https://nanyte.com/photoresists/az-eci-3012 · last updated 2026-07-26
- Manufacturer
- Merck
- Tone
- positive
- Chemistry
- DNQ-novolak
- Thickness
- 1.1–1.9 µm
- Exposure dose
- 220 mJ/cm² at 436 nm
- Developer
- AZ 300MIF
- Applications
- Etch mask · Electroplating / molding
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 ECI 3012 | 1500 | 1.9 |
| 2000 | 1.6 | |
| 3000 | 1.3 | |
| 4000 | 1.1 | |
| 5000 | 1.1 |
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 ECI 3000 Series datasheet — legend-labeled "ECI 3012" (red/pink circle marker), clearly separated (~2x factor) from the ECI 3007 and ECI 3027 traces across the full 1500-5000 rpm plotted range.
- Multi-grade chart plots ECI 3007 / ECI 3012 / ECI 3027 together (legend, distinct colors, p.1); unlike some other multi-grade AZ charts, the three traces stay well-separated (roughly 2x factor between adjacent grades) across the whole 1500-5000 rpm range, so the ECI 3012 trace could be identified with reasonable confidence — but the reading is still a visual estimate from a plotted curve, not a printed numeric table, and no point is extrapolated past the 1500-5000 rpm plotted range.
- No spin accel/dispense parameters, no edge-bead removal procedure, and no rehydration hold are published for this grade; AZ EBR Solvent/AZ EBR 70/30 are listed only as companion thinning/edge-bead products (COMPANION PRODUCTS, p.2) with no protocol given.
- Rehydration is not applicable — this is a thin film (<2 µm), not a thick-DNQ resist.
- Adhesion
- HMDS recommended — "Oxide forming substrates (Si, etc.) should be primed with HMDS (hexamethyl disilazane) or other suitable primer prior to coating AZ ECI 3000." (SUBSTRATE PREPARATION, p.10).
Soft bake
- Soft bake
- 90 °C · 1.5 min · hotplate
- Notes
- Both grade-specific reference processes agree: "Soft Bake: 90°C, 90 seconds, proximity hotplate" — used for the i-line reference process (p.3) and repeated verbatim for the g-line reference process (p.5).
SOURCE: REFERENCE PROCESS tables, p.3 and p.5 of AZ ECI 3000 Series datasheet.
Exposure dose
The manufacturer publishes 220 mJ/cm² at 436 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 436 nm (g-line)
- 220 mJ/cm²
- As published
- 220 mJ/cm² is the g-line nominal.
- Post-exposure bake
- 110 °C
Not published for this resist: Dose at 365 nm, Dose at 405 nm — characterize on-tool.
SOURCE: REFERENCE PROCESS (Dense lines and holes in AZ ECI 3012…
REFERENCE PROCESS (Dense lines and holes in AZ ECI 3012 Photoresist), p.3; REFERENCE PROCESS (Dense lines in AZ ECI 3012 Photoresist, g-line exposure), p.5 of AZ ECI 3000 Series datasheet.
Development
- Developer
- AZ 300MIF
- Dilution
- used as supplied (ready-to-use MIF developer)
- Time
- 60 s
- Method
- puddle
- Rinse
- Not published — characterize on-tool
- Developer family
- TMAH or buffered alkaline
SOURCE: REFERENCE PROCESS tables, p.3, p.5, p.7 and WET ETCH ADHESION CHARACTERISTICS, p.8 of AZ ECI 3000 Series datasheet.
Hard bake, etch & strip
- Hard bake
- 100–115 °C
- Etch resistance
- Wet-etch adhesion data (p.8) shows AZ ECI 3012 surviving a 70s FeCl3/HCl ITO etch at 45°C (200nm ITO film) and a 6-minute thermal-oxide etch at 22°C, with acceptable pattern retention in the accompanying SEM cross-sections (8.0µm/6.0µm lines post-ITO-etch; 100µm pad edge and 7.0µm lines post-oxide-etch).
- Stripper
- AZ 100 Remover, AZ 300T, AZ 400T, or AZ Kwik Strip™ (STRIPPING, p.10): "AZ ECI 3000 strips readily in removers designed for DNQ/novolac type photoresists." Patterns baked above 140°C may cross-link and become harder to remove.
Not published for this resist: Descum, Storage — characterize on-tool.
SOURCE: HARD BAKE, p.10 of AZ ECI 3000 Series datasheet.
Where it's used
Practical notes from the datasheet
AZ ECI 3012 is the middle grade in Merck's AZ ECI 3000 cross-over series and the best-documented grade in this datasheet, with dedicated i-line (110/136 mJ/cm² nominal for dense lines/holes respectively) and g-line (220 mJ/cm² nominal) reference processes, PROLITH Dill and development-rate parameters, and demonstrated wet-etch adhesion on ITO (FeCl3/HCl, 70s) and thermal oxide (6 min). Its two documented PEB conditions differ by exposure wavelength (60s on a direct-contact hotplate for i-line vs. 90s on a proximity hotplate for g-line, both at 110°C), so the two are not interchangeable — pick the pairing matching the intended exposure tool. The i-line reference dose is itself split between two feature targets (110 mJ/cm² for lines, 136 mJ/cm² for holes) rather than one nominal number. Like the rest of the series it is a DNQ/novolac positive resist compatible with both TMAH (MIF, AZ 300MIF used throughout every reference process for this grade) and inorganic developers, stripping in standard DNQ/novolac removers.
Grades in this family
Other grades in the AZ ECI 3000 series line differ mainly in coating thickness:
| Grade | Thickness | Exposure dose |
|---|---|---|
| AZ ECI 3007 | 0.6–1.1 µm | — |
| AZ ECI 3012 (this page) | 1.1–1.9 µm | 220 mJ/cm² @ 436 nm |
| AZ ECI 3027 | 2.4–4.4 µm | 262 mJ/cm² @ 365 nm |
Troubleshooting
Common failure modes for AZ ECI 3012, 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 does AZ ECI 3012 need at i-line versus g-line?
The i-line reference process gives a 110–136 mJ/cm² nominal window on a 0.54 NA Nikon stepper — 110 mJ/cm² for dense lines and 136 mJ/cm² for dense holes — so there is no single i-line number; pick the value matching your feature type. The g-line reference process gives one unambiguous nominal, 220 mJ/cm². No h-line (405 nm) dose is published anywhere in the document.
SOURCE: Merck AZ ECI 3000 Series datasheet (Rev. 03/21) — Reference Process tables, p.3 and p.5
Why does AZ ECI 3012's PEB differ between i-line and g-line exposure?
Both grade-specific reference processes run PEB at 110°C but differ in time and hotplate type by exposure wavelength: the i-line process uses 60 s on a direct-contact hotplate, the g-line process 90 s on a proximity hotplate. The datasheet leaves PEB time unmerged for exactly this reason — use the pairing that matches your intended exposure tool rather than averaging the two.
SOURCE: Merck AZ ECI 3000 Series datasheet (Rev. 03/21) — Reference Process tables, p.3 and p.5
What softbake does AZ ECI 3012 use?
90°C for 90 s on a proximity hotplate — identical in both the i-line and g-line stepper reference processes, which is why it is the documented default. A separate broadband mask-aligner reference process instead uses 90°C for 60 s on a contact hotplate for that specific tool setup.
SOURCE: Merck AZ ECI 3000 Series datasheet (Rev. 03/21) — Reference Process tables, p.3, p.5, p.7
Which developer does AZ ECI 3012 use?
AZ 300MIF used as supplied, 60 s single puddle at 23°C — the most internally consistent value in this datasheet, identical across every reference process for the grade (i-line, g-line, broadband aligner, and both wet-etch adhesion tests). It is a DNQ/novolac positive resist compatible with both TMAH (MIF) and inorganic developers.
SOURCE: Merck AZ ECI 3000 Series datasheet (Rev. 03/21) — Reference Process tables, p.3, p.5, p.7 + Wet Etch Adhesion, p.8
Sources & disclaimer
- Merck — AZ ECI 3012 datasheet (Rev. (03/21)) · accessed 2026-07-10
- Lale et al.. Development of All-Around SiO2/Al2O3 Gate, Suspended Silicon Nanowire Chemical Field Effect Transistors Si-nw-ChemFET. Proceedings (2017). doi:10.3390/proceedings1040419Projection photolithography on a Canon FPA-3000i4 i-line stepper with AZ ECI 3012 defined the silicon nanowires (single wire up to 100-wire parallel networks) later transferred into silicon by RIE for suspended gate-all-around ChemFET pH sensors.
- Lipp et al.. Aperture-Controlled Fabrication of All-Dielectric Structural Color Pixels. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (2023). doi:10.1021/acsami.3c03353A 750 nm AZ ECI 3007 film was patterned on a maskless writer to control aperture geometry and tune all-dielectric structural colour.
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.