE: AZ 10XT Series Technical datasheet (Merck, Rev. 03/21) — Film…
AZ 10XT Series Technical datasheet (Merck, Rev. 03/21) — Film Rehydration, p.12; Reference Process tables, p.3–10. MicroChemicals 'Photolithography Trouble Shooter' application note — Development: Insufficient Development Rate (Sufficient Rehydration?), p.6
Why are there bubbles in my thick AZ 10XT coat right after soft bake?
Solvent is leaving faster than the film can let it out. For very thick films the datasheet says ramped soft-bake temperatures may be required to avoid bubbles from rapid solvent outgassing, and it keeps soft bake in the 95–110 °C range with time depending on thickness. The reference processes use 110 °C for 120 s at 6 µm and 180 s at 12 µm on a direct-contact hotplate. Ramp the plate up rather than dropping a 20 µm coat straight onto 110 °C.
SOURCE: AZ 10XT Series Technical datasheet (Merck, Rev. 03/21) — Soft…
AZ 10XT Series Technical datasheet (Merck, Rev. 03/21) — Soft Bake, p.12; Typical Process footnote, p.1; Reference Process tables, p.3 and p.9
My AZ 10XT plating mold rounded over during hard bake — what temperature is safe?
Stay at 90–100 °C, the hard-bake window the datasheet gives for minimal thermal distortion. Its thermal-flow SEMs of a large pad and a 10 µm line show the edges starting to bow at 100 °C and the line reflowing into a dome at 110 °C — the same temperature as the soft bake, so a developed pattern cannot take it. The hard bake is still worth doing: it improves adhesion in wet etch and plating and pattern stability in dry etch, provided it stays at or below 100 °C.
SOURCE: AZ 10XT Series Technical datasheet (Merck, Rev. 03/21) — Hard…
AZ 10XT Series Technical datasheet (Merck, Rev. 03/21) — Hard Bake, p.12; Thermal Flow Characteristics (large pad and 10 µm line), p.11
I moved AZ 10XT from silicon to a copper seed and features stopped clearing at my dose — why?
Copper needs more dose. In the 6 µm reference processes (i-line, 0.48 NA, 110 °C / 120 s soft bake, 30 min hold, AZ 400K 1:4 immersion for 420 s) the nominal dose is 380 mJ/cm² on silicon but 455 mJ/cm² for dense lines and 445 mJ/cm² for holes on copper. Benchmark the dose again on the new substrate rather than carrying the silicon number over. On oxide-forming substrates such as Si, HMDS-prime before coating; every substrate must be clean, dry and free of organic residue.
SOURCE: AZ 10XT Series Technical datasheet (Merck, Rev. 03/21) —…
AZ 10XT Series Technical datasheet (Merck, Rev. 03/21) — Reference Process tables (6 µm on Si, p.3–4; 6 µm on Cu, p.6–7); Substrate Preparation, p.12
Can I use a stronger developer to speed up a slow AZ 10XT develop?
You can, at a cost. The datasheet recommends AZ 435MIF or AZ 400K at 1:3 or 1:4, and warns that higher-normality (less dilute) developer improves photospeed but may increase CD non-uniformity and dark film loss. The 6 µm reference processes use AZ 400K 1:4 for 420 s immersion; the 12 µm process 260 s spray. Rule out a short rehydration hold and underexposure first: in a thick film too little dose lets development run normally to some depth and then almost stop.
SOURCE: AZ 10XT Series Technical datasheet (Merck, Rev. 03/21) —…
AZ 10XT Series Technical datasheet (Merck, Rev. 03/21) — Developing, p.12; Reference Process tables, p.3 and p.9. MicroChemicals 'Photolithography Trouble Shooter' application note — Sufficient Exposure Dose (Thick Resist Films), p.7
Sources & disclaimer
- Merck — AZ 10XT datasheet (Rev. (03/21)) · accessed 2026-07-10
- FILM REHYDRATION, p.12, and TYPICAL PROCESS (p.1) / Reference Process tables (p.3-4, p.6-7, p.9-10) of AZ 10XT Series Technical datasheet (Rev. 03/21)
- Schermer et al.. High-resolution projection lithography for MEMS-applications using thick photoresist AZ 10XT. 2022 Smart Systems Integration (SSI) (2022). doi:10.1109/SSI56489.2022.9901437Thick AZ 10XT under projection (stepper) lithography for MEMS etch masks
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.