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SU-8 3010 process recipe

SU-8 3010 (340 cSt, 60.4 % solids) is the second-thinnest grade of the SU-8 3000 line. One coat gives about 8–19 µm over 1000–4000 rpm, the range to use when a permanent film should land near 10–15 µm, a window the thinner 3005 cannot reach and the thicker grades overshoot.

https://nanyte.com/photoresists/su-8-3010 · last updated 2026-10-15

At a glance
Download PDF
Manufacturer
Kayaku MicroChem / MicroChem Corp.
Tone
negative
Chemistry
Epoxy (SU-8 type)
Thickness
8–18.8 µm
Developer
Kayaku Advanced Materials SU-8 developer (solvent based); ethyl lactate and diacetone alcohol are also named as usable
Applications
MEMS structural · High aspect ratio · 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.

The exposed resist stays after development; the unexposed film dissolves. Schematic cross-sections for SU-8 3010 — feature width, film aspect ratio and sidewall angle are illustrative, not to scale.
—01 / Coating

Spin coating

Spin curves for SU-8 3010: film thickness in µm against spin speed in rpm.51015201k2k3k4kSPIN SPEED (rpm)THICKNESS (µm)
Data points
SU-8 3010 — film thickness (µm) by spin speed (rpm)
SeriesrpmµmPublished dose
SU-8 3010 (21 °C, US & EU)100015—
200011
125–200 mJ/cm² · 8–15 µm row
30009.4
100–200 mJ/cm² · 8–10 µm rows (2)
125–200 mJ/cm² · 8–15 µm row
within 10 % of a bracket edge
40008.0
100–200 mJ/cm² · 8–10 µm rows (2)
SU-8 3010 (23 °C, Japan & Asia)100019—
200013
125–200 mJ/cm² · 8–15 µm row
30009.8
100–200 mJ/cm² · 8–10 µm rows (2)
125–200 mJ/cm² · 8–15 µm row
within 10 % of a bracket edge
40009.0
100–200 mJ/cm² · 8–10 µm rows (2)

Values are the manufacturer’s starting points, not a guarantee — characterize on your own tool. Series digitized from a published figure are approximate (±10 %).

Published dose is the datasheet’s own thickness bracket, quoted as printed — the full table and its citation are in the exposure section. A thickness the table does not cover shows nothing, and a thickness within 10 % of a bracket edge shows every bracket it could fall in.

SU-8 3010 (21 °C, US & EU): read from figure: Figure 1, "SU-8 3000 Thickness vs. Spin Speed (21°C US & EU)", p.2 of the Kayaku Advanced Materials "SU-8 3000 Permanent Negative Epoxy Photoresist" technical data sheet (July 2020, Ver. 1). The SU-8 3010 trace is identified by its legend marker; the chart plots five grades (3050, 3035, 3025, 3010, 3005) on a linear spin-speed axis (0–5000 rpm) and a linear film-thickness axis. The chart is a bitmap, so each point was located against the 0 and full-scale gridlines of both axes: one marker per 1000 rpm from 1000 to 4000 rpm, which is the trace's full plotted range, nothing beyond it. Values are good to roughly ±1 µm, and no numeric table accompanies the chart.

SU-8 3010 (23 °C, Japan & Asia): read from figure: Figure 2, "SU-8 3000 Thickness vs. Spin Speed (23°C Japan & Asia)", p.2 of the Kayaku Advanced Materials "SU-8 3000 Permanent Negative Epoxy Photoresist" technical data sheet (July 2020, Ver. 1). The SU-8 3010 trace is identified by its legend marker; the chart plots five grades (3050, 3035, 3025, 3010, 3005) on a linear spin-speed axis (0–5000 rpm) and a linear film-thickness axis. The chart is a bitmap, so each point was located against the 0 and full-scale gridlines of both axes: one marker per 1000 rpm from 1000 to 4000 rpm, which is the trace's full plotted range, nothing beyond it. Values are good to roughly ±1 µm, and no numeric table accompanies the chart.

2 series redrawn from the manufacturer's published data — hover to read between points, click to pin.
  • Program printed for the whole SU-8 3000 line: dispense 1 ml of resist per inch (25 mm) of substrate diameter, spread at 500 rpm for 5–10 s (100 rpm/s acceleration), then spin at 3000 rpm for 30 s (300 rpm/s acceleration).
  • Pick the final speed from the chart that matches your material and room: Figure 1 is for 21 °C (US and EU), Figure 2 for 23 °C (Japan and Asia), and the two give different thicknesses for the same grade and speed.
  • SU-8 3010 is 340 cSt, 60.4 % solids, density 1.106 g/ml (Table 1, p.2).
  • The trace flattens quickly: more than half of the change happens between 1000 and 2000 rpm, and from 3000 rpm up the film moves by only about 1–1.5 µm.
  • To land near the top of this grade's range, use the low end of the speed range.
  • The sheet advises removing the edge bead with a small stream of EBR PG solvent at the wafer edge, from above or below, so the hotplate stays clean and the mask can sit in closer contact.
  • Both thickness charts stop at 4000 rpm and carry markers only at 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 rpm.
Adhesion
HMDS not required — Adhesion promoters are typically not needed on a substrate cleaned with a piranha etch (H2SO4 and H2O2, then a deionised-water rinse) or with RIE or an O2 barrel asher. For electroplating work the sheet recommends an HMDS pre-treatment of the substrate. (Substrate Preparation, p.2)
—02 / Bake

Soft bake

Soft bake
95 °C · hotplate
Notes
Temperature is 95 °C for every thickness; only the time changes with film thickness (Table 2). Rows that apply to SU-8 3010: 4–10 µm → 2–3 min; 8–15 µm → 5–10 min. No single time is quoted because the film thickness decides the row. Use a level hotplate; convection ovens are not recommended because a skin can form and trap solvent. To check the bake, cool the wafer to room temperature and put it back on the plate: if the film wrinkles, bake a few minutes longer and repeat until it stays smooth.
SOURCE: Table 2 "Soft Bake Times" and Soft Bake section, p.3 of the…

Table 2 "Soft Bake Times" and Soft Bake section, p.3 of the Kayaku Advanced Materials "SU-8 3000 Permanent Negative Epoxy Photoresist" technical data sheet (July 2020, Ver. 1)

—03 / Exposure

Exposure dose

SU-8 3010's dose is published against film thickness, not as a single number. Read the row for the film you coat and run a dose array around it.

As published
Dose follows film thickness, not the grade: 100–200 mJ/cm² for 4–10 µm and 125–200 mJ/cm² for 8–15 µm. SU-8 3010 coats about 8–19 µm, so it mostly falls in the second row.
Post-exposure bake
95 °C
SU-8 3010 — dose by film thickness
Film thicknessDose
4–10 µm100–200 mJ/cm²
8–15 µm125–200 mJ/cm²
SOURCE: Table 3 "Exposure Dose", p.3 of the Kayaku Advanced Materials…

Table 3 "Exposure Dose", p.3 of the Kayaku Advanced Materials "SU-8 3000 Permanent Negative Epoxy Photoresist" technical data sheet (July 2020, Ver. 1). The table is indexed by film thickness and applies to the whole SU-8 3000 line; only the rows that overlap SU-8 3010's plotted thickness are listed here, as printed. The table is not tied to a single wavelength: the sheet recommends i-line (365 nm) and says conventional i-line plus broadband UV (350–400 nm) is the common practice.

—04 / Development

Development

Developer
Kayaku Advanced Materials SU-8 developer (solvent based); ethyl lactate and diacetone alcohol are also named as usable
Rinse
Spray or wash the developed image with fresh developer for about 10 s, then a second 10 s spray with developer if needed, and dry with filtered, pressurised air or nitrogen. The sheet recommends strong agitation for thick or high-aspect-ratio structures, and an ultrasonic or megasonic bath to clear vias and holes.
Developer family
Solvent

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

SOURCE: Develop and Rinse and Dry sections, p.4 of the Kayaku Advanced…

Develop and Rinse and Dry sections, p.4 of the Kayaku Advanced Materials "SU-8 3000 Permanent Negative Epoxy Photoresist" technical data sheet (July 2020, Ver. 1)

—05 / Post-processing

Hard bake, etch & strip

Hard bake
150–200 °C (optional — when the imaged resist stays on the finished device)
Descum
Not published — characterize on-tool
Etch resistance
Listed among the features as excellent dry etch resistance (p.1); no selectivity figure is given. The sheet's plasma removal recipe (RIE at 200 W, 80 sccm O2, 8 sccm CF4, 100 mTorr, 10 °C, p.5) is aimed at stripping cross-linked film.
Stripper
Kayaku Remover PG at 50–80 °C, 30–90 min immersion, swells and lifts minimally cross-linked SU-8 3000, and gives a clean lift-off of fully cross-linked film only if a 30–100 nm OmniCoat layer was put down first; it does not strip fully cured or hard-baked film without OmniCoat. To rework fully cross-linked film, the sheet names oxidising acid (piranha), plasma ash, RIE (200 W, 80 sccm O2, 8 sccm CF4, 100 mTorr, 10 °C), laser ablation and pyrolysis.
Storage
Store upright in tightly closed containers, cool and dry, out of direct sunlight, at 4–21 °C (40–70 °F), and away from light, acids, heat and ignition sources. Shelf life is thirteen months from the date of manufacture.
SOURCE: Hard Bake (cure) section, p.5 of the Kayaku Advanced Materials…

Hard Bake (cure) section, p.5 of the Kayaku Advanced Materials "SU-8 3000 Permanent Negative Epoxy Photoresist" technical data sheet (July 2020, Ver. 1)

—06 / Applications

Where it's used

Practical notes from the datasheet

SU-8 3010: 340 cSt, 60.4 % solids, 1.106 g/ml (Table 1). The datasheet is written for the whole SU-8 3000 line, a high-contrast epoxy resist reformulated from SU-8 and SU-8 2000 for better adhesion and lower coating stress, imaged and left on the device, with film thicknesses of 4–100 µm in one coat and aspect ratios above 5:1. Soft bake, exposure, PEB and develop are all listed by film thickness rather than by grade, so the rows for SU-8 3010 are the ones that overlap its plotted thickness. Both thickness charts stop at 4000 rpm and carry markers only at 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 rpm. Fully cross-linked film is very hard to remove, so plan for that before choosing it as a sacrificial or temporary layer.

—07 / Family

Grades in this family

Other grades in the SU-8 3000 series line differ mainly in coating thickness:

SU-8 3000 series — grade comparison
GradeThickness
SU-8 30054.5–9.8 µm
SU-8 3010 (this page)8–18.8 µm
SU-8 302523–58 µm
SU-8 303524–87 µm
SU-8 305044.3–101.3 µm
—08 / Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

Common failure modes for SU-8 3010, 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.

How do I know the soft bake is long enough on SU-8 3010?

Use the sheet's cool-down test. After the prescribed time, take the wafer off the hotplate and let it return to room temperature, then put it back on. If the film wrinkles, leave it on for a few more minutes and repeat the cycle until the wrinkles no longer appear on reheating. The printed 95 °C times (2–3 min for the 4–10 µm row, 5–10 min for 8–15 µm) are the starting point, not the end point.

SOURCE: Kayaku Advanced Materials "SU-8 3000 Permanent Negative Epoxy…

Kayaku Advanced Materials "SU-8 3000 Permanent Negative Epoxy Photoresist" technical data sheet (July 2020, Ver. 1) — Soft Bake note and Table 2, p.3

Do I need more dose when SU-8 3010 is on a metal or glass substrate?

Yes. The doses in the thickness table are for silicon (1×). The substrate table gives 1.5× for glass, Pyrex and indium tin oxide, and 1.5–2× for silicon nitride, gold, aluminium, nickel-iron, copper, nickel and titanium. Scale the dose from the thickness row by that factor and confirm with an exposure matrix.

SOURCE: Kayaku Advanced Materials "SU-8 3000 Permanent Negative Epoxy…

Kayaku Advanced Materials "SU-8 3000 Permanent Negative Epoxy Photoresist" technical data sheet (July 2020, Ver. 1) — Table 3 Exposure Dose, p.3; Table 4 Exposure Doses for Various Substrates, p.4

My film is between 15 and 20 µm. Which process row do I use?

None of them fits exactly: the thickness tables jump from the 8–15 µm row straight to 20–50 µm, and the 23 °C chart puts SU-8 3010 at about 18.8 µm at 1000 rpm, inside that gap. The sheet does not say how to handle it. The two neighbouring rows bracket the answer, so treat the 8–15 µm times and dose as the low side and the 20–50 µm values as the high side, and settle the times with the sheet's wrinkle test (soft bake) and latent-image check (PEB).

SOURCE: Kayaku Advanced Materials "SU-8 3000 Permanent Negative Epoxy…

Kayaku Advanced Materials "SU-8 3000 Permanent Negative Epoxy Photoresist" technical data sheet (July 2020, Ver. 1) — Tables 2, 3, 5 and 6, pp.3–4; Figure 2, p.2

—09 / 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 2026-10-15.

Cite this recipe

NANYTE. "SU-8 3010 process recipe." NANYTE Photoresist Library. https://nanyte.com/photoresists/su-8-3010. Accessed 2026-10-15.

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