https://nanyte.com/photoresists/dupont-mx5000 · last updated 2026-10-15
- Manufacturer
- DuPont
- Tone
- negative
- Thickness
- 15–50 µm
- Developer
- DuPont D4000 IC concentrate developer, 0.7-0.9 wt% (0.75 wt% preferred)
- Applications
- Etch mask · Electroplating / molding
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
Coating — dry-film lamination
MX5000 is supplied as a pre-cut dry-film sheet and applied by hot-roll lamination — it is not spin-coated. Thickness is fixed per sheet, 15–50 µm, selected by sheet rather than by spin speed.
- MX5000 is hot-roll laminated, not spin-coated, so thickness is fixed by the sheet.
- Hot roll laminator conditions: roll 85-110 °C (95 °C preferred), speed 0.6-1.5 m/min (1.2 m/min preferred), pressure 15-40 psig
- for an automatic laminator the sheet refers you to the equipment maker and DuPont.
- If the film wrinkles, reduce roll pressure and/or temperature, particularly when the laminator is not well aligned.
- Let substrates cool to room temperature before further processing and never stack them horizontally, which imprints random defects.
- Exposure should follow lamination within 5 days.
- The polyester cover sheet stays on through exposure and is removed for development.
- Adhesion
- No adhesion promoter is named. The surface must be free of organic contamination and metal oxides; where possible clean with a light 2-3 % sulfuric acid solution, rinse in DI water and dry with nitrogen, and do this immediately before lamination. Listed compatible surfaces are silicon, silicon nitride, sputtered copper and sputtered gold, with good adhesion also stated to glass, polymers and other metals and oxides. An optional post-lamination bake is offered for extra-smooth surfaces and aggressive applications.
Soft bake
- Soft bake
- Not published — characterize on-tool
- Notes
- No soft bake. The only bake before exposure is the optional post-lamination bake, to secure adhesion: oven 55-75 °C (65 °C preferred) for 15-20 min (20 min preferred), or hotplate 90-110 °C (100 °C preferred) for 20-80 s (45 s preferred). The sheet notes that the temperature varies with film thickness, substrate and process.
SOURCE: Part 4 'Post-Lamination Bake (Optional)', p.2 of the DuPont MX5000 Series data sheet
Exposure dose
MX5000's dose is published per sheet thickness, not as a single number. Read the row for the sheet you laminate and run a dose array around it.
- As published
- Dose follows the sheet: 20-65 mJ/cm² for 15 µm, 40-115 for 30 µm and 50-140 for 50 µm, measured at the film surface; the high end is for aggressive applications.
| Sheet | Dose |
|---|---|
| 15 µm | 20–65 mJ/cm² |
| 20 µm | 35–105 mJ/cm² |
| 30 µm | 40–115 mJ/cm² |
| 40 µm | 45–125 mJ/cm² |
| 50 µm | 50–140 mJ/cm² |
SOURCE: 'Recommended Exposure' table (mJ/cm2), Part 5, p.2 of the…
'Recommended Exposure' table (mJ/cm2), Part 5, p.2 of the DuPont MX5000 Series data sheet: MX5015 20-65, MX5020 35-105, MX5030 40-115, MX5040 45-125, MX5050 50-140. The table carries no wavelength label; the text says the film has peak absorption at 365 nm and i-line lamps are highly recommended, and that all energies were measured at the film surface with an IL-1400A radiometer and SSD001A probe (275-400 nm sensitivity).
Development
- Developer
- DuPont D4000 IC concentrate developer, 0.7-0.9 wt% (0.75 wt% preferred)
- Method
- spray (conditions given for an ACS200 spray tool)
- Rinse
- Rinse right after development with hard water (150-300 ppm CaCO3 equivalent, hardened with magnesium sulfate if needed) at 21-25 °C and 1.4-2.4 bar, with the develop-to-rinse dwell ratio at least 2:1; then spin dry at 2500-3500 rpm (3000 rpm preferred) for 20-40 s with nitrogen. Keep white-light exposure to a minimum while wafers wait after development.
Not published for this resist: Dilution, Time — characterize on-tool.
SOURCE: Part 7 'Development', Rinsing and Drying Recommendations, p.3 of the DuPont MX5000 Series data sheet
Hard bake, etch & strip
- Hard bake
- Not published — characterize on-tool
- Descum
- Plasma etching (ashing) is recommended before plating or stencil use to clear organic residue and improve wetting. The sheet gives no plasma parameters and refers you to the equipment manual.
- Etch resistance
- Compatible with most acid etchants, including cupric and ferric chloride, and with alkaline etchants in the pH 7.8-8.8 range. The film can tent over features already etched into the surface; the sheet says this depends strongly on feature size, film thickness and lamination conditions.
- Stripper
- Strippers named as successfully used: EKC 108 (EKC Technology) and Dynaloy Dynastrip 7000, 7200, 7500 and Flip Strip, at 50-85 °C (125-185 °F). The sheet says these proprietary chemistries give faster removal, higher film loading and smaller particles, and cut attack on tin or tin/lead and copper oxidation. Total removal time depends on exposure dose, bake cycle and hold times.
- Storage
- Store at 5-21 °C (40-70 °F) and 40-60 % relative humidity. Protect the film through lamination and development from UV and visible light up to 450 nm using gold fluorescent safe lights; high-intensity yellow light (above 75 foot-candles) can change photospeed over time and should be avoided. No shelf life is printed.
SOURCE: Part 8 'Post-Development Bake (Optional)', p.3 of the DuPont MX5000 Series data sheet
Where it's used
Practical notes from the datasheet
MX5000 is sold as a family of five sheet grades whose exposure and develop windows scale with thickness, so read the column for the sheet you laminate. The sheet positions it as a multi-purpose MEMS film: pattern plating in acid copper, tin, tin/lead, nickel sulfamate and acid gold baths (with strong resistance to lifting, underplating and organic leaching) and etch masking in acid or alkaline etchants. It develops fast on a spray tool: even the 50 µm sheet clears in 45-55 s at the stated conditions, and the sheet advises developing for 50-60 % beyond the clean point. The exposed film turns dark blue under yellow light against a light green unexposed film. Allow no more than 5 days between lamination and exposure, since photospeed and linewidth drift with hold time and humidity.
Troubleshooting
Common failure modes for MX5000, 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.
The film wrinkles during lamination. What does DuPont suggest?
Reduce the laminating roll pressure and/or temperature, especially if the laminator is not correctly aligned. The stated window is 85-110 °C and 15-40 psig at 0.6-1.5 m/min. Let substrates cool before the next step, and never stack them horizontally, which leaves random impression defects.
SOURCE: DuPont MX5000 Series data sheet DS04-109 (0706) - Part 2 'Lamination' notes, p.2
How long can laminated MX5000 panels wait before exposure?
No more than 5 days. All dry-film photoresists drift in photospeed and linewidth while held after lamination; the effect is smaller at 20-50 % relative humidity than at 80-98 %.
SOURCE: DuPont MX5000 Series data sheet DS04-109 (0706) - Part 3 'Post-lamination hold time', p.2
Sources & disclaimer
- DuPont — MX5000 datasheet (DS04-109 (0706) printed in the page footers (read as July 2006); the PDF's embedded title is 'MX5000 Rev 2.0 0606'. No other date or revision is printed on the pages.) · accessed 2026-10-15
- https://microresist.de/produkt/mx5000-series/ — distributor product page
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.