https://nanyte.com/photoresists/ma-p-1240g · last updated 2026-09-24
- Manufacturer
- micro resist technology GmbH
- Tone
- positive
- Chemistry
- DNQ-novolak
- Thickness
- 4 µm
- Applications
- Grayscale / 3D · MEMS structural · Electroplating / molding · Etch mask
- Substrate
- Resist
- Exposed
Spin coating
The manufacturer does not publish a spin curve for ma-P 1240G.
- One tabulated point, not a sweep: the 'Film thickness' table gives ma-P 1240G as 4.0 µm at 3000 rpm for 30 s, and a single anchor is not a curve.
- The sheet does plot 'Film tickness [µm]' against 'Spin speed [rpm]' from 1000 to 6000 rpm with a 30 s trace for each of 1215G, 1225G, 1240G and 1275G, so the shape of this grade's response is shown — but that chart carries no numeric table, only axis ticks on a 0-25 µm scale and the legend strings, and a 4 µm trace sits low enough on that scale that reading values off it would be guesswork.
- The tabulated point is the only thickness figure with a number attached.
- Accel, dispense volume and edge-bead removal are not published.
- Adhesion
- Not addressed in this product-information sheet.
Soft bake
- Soft bake
- Not published — characterize on-tool
Exposure dose
The sheet gives a 350-450 nm sensitivity window but publishes no dose at any wavelength for this grade — the wavelengths that appear are the tools used for the example images, not a specification. Determine clearing dose on-tool. 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 family
- TMAH or buffered alkaline
Not published for this resist: Developer, Dilution, Time, Method, Rinse — characterize on-tool.
SOURCE: Characteristics, p.1
Hard bake, etch & strip
- Etch resistance
- "Suitable for dry etch processes e.g. with CHF3, CF4, SF6" (Characteristics, p.1).
Not published for this resist: Hard bake, Descum, Stripper, Storage — characterize on-tool.
Where it's used
Grayscale: The sheet sells the whole 1200G series for greyscale work: 'Positive tone photoresist series specifically designed for the requirements of greyscale lithography', with 'Reduced contrast' listed first among its characteristics and 50-60 µm pattern depths quoted for the series. 'An application in standard binary lithography is also possible.' No dose-vs-remaining-thickness curve is printed, so the shape of that contrast response is not characterised for this grade.
Practical notes from the datasheet
ma-P 1240G is the grade micro resist technology added between 1225G and 1275G in its greyscale positive line; the 2024 revision of the series sheet is the first to tabulate it. At 3000 rpm for 30 s it coats 4.0 µm, which puts it in reach of relief depths that the thinner 1215G and 1225G cannot hold while avoiding the long, slow spins the 1275G grade needs for its thicker films. Greyscale lithography asks the resist to convert a modulated dose into a continuous depth, so the series is formulated for reduced contrast; the sheet claims 50-60 µm pattern depths for the series as a whole, but prints no dose-vs-depth curve, so the linearity of that response has to be measured on the tool that will write it. Exposure is specified only as a 350-450 nm window, which spans the 405 nm line most direct-write tools use. No softbake, PEB, hardbake, developer product or dose is published for this grade — it is a product-information sheet, not a process datasheet.
Grades in this family
Other grades in the ma-P 1200G series line differ mainly in coating thickness:
| Grade | Thickness |
|---|---|
| ma-P 1240G (this page) | 4 µm |
| ma-P 1275G | 9.5–60 µm |
Troubleshooting
Common failure modes for ma-P 1240G, 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.
Which developer should I use for ma-P 1240G greyscale work — can I use the metal-ion developer I use for binary jobs?
Not for greyscale. The sheet is specific: for greyscale lithography ma-P 1200G is developed in TMAH-based developers, and metal-ion-bearing developers are listed only for standard binary lithography with the same resist. It names no developer product, concentration or time, so pick a TMAH developer, hold it fixed, and build your dose-to-depth calibration in that developer — switching developer later means recalibrating.
SOURCE: micro resist technology 'ma-P 1200G — Positive Greyscale Photoresist' product sheet (hm24.03.18) — Characteristics, p.1
The depth of my ma-P 1240G relief drifts from run to run with the same exposure file. What should I control?
A greyscale profile is a development-rate map, so anything that shifts the rate shifts every depth. MicroChemicals' trouble shooter flags two causes that are easy to miss. Humidity: a DNQ positive resist needs to rehydrate after the softbake, and its development rate drops significantly below about 40 % relative humidity, so hold the room at a steady 40–50 %. Developer age: an open bath absorbs CO2 from the air and weakens, and even sealed containers let some through. Log humidity and developer age alongside each ma-P 1240G run.
SOURCE: MicroChemicals GmbH 'Photolithography Trouble Shooter'…
MicroChemicals GmbH 'Photolithography Trouble Shooter' application note — Sufficient Rehydration? (ambient humidity), p.6, and Expired Developer? (neutralisation by CO2), p.7; micro resist technology ma-P 1200G sheet (hm24.03.18) — Characteristics ('Reduced contrast'), p.1
The unexposed top surface of my ma-P 1240G relief is lower than the coated thickness. Why?
That is dark erosion — the developer slowly dissolving resist that received no dose — and in greyscale it shifts every height, not just the edges. MicroChemicals' trouble shooter says it rises faster than the development rate as developer concentration goes up, so a stronger developer buys speed at the cost of erosion. A softbake too cool or too short leaves solvent that raises erosion; one too hot or too long decomposes the photoactive compound, which is what inhibits dissolution in the dark. Measure the unexposed step on each run and hold developer and bake fixed.
SOURCE: MicroChemicals GmbH 'Photolithography Trouble Shooter'…
MicroChemicals GmbH 'Photolithography Trouble Shooter' application note — Development: Dark Erosion Too High (Proper Developer Dilution?, Optimum Softbake Conditions?), p.9–10; micro resist technology ma-P 1200G sheet (hm24.03.18) — Film thickness table, p.1
The ma-P 1200G sheet promises 50–60 µm pattern depth. Can I get that from ma-P 1240G?
No. That depth range is a claim for the series, and it is the thick ma-P 1275G that reaches it (9.5–60 µm films; the sheet's example is about 53 µm of depth in about 58 µm of 1275G). ma-P 1240G is tabulated at a single 4.0 µm coat (3000 rpm, 30 s), against 9.5–60 µm for 1275G, and a relief cannot be deeper than the film it is written into. The sheet gives a 350–450 nm sensitivity window but no dose or dose-versus-depth curve for any grade, so the grey-level calibration has to be measured on your own writer.
SOURCE: micro resist technology 'ma-P 1200G — Positive Greyscale…
micro resist technology 'ma-P 1200G — Positive Greyscale Photoresist' product sheet (hm24.03.18) — Characteristics, Film thickness table and ma-P 1275G example caption, p.1
Sources & disclaimer
- micro resist technology GmbH — ma-P 1240G datasheet (hm24.03.18) · accessed 2026-09-10
- https://microresist.de/en/produkt/ma-p-1200g-series/ — microresist.de's ma-P 1200G series page (greyscale variant of the same DNQ/novolak family as ma-P 1200); the basis for classifying ma-P 1240G as dnq-novolak.
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 2026-09-24.