Spin-Coating Defect Theory and Experiments

This paper presents a theory to explain how detectable defects are generated during a material’s transition from a liquid state into a solid film. The hypothesis of defect formation is that it occurs as a result of an imbalance of molecular forces and molecular motion during the material phase transition. Experimental validation was done using a model spin-on silicon hardmask. Spin time and bake temperature were studied as process parameters to control defect counts. Wide variations in the resulting defect counts show strong statistical significance. The experimental results fit very well with the hypothesis. This preliminary study on defect mechanisms gives a direction to develop nextgeneration defect-free materials. 10.1149/06001.0293ecst ©The Electrochemical Society ECS Transactions, 60 (1) 293-302 (2014)