https://nanyte.com/photoresists/az-4562 · last updated 2026-07-26
- Manufacturer
- Merck (AZ Electronic Materials)
- Tone
- positive
- Thickness
- 5.1–8.8 µm
- Developer
- AZ 340 (AZ 400K also usable)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| AZ 4562 as supplied | 2000 | 8.8 |
| 3000 | 7.2 | |
| 4000 | 6.2 | |
| 5000 | 5.5 | |
| 6000 | 5.1 |
Values are the manufacturer’s starting points, not a guarantee — characterize on your own tool.
numeric table "FILM THICKNESS [µm] as FUNCTION of SPIN SPEED (characteristically)", p.2 of AZ 4500 Series Technical Datasheet (Merck, Rev. 03/21).
- GENERAL INFORMATION (p.1) states AZ 4562 "allows to spin coat 10 µm in a single step (2000 rpm)" — this rounded prose figure disagrees with the precise tabulated value of 8.77 µm at 2000 rpm on p.2; the tabulated value is the one plotted here, being the more precise, directly tabulated figure.
- For thicker films the datasheet describes two special techniques specific to AZ 4562: (1) reducing the common ~30-40 s spin time to only 3 s, yielding ~20 µm, but the substrate must then be left horizontal on the spinner for an additional minute to dry
- (2) multiple coating with a bake cycle in between (inter-coat bakes must not exceed 90°C or the final prebake temperature, whichever is lower), exploiting the fact that AZ 4562's high solids content (close to its dissolution limit) means the underlying coat is only minimally redissolved.
- No dispense volume or ramp/acceleration is given for either the standard or special techniques.
- Adhesion
- HMDS not required — Datasheet does not address substrate priming or HMDS for the AZ 4500 series; there is no SUBSTRATE PREPARATION section (unlike the AZ 1500 series datasheet from the same manufacturer).
Soft bake
- Soft bake
- 100 °C · 50 s · hotplate
- Notes
- Series-wide PROCESSING GUIDELINES value, not stated as AZ 4562-specific vs AZ 4533-specific — the table applies to both grades and assumes a standard single coat, not the special thick-film techniques.
SOURCE: PROCESSING GUIDELINES, p.2 ("Prebake: 100°C, 50", hotplate")…
PROCESSING GUIDELINES, p.2 ("Prebake: 100°C, 50", hotplate"); GENERAL INFORMATION, p.1 (multi-coat inter-bake constraint)
Exposure dose
AZ 4562 has no published dose; it is sensitive from 310 to 440 nm, and its lower-absorption sensitizer exists so thick coats clear at the bottom without over-dosing and crosslinking the surface. Run a dose array on your own tool to land the working dose.
Not published for this resist: Dose at 365 nm, Dose at 405 nm — characterize on-tool.
Development
- Developer
- AZ 340 (AZ 400K also usable)
- Dilution
- AZ 340 diluted 1:5 with water; no dilution stated for AZ 400K.
- Developer family
- Buffered alkaline
Not published for this resist: Time, Method, Rinse — characterize on-tool.
SOURCE: PROCESSING GUIDELINES, p.2 ("Development: AZ 340, 1:5, 30"/µm film thickness"); GENERAL INFORMATION, p.2
Hard bake, etch & strip
- Hard bake
- 115 °C · 50 s
- Stripper
- AZ 100 Remover, concentrated.1
- Storage
- Store in sealed original containers between 0°C and 25°C; brief excursions do not adversely affect properties (+27°C for 10 hours, +32°C for 6 hours, or +35°C for 5 hours).2
Not published for this resist: Descum, Etch resistance — characterize on-tool.
SOURCE: PROCESSING GUIDELINES, p.2 ("Postbake: 115°C, 50s hotplate or 60 min. oven")
Where it's used
Practical notes from the datasheet
AZ 4562 is the highest-viscosity grade in Merck's AZ 4500 series, formulated (per p.1) with a photoactive compound of "low absorption and reduced nitrogen content" so that films far thicker than the ~3 µm ceiling of standard positive resists can still be fully exposed through their depth without surface crosslinking or nitrogen-bubble lifting. Choose AZ 4562 over AZ 4533 whenever the film has to be thicker than the thinner grade's standard spin range delivers, or when only its reduced-spin-time or multi-coat routes can reach the target — for ordinary few-micron coats, AZ 4533 remains the simpler choice. It is the only grade in this datasheet with documented special coating techniques for extreme thickness: a 3 s reduced spin time (with the wafer left horizontal an extra minute to dry) for ~20 µm films, or multi-coating with inter-coat bakes capped at 90°C (or the final prebake temperature, whichever is lower) for still-thicker stacks, up to a series-wide ceiling of 50 µm. A minor internal inconsistency exists between the prose claim of '10 µm in a single step (2000 rpm)' (p.1) and the tabulated 8.77 µm at 2000 rpm (p.2) — the table value is used in the spin curve here as the more precise figure, but this is worth a human check against the source PDF. This datasheet has no dedicated APPLICATION section, does not name specific end-uses (etch mask, lift-off, plating, etc.), and does not address grayscale or 3D lithography despite being the series' thick-film flagship grade — none of those are asserted here. Develop time is a rate (30 s per µm of film thickness) rather than a fixed duration, and PEB is optional and only relevant to monochromatic exposure. No HMDS/adhesion-promotion guidance is given, unlike the AZ 1500 series datasheet from the same manufacturer.
Grades in this family
Other grades in the AZ 4500 series line differ mainly in coating thickness:
| Grade | Thickness |
|---|---|
| AZ 4533 | 2.7–4.7 µm |
| AZ 4562 (this page) | 5.1–8.8 µm |
Sources & disclaimer
- Merck (AZ Electronic Materials) — AZ 4562 datasheet (Rev. (03/21)) · accessed 2026-07-10
- PROCESSING GUIDELINES, p.2.
- HANDLING ADVISES, p.3.
- Lima et al.. Fabrication of 3D microstructures using grayscale lithography. Advanced Optical Technologies (2019). doi:10.1515/aot-2019-0023An 8 um AZ 4562 film was exposed on a Heidelberg DWL 66FS laser direct-write system using 128 grayscale levels, calibrated gray value against exposure depth, and transferred into silicon by RIE at 1:1 selectivity and into Cu and NiCo by electroplating.
- Giacomozzi et al.. Design of U-Shaped Frequency Tunable Microwave Filters in MEMS Technology. Sensors (2023). doi:10.3390/s23010466Two successive thick AZ 4562 moulds were defined over a Cr/Au seed layer for selective gold electroplating of the 1.8 um bridge layer and the 3 um coplanar-waveguide layer of an RF-MEMS tunable filter.
- Greer et al.. Step-and-Repeat Nanoimprint-, Photo- and Laser Lithography from One Customised CNC Machine. Nanoscale Research Letters (2016). doi:10.1186/s11671-016-1341-9AZ4562 was spun to 5 um and developed in 1:5 AZ400K, benchmarking mask-based photolithography against nanoimprint and laser lithography on a single custom CNC platform.
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.