https://nanyte.com/photoresists/az-1512 · last updated 2026-07-26
- Manufacturer
- Merck
- Tone
- positive
- Chemistry
- DNQ-novolak
- Thickness
- 1.4–3.9 µm
- Developer
- AZ 400K or AZ 300MIF (tank immersion); AZ 917MIF (puddle)
- Applications
- Etch mask · Electroplating / molding
Human-verified — checked against the manufacturer's datasheet by a person.
- Substrate
- Resist
- Exposed
Spin coating
Data points
| Series | rpm | µm |
|---|---|---|
| AZ 1512 | 500 | 3.9 |
| 1000 | 2.7 | |
| 1500 | 2.3 | |
| 2000 | 2.0 | |
| 2500 | 1.8 | |
| 3000 | 1.6 | |
| 3500 | 1.6 | |
| 4000 | 1.4 |
Values are the manufacturer’s starting points, not a guarantee — characterize on your own tool. Series digitized from a published figure are approximate (±10 %).
read from figure, "SPIN CURVES (150mm Wafers)", p.1 of AZ 1500 Series datasheet (Merck, Rev. (03/21)); trace identified as the magenta/pink square-marker series per the chart's own legend (AZ 1505 blue diamond / AZ 1512 magenta square / AZ 1518 red triangle / AZ 1529 green circle), read at each of the 8 plotted marker positions from 500-4000 rpm (the full plotted span; the chart's x-axis extends to 5000 rpm but no series has a point past 4000). The AZ 1512-specific resolution/DOF/exposure-latitude test figures (p.3-5) all cite FT=1.30µm, modestly below this reading's highest-rpm point (~1.45µm at 4000 rpm) — consistent with that test film having been coated slightly above this chart's plotted ceiling.
- Multi-grade chart ("SPIN CURVES (150mm Wafers)", p.1) plots AZ 1505 / AZ 1512 / AZ 1518 / AZ 1529 together with distinct markers (diamond/square/triangle/circle).
- The AZ 1512 trace (magenta/pink square) is plotted here from its 8 marker positions on that chart, 500-4000 rpm.
- The AZ 1505 and AZ 1512 traces run visually close together on the compressed 0-12µm y-axis at rpm ≥ 2000 despite differing by roughly 2x in absolute thickness there — an overlap that is easy to misread, so the two are separated by marker shape and colour against the legend rather than by proximity.
- No spin accel/dispense parameters are published.
- AZ EBR Solvent / AZ EBR 70/30 are listed as companion products for thinning/edge-bead removal (COMPANION PRODUCTS, p.2) but no edge-bead procedure or parameters are given.
- No rehydration hold is mentioned (not applicable to this thin-film series).
- Adhesion
- HMDS recommended — "Oxide forming substrates (Si, etc.) should be primed with HMDS (hexamethyl disilazane) or other suitable primer prior to coating AZ 1500.
Soft bake
- Soft bake
- 90–110 °C · hotplate
- Notes
- Series-wide range only: "Soft bake temperatures for AZ 1500 should be in the 90-110°C range.
SOURCE: SOFT BAKE, p.6 of AZ 1500 Series datasheet; test-condition caption on p.3–4.
Exposure dose
There is no nominal dose for AZ 1512 — the datasheet only shows g-line test exposures, where a 1.3 µm film resolved at 80, 90 and 100 mJ/cm², with the exposure-latitude sweep running 70 to 140 mJ/cm². Run a dose array on your own tool to land the working dose.
- Post-exposure bake
- 105–115 °C
Not published for this resist: Dose at 365 nm, Dose at 405 nm — characterize on-tool.
Development
- Developer
- AZ 400K or AZ 300MIF (tank immersion); AZ 917MIF (puddle)
- Dilution
- AZ 400K 1:4; AZ 300MIF and AZ 917MIF used as supplied (both metal-ion-free/ready-to-use)
- Time
- 60 s
- Developer family
- TMAH or buffered alkaline
Not published for this resist: Method, Rinse — characterize on-tool.
SOURCE: TYPICAL PROCESS, p.1 ("Develop: 60s Puddle or immersion…
TYPICAL PROCESS, p.1 ("Develop: 60s Puddle or immersion Developer type: MIF or IN"); DEVELOPING, p.6; developer list, COMPANION PRODUCTS, p.2.
Hard bake, etch & strip
- Hard bake
- 100–110 °C
- Etch resistance
- Datasheet claims "excellent substrate adhesion for demanding wet etch applications" (APPLICATION, p.1) but publishes no etch-rate or selectivity data.
- Stripper
- AZ 300T, AZ 400T, or AZ Kwik Strip™ (STRIPPING, p.7): "Under normal process conditions, AZ 1500 strips readily in removers designed for DNQ/novolac type photoresists." Patterns baked above 140°C may cross-link and become harder to strip.
Not published for this resist: Descum, Storage — characterize on-tool.
SOURCE: HARD BAKE, p.6 of AZ 1500 Series datasheet.
Where it's used
Practical notes from the datasheet
AZ 1512 is the ~1.3 µm-thick grade in Merck's AZ 1500 series of general-purpose positive DNQ/novolac photoresists, sharing a single four-grade product line (1505/1512/1518/1529) with a common process window. The series is compatible with both TMAH (metal-ion-free) and inorganic developers, and a puddle or immersion develop is quoted at a flat 60 s regardless of method. Resolution, depth-of-focus and exposure-latitude figures are all reported under g-line (436 nm) exposure rather than i-line, and only as multi-point sweeps (e.g. a 70–140 mJ/cm² latitude scan) rather than a single nominal dose — so no dose is published here. Soft bake, PEB and hard bake are each specified only as series-wide temperature ranges (90–110 °C, 105–115 °C, 100–110 °C) with no grade-specific values or times.
Grades in this family
Other grades in the AZ 1500 series line differ mainly in coating thickness:
Troubleshooting
Common failure modes for AZ 1512, 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 exposure dose should I use for AZ 1512?
The datasheet gives no single nominal dose — only g-line (436 nm) sweep points from test figures: resolution at 80/90/100 mJ/cm² (1.3 µm film), depth-of-focus at 90/100 mJ/cm², and exposure latitude swept 70–140 mJ/cm². Pick a working dose within that window on-tool. The series is sensitive 310–450 nm with 365–436 nm recommended.
SOURCE: AZ 1500 Series datasheet (Merck, Rev. 03/21) — resolution/DOF/exposure-latitude figures, p.3–5; EXPOSURE, p.6
How thick a film does AZ 1512 coat?
AZ 1512 is the mid-thickness grade of the AZ 1500 series. On the p.1 spin-speed chart (150 mm wafers) its trace runs from about 3.9 µm at 500 rpm down to 1.45 µm at 4,000 rpm; the resolution figures use a 1.3 µm reference film. The AZ 1505 and AZ 1512 traces sit close together above 2,000 rpm, so read them by legend marker, not proximity.
SOURCE: AZ 1500 Series datasheet (Merck, Rev. 03/21) — SPIN CURVES (150 mm Wafers), p.1
What soft bake does AZ 1512 need?
The datasheet states only a series-wide range: soft-bake temperature should be 90–110°C, the high end improving adhesion to metals, with no time given. The AZ 1512 resolution, depth-of-focus and latitude figures were run at 100°C/90 s on a hotplate — a documented test condition, not the sheet's stated typical-process value, so treat it as a starting point.
SOURCE: AZ 1500 Series datasheet (Merck, Rev. 03/21) — SOFT BAKE, p.6; test-condition captions, p.3–4
Which developer and develop time should I use for AZ 1512?
Develop for 60 s by puddle or immersion. For tank immersion the datasheet offers AZ 400K at 1:4 or AZ 300MIF; for puddle it lists AZ 917MIF. The metal-ion-free developers are used as supplied. No single developer/method pair is designated as primary, so pick to match your track.
SOURCE: AZ 1500 Series datasheet (Merck, Rev. 03/21) — TYPICAL PROCESS, p.1; DEVELOPING, p.6; COMPANION PRODUCTS, p.2
Does AZ 1512 need a post-exposure bake?
A PEB is optional. It maximizes process latitude and mitigates standing-wave effects from monochromatic exposure; when used, the temperature should be in the 105–115°C range. Both temperature and time are described as application-specific, and no time is published, so develop the PEB on-tool.
SOURCE: AZ 1500 Series datasheet (Merck, Rev. 03/21) — POST EXPOSURE BAKE, p.6
Sources & disclaimer
- Merck — AZ 1512 datasheet (Rev. (03/21)) · accessed 2026-07-10
- Libal et al.. Ice rule fragility via topological charge transfer in artificial colloidal ice. Nature Communications (2018). doi:10.1038/s41467-018-06631-1A 2.8 um AZ-1512HS layer on a glass coverslip was patterned into double-well topographic traps for colloidal-ice experiments.
- Thodkar & Gramm. Enhanced Mobility in Suspended Chemical Vapor-Deposited Graphene Field-Effect Devices in Ambient Conditions. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (2023). doi:10.1021/acsami.3c04012AZ1512 spun at 4000 rpm for 40 s served as the etch mask in two sequential lithography steps: defining the two-terminal graphene device and then suspending the graphene.
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 2026-07-26.