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KemLab KL 5300 series process recipe

A series of thin-film positive photoresists (KL5315, KL5310, KL5305, KL5302-HiRes) spanning 0.15-2.5 µm single-coat thickness, developed in 0.26N TMAH for i-line, g-line and broadband exposure.

https://nanyte.com/photoresists/kl-5300 · last updated 2026-07-12

At a glance
Manufacturer
KemLab Inc.
Tone
positive
Chemistry
DNQ-novolak
Thickness
0.1–2.5 µm
Developer
0.26N TMAH
Applications
General prototyping · Etch mask
Etch maskSuitable for

Cross-checked — two independent extractions agree.

01 / Coating

Spin coating

KemLab KL 5300 series is spin-coated to 0.1–2.5 µm. The curve below is redrawn from the manufacturer's published data — read your target thickness off the vertical axis and take the matching spin speed as a starting point.

Spin curves for KemLab KL 5300 series: film thickness in µm against spin speed in rpm.0.001.02.03.01k2k3k4k5kSPIN SPEED (rpm)THICKNESS (µm)
Data points
KemLab KL 5300 series — film thickness (µm) by spin speed (rpm)
Seriesrpmµm
KL531510002.4
20001.7
30001.4
40001.2
50001.1
KL531010001.4
20000.98
30000.80
40000.70
50000.63
KL530510000.92
20000.62
30000.53
40000.47
50000.43
KL5302-HiRes10000.27
20000.19
30000.16
40000.14
50000.13

Values are the manufacturer's starting points, not a guarantee; verify on your own tool. Characterize on-tool. Series digitized from a published figure were independently cross-checked by a second blind read; treat those values as approximate (±10 %).

KL5315: read from figure 3, p.2 of KL 5300 series TDS — identified by legend color (blue = KL5315) on the combined 'KL5300 Spin Curve' chart; the topmost curve, consistent with KL5315 having the largest stated film-thickness range (1.2-2.5 µm).

KL5310: read from figure 3, p.2 of KL 5300 series TDS — identified by legend color (red = KL5310) on the combined 'KL5300 Spin Curve' chart; second curve from top, consistent with the stated 0.7-1.5 µm range.

KL5305: read from figure 3, p.2 of KL 5300 series TDS — identified by legend color (green = KL5305) on the combined 'KL5300 Spin Curve' chart; third curve from top, consistent with the stated 0.4-1.0 µm range.

KL5302-HiRes: read from figure 4, p.2 of KL 5300 series TDS — a dedicated single-curve 'KL5302 HI-RES Spin Curve' chart (purple, unambiguous, no other grade plotted), consistent with the stated 0.15-0.3 µm range.

4 series redrawn from the manufacturer's published data — hover to read values between points, click to pin.

Spin curves determined on 6-inch Si with static dispense of ~4 mL of KL5300 photoresist (TDS p.2). No spin ramp/accel profile or edge-bead-removal step is published for KL5300.

Adhesion
HMDS recommended — HMDS primer recommended with oxide-forming substrates (Si, etc.) for maximum adhesion; KL5300 also adheres to copper, gold, glass, aluminum and chromium (TDS p.1, Substrate Preparation).
02 / Bake

Soft bake

Soft bake
105 °C · 60 s · hotplate
Notes
Processing-guidelines table (p.1) gives a single softbake condition, 105°C for 60 seconds, applied uniformly across all four grades. Separately, the narrative Softbake section (p.3) gives a broader recommended range: 'contact hotplate temperature is 90-105°C. Typical bake time is 60 seconds' — 105°C is the top of that range and matches the table value, used here as the single recipe value.

SOURCE: Processing Guidelines table, p.1 of KL 5300 series TDS; corroborated by Softbake section, p.3.

03 / Exposure

Exposure dose

The manufacturer does not publish a clearing dose for KemLab KL 5300 series. Determine it with a dose array on your own tool.

As published
Broadband, i-line, g-line (exposure figure caption on p.1 additionally cites 'Exposure: 60mJ @ 365 nm, Nikon I9 Stepper, NA=0.54' for the resolution figure only).
Post-exposure bake
115 °C · 60 s

Not published for this resist: Dose at 365 nm, Dose at 405 nm — characterize on-tool.

04 / Development

Development

Developer
0.26N TMAH
Developer family
TMAH-based

Not published for this resist: Dilution, Time, Method, Rinse — characterize on-tool.

SOURCE: Processing Guidelines table, p.1, and Development section, p.4 of KL 5300 series TDS

05 / Post-processing

Hard bake, etch & strip

Stripper
NMP, DMSO or similar solvent-based removers at 50-80°C (TDS p.1/p.4, Resist Removal); thicker films may benefit from a two-bath process — first bath removes bulk resist, second bath cleans thoroughly.
Storage
Avoid light; store in an upright airtight container at 4-21°C, away from oxidizers, acids, bases and ignition sources (TDS p.4, Storage).

Not published for this resist: Hard bake, Descum, Etch resistance — characterize on-tool.

SOURCE: Processing Guidelines table, p.1 of KL 5300 series TDS

06 / Applications

Where it's used

General prototypingEtch mask

KL5300 is a series of four grades (KL5315, KL5310, KL5305, KL5302-HiRes) sharing one process family but with distinct spin curves, doses and develop times scaled to their target thickness band, from ~0.15 µm (KL5302-HiRes, high-resolution thin coat) up to 2.5 µm (KL5315). The datasheet's optical characterization (refractive index vs. wavelength, absorbance, i-line/g-line swing curves) is series-wide rather than grade-specific. As with any DNQ-class positive resist family, softbake and PEB times should be re-verified on-tool since the datasheet's single softbake/PEB condition is applied uniformly across grades of very different viscosity and coat thickness. HMDS priming is recommended on oxide-forming substrates; no adhesion promoter step beyond that is specified. Chemistry classified as dnq-novolak from the KemLab KL5300 MSDS composition table (mixed cresol novolak resin + diazo photoactive compound) (chemistry classified 2026-07-12 from manufacturer SDS/TDS).

07 / Sources

Sources & disclaimer

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 2026-07-12.

Cite this recipe

NANYTE. "KemLab KL 5300 series process recipe." NANYTE Photoresist Library. https://nanyte.com/photoresists/kl-5300. Accessed 2026-07-12.

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