| HS Code | 619490 |
| Appearance | Clear colorless liquid |
| Composition | Modified polysiloxane/polyether blend |
| Active Content | 100% |
| Viscosity 25 C | 50-500 cP |
| Specific Gravity 25 C | 1.00-1.05 |
| Flash Point | >200°C |
| Solubility | Soluble in photoresist solvents; negligible in water |
| Particle Size | <1 μm |
| Metal Ion Impurities | <1 ppb each (Na, K, Fe, Ca, Mg) |
| Water Content | <0.5% |
| Ph 5 Aqueous Dispersion | 5-8 |
| Defoaming Efficiency | >99% at recommended dosage |
| Recommended Dosage | 0.001-0.1% of photoresist formulation |
| Storage Stability | 12 months in sealed container at 5-35°C |
As an accredited Photoresist Defoamer Electronic/EL Grade factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
| Packing | Packaged in 1-liter HDPE bottles with secure closures, this electronic/EL grade defoamer ensures purity and safe handling. |
| Container Loading (20′ FCL) | 20′ FCL: drums/IBCs loaded in clean, dry container, secured properly to prevent movement and contamination. |
| Shipping | Photoresist Defoamer Electronic/EL Grade ships in sealed, UN-approved containers via ground freight. It requires hazmat labeling and documentation if classified as flammable/irritant. Keep away from oxidizers, heat, and direct sunlight. Avoid air transport unless fully compliant with IATA regulations. Use trained handlers to prevent leakage, contamination, or package damage. |
| Storage | Store Photoresist Defoamer Electronic/EL Grade in a clean, tightly sealed container under cool, dry conditions. Keep away from direct sunlight, heat, and ignition sources. Maintain temperatures between 5–35°C, avoid moisture ingress, and prevent contamination. Use dedicated equipment; label clearly and follow manufacturer instructions to preserve purity and performance. |
| Shelf Life | Shelf life is typically 12 months from manufacture date when stored sealed, cool, dry, and uncontaminated. |
In a 300 mm ArF photoresist manufacturing line, foam nucleation is most frequently observed during final solvent let-down and during dispense through 0.02 µm polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) point-of-use filters. The defoamer is added at 0.04–0.12 wt% relative to total formulation mass after the polymer dissolution step and before final filtration. A non-silicone polyoxyalkylene-modified acrylic platform is preferred; residual polydimethylsiloxane in the cast film can redistribute during the post-exposure bake and produce contact-angle nonuniformity at the tetramethylammonium hydroxide developer interface. Foam nuclei form when dissolved nitrogen in an ethyl lactate/propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate (EL/PGMEA) solvent blend desorbs at filter pressure drops above 1.4 bar. Dynamic air-release testing under 50 mbar vacuum shows that the defoamer reduces the median bubble diameter from 10–15 µm to below 3 µm. During spin-coating on a 300 mm track at 1,500–3,000 rpm, the target film thickness is 120–350 nm; the defoamer must not increase dynamic surface tension above 28 mN/m at a surface age of 100 ms. After final filtration through a 0.02 µm high-density polyethylene filter, particle counts greater than or equal to 0.15 µm must remain below 300 particles/mL by liquid optical particle counter. Wetted transfer lines and storage vessels are constructed from fluorinated polymers per SEMI F57 to limit extractable metals below 500 ppb total. Compliance with EU RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU Annex II and REACH Candidate List restrictions is maintained for the defoamer composition. Batch-to-batch variance is controlled by nitrogen blanketing of the let-down vessel and by maintaining recirculation pump speed below 600 rpm to avoid shear-induced destabilization of the defoamer micelles. Terminal products are 193 nm chemically amplified resists for logic and memory nodes; foam-related defects are evaluated by spin-coating on bare silicon wafers and inspecting the developed film for swirl-pattern voids under a 10× dark-field microscope.
Foaming in novolak resin production for g/h/i-line display resists originates during the condensation of m-cresol and p-cresol with formalin under oxalic acid catalysis and intensifies during vacuum stripping of residual water. The defoamer is charged into the reactor at 0.02–0.08 wt% based on dry resin solids after the dehydration stage reaches 80–90 °C and before the final vacuum ramp below 50 mbar. A high-boiling polyether-modified defoamer is selected to remain in the solid resin after solvent removal; low-boiling defoamers volatilize during the stripping step and leave foam collapses on the next solvent dilution. Compliance for large-area display manufacturing requires that the defoamer contribute less than 100 ppb total alkali metals by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and that the resin solution pass a 0.1 µm absolute nylon membrane filter without gel accumulation. During slit coating on Gen 8.5 substrates measuring 2,200 × 2,500 mm, the diazonaphthoquinone photosensitive compound concentration is adjusted to 15–30 wt% of solids and the final viscosity is set at 8–30 cP. Air bubbles trapped in the resin feed cause longitudinal striations and edge bead irregularities that are aggravated by coating line speeds above 1.5 m/min. The terminal products are g/h/i-line resists for thin-film transistor array patterning and for color filter subpixel definition.
On a slot-die coating line producing 25 µm dry film photoresist for printed circuit boards, entrained air in the resist solution is most disruptive when the coating head return flow carries microfoam into the die lip. A high-shear defoamer is added at 0.03–0.08 wt% based on total wet film mass, typically during the final solvent dilution of acrylic copolymer binder, multifunctional acrylate monomer, and photoinitiator in a methyl ethyl ketone/propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate solvent mix. The coating fluid is filtered through a 0.5 µm absolute polypropylene depth filter and degassed in-line under 100 mbar vacuum before entering the slot-die. Foam bubbles larger than 5 µm in the wet film expand during the drying tunnel ramp from 60 °C to 120 °C and produce pinholes that later short-circuit copper plating ducts. During lamination onto 18–35 µm copper-clad laminate at line pressures of 0.3–0.8 MPa and roll temperatures of 90–110 °C, residual defoamer must not migrate to the resist-laminate interface and reduce dry film adhesion below 0.8 N/mm peel strength. The defoamer must also maintain its antifoam function after addition of phthalocyanine colorants and fumed silica thixotropes that normally promote air entrainment. Terminal products are dry film photoresist rolls for via-etching and pattern plating in multilayer printed wiring boards.
High-viscosity SU-8 epoxy photoresist formulations present a severe foam-stabilization condition because the epoxy novolac resin matrix and triarylsulfonium hexafluoroantimonate photoacid generator create a high-solids fluid with viscosities from 1,000 mPa·s to 15,000 mPa·s. Filtration through 0.8–2.0 µm glass-fiber or polytetrafluoroethylene membranes introduces dissolved air and fine bubble nuclei that remain trapped in the resin for several hours. The electronic/EL-grade defoamer is added at 0.10–0.50 wt% based on total formulation mass after the solvent level in cyclopentanone or gamma-butyrolactone is adjusted. Vacuum degassing at 5–20 mbar for 20–40 min removes gross bubbles; the defoamer accelerates bubble coalescence during the degassing step by reducing the liquid film drainage time at the air/resin interface. Spin coating of SU-8 at 500–3,000 rpm onto silicon or glass wafers produces films of 5–200 µm thickness; a single bubble of 10–20 µm can create a pinhole that propagates through the resist film during subsequent electroplating of nickel or copper into micromold cavities. The defoamer must not contain amine-functional components because amine groups neutralize the photogenerated acid and reduce crosslink density after post-exposure bake at 65–95 °C and post-bake at 150–250 °C. Terminal products are SU-8 masters for microfluidic channels, inkjet nozzle plates, microelectromechanical system accelerometer structures, and electroplating molds.
Photosensitive polyimide precursor resists for wafer-level packaging redistribution layers are degassed at 20–50 mbar immediately before spin coating onto 200 mm or 300 mm wafers. Foam in the precursor solution becomes critical because the polyamic acid ester film is soft-baked at 100–120 °C, patterned, and then imidized at 320–380 °C; any residual bubble collapses during the solvent evaporation stage and forms a crater that survives the final polyimide curing step. The defoamer is added at 0.05–0.20 wt% relative to total formulation mass after the precursor is diluted with N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone and lactate solvents. Metal contamination must remain below 300 ppb total sodium, potassium, calcium, and iron because cation residues degrade interlevel dielectric reliability. The resist is dispensed through a 0.2 µm PTFE clean room filter and spun at 1,000–3,500 rpm to achieve 5–20 µm film thickness required for redistribution layer dielectric isolation. Terminal products are photosensitive polyimide buffer layers for fan-out wafer-level packaging, copper pillar bump dielectric isolation, and chip-last reconstituted wafer processes.
| Parameter | Test Method | Specified Range |
|---|---|---|
| Total metal cation burden | ICP-MS after carrier solvent digestion | <500 ppb |
| Particle count after 0.02 µm filtration | Liquid optical particle counter | <300 particles/mL at ≥0.15 µm |
| Surface tension at 0.1 wt% in PGMEA | ASTM D1331 | 24–28 mN/m at 25 °C |
| Non-volatile residue | ASTM D1353 | <0.05 wt% |
| Water content | Karl Fischer titration per ASTM D1364 | <0.10 wt% |
Inkjet solder mask fluids based on acrylate oligomers, monomers, photoinitiators, and high-boiling glycol ether solvents are recirculated through ceramic piezoelectric printheads at flow rates from 50 mL/min to 200 mL/min. The recirculation pump, damper, and degassing membrane can generate foam at the ink return port; if the anti-foam agent loses activity under continuous shear, microfoam accumulates in the printhead manifold and causes random missing dots during jetting. An electronic/EL-grade defoamer is added at 0.05–0.15 wt% based on total fluid mass and is evaluated under accelerated recirculation for 72 h at 30–35 °C. The defoamer must not increase the ink viscosity above 6 cP at the nozzle plate because the droplet formation time at 20 kHz jetting frequency depends on viscosity and surface tension. Surface tension must be held between 28 mN/m and 32 mN/m; silicone-based defoamers that lower surface tension below 24 mN/m cause satellite droplets and edge smear on the solder mask opening. The printed film is tack-dried at 70–90 °C and then exposed through a photomask before alkaline development. Terminal products are drop-on-demand solder mask patterns for high-density interconnect printed circuit boards.
Electron beam resists for photomask blank coating are cast from low-solids poly(methyl methacrylate) or novolak derivatives in chlorobenzene, ethyl lactate, or PGMEA. Foam is generated when the solvent is displaced during spin coating on chromium-coated quartz blanks of 6025 size measuring 152 × 152 × 6.35 mm. The defoamer is added at 0.02–0.06 wt% relative to total fluid mass and must be compatible with subsequent exposure at charge densities from 5 µC/cm² to 100 µC/cm² and development in 2-heptanone or xylene-based solvents. A bubble of 3 µm in a 200–500 nm resist film creates a void that disrupts the chromium etch window during mask fabrication. The defoamer must not contribute silicon or phosphorus to the resist because silicon and phosphorus residue changes the electron backscatter signal and degrades critical dimension linearity. The wetted packaging for mask blank resists uses fluoropolymer bottles and stainless steel filtration housings with 0.02 µm PTFE capsules. Terminal products are positive and negative electron beam resists for optical reticle blanks used in 193 nm immersion and extreme ultraviolet lithography mask shops.
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In 248 nm and 193 nm photoresist compounding, entrained air and low-molecular-weight gas bubbles are introduced during resin dissolution, diaphragm-pump recirculation, and final point-of-use dispense. Positive photoresist solutions with kinematic viscosities of 5–25 cSt and surface tensions below 30 mN/m at 25 °C can retain sub-surface microbubbles with diameters <20 µm for more than 48 h. After spin-coating and soft bake, these microbubbles create circular voids, line-bridging, and edge roughness. Photoresist Defoamer Electronic/EL Grade, Model DF-EL-200, is introduced as a silicone-free polyether-polyol ester liquid with 100 % active content to remove such bubbles without contributing ionic residues or non-volatile coating defects. The product is intended for novolac/diazonaphthoquinone resists, polyhydroxystyrene-based chemically amplified resists, and solvent-borne anti-reflective coatings. Published defectivity data for specific 193 nm immersion resist stacks incorporating DF-EL-200 are limited; pre-production wafer-level validation is required before high-volume manufacturing.
Foam destabilization in this formulation occurs by a pseudo-emulsion mechanism rather than by particulate rupture. The additive lowers local surface tension at the air-liquid interface, creating a Marangoni-driven fluid flow that thins lamellae and accelerates coalescence. The hydrophobic-hydrophilic balance is set so that the coalescence rate constant in a constant-shear foam test in PGMEA at 20 °C with a nitrogen sparge rate of 0.5 L/min is at least 3× higher than the untreated solvent. Performance is evaluated against simultaneous criteria: foam knockdown, filter pressure drop stability, contact angle shift, and residue after hotplate bake. The concentrate should be qualified on a production-scale dispense system, not solely by jar foam tests, because bubble generation in recirculating pumps and de-aeration membranes differs from static conditions.
A typical acceptance protocol includes a 24 h dynamic sparge test in PGMEA at 20 °C, with foam height measured by ASTM D1173 and differential pressure monitored across a 0.1 µm UPE membrane. A passing batch shows an increase in differential pressure of ≤0.02 MPa after 100 L of prepared resist is recirculated through a diaphragm pump at 2 L/min. On-wafer verification with a KLA-Tencor Surfscan SP2 at 0.12 µm pixel size should show no new populations of defects above 0.2 µm when the defoamer dosage is within the specified window.
For chemically amplified resists, ionic contamination from defoamers can alter the distribution of photogenerated acid and quencher, causing linewidth variation. When the defoamer contributes chloride or sulfate at part-per-million levels, the pH of 2.38 wt% tetramethylammonium hydroxide developer in contact with the resist film can drift. A 0.5 wt% loading of DF-EL-200 in PGMEA, cast as a 1.0 µm film and dissolved in developer, shifts pH by ≤0.05 units in a 30 min test at 25 °C per ASTM E70.
Chloride and sulfate are held below 0.5 ppm by ion-exchange polishing and wash sequences. Anion analysis by ion chromatography after a 1:1 aqueous extraction is performed according to ASTM D4327-17. Trace metal background is reduced by chelation and ion-exchange. Cation analysis by ICP-MS after closed-vessel acid digestion gives per-element concentrations ≤100 ppb for Na, K, Fe, Ca, Mg, Al, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn. This cation limit is relevant to chemically amplified resists because mobile sodium and potassium can redistribute during post-exposure bake and modify acid-loss linewidth narrowing.
| Property | Test Method / Equipment | Acceptance Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance | Visual inspection under ISO 14644-1 Class 4 lighting | Clear to slightly hazy liquid |
| Color, APHA | ASTM D1209 | ≤50 |
| Density at 20 °C | ASTM D4052 | 1.00–1.03 g/cm³ |
| Viscosity at 25 °C | ASTM D2196, Brookfield LVT, spindle 2, 30 rpm | 180–420 mPa·s |
| Acid value | ASTM D974 | ≤1.0 mg KOH/g |
| Water content | ASTM D1364 | ≤0.10 wt% |
| pH, 1% in 80:20 water/IPA | ASTM E70 | 6.0–7.5 |
| Flash point, Pensky-Martens closed cup | ASTM D93 | >100 °C |
| Chloride | ASTM D4327-17 | ≤0.5 ppm |
| Sulfate | ASTM D4327-17 | ≤0.5 ppm |
| Total trace metals, per element | ICP-MS after closed-vessel acid digestion | ≤100 ppb |
| Particle count ≥0.1 µm | Syringe particle sampling system | ≤25 particles/mL |
| Surface tension, 0.1 wt% in PGMEA | ASTM D1331 | 26–28 mN/m |
The liquid is filtered through a 0.05 µm polypropylene membrane during cleanroom filling and packaged in fluorinated HDPE with nitrogen headspace. Final point-of-use filters are often 0.1 µm PTFE or UPE; therefore, the defoamer should not introduce particles that raise differential pressure. The particle limit of ≤25 particles/mL at ≥0.1 µm is set to avoid premature blinding of point-of-use filters in high-volume dispense lines.
Dispersion and dosage response in photoresist manufacturing require a narrow addition window. The defoamer is added after resin dissolution and before final 0.1 µm filtration. In a standard stainless-steel compounding vessel with a bottom-mounted disperser, a rotor-tip speed of 1.0–3.0 m/s for 15–30 min is sufficient for dispersion. Prolonged shear above 60 min can reduce the molecular weight of the polyether backbone and raise solution haze by ≤2 % as measured by ASTM D1003. In-line addition with a metering pump at the point of final filtration reduces foam entrainment but requires a static mixer with 6–12 elements to avoid concentration striations.
The effective dosage range is 50–500 ppm by mass relative to total photoresist solution. Below 20 ppm, defoaming is usually incomplete in high-solids resists with kinematic viscosity above 15 cSt. Above 500 ppm, residual surface-active material can increase static contact angle on silicon by 2–5° and may produce coating striations. For most novolac/DNQ and acetal-protected PHS resists, the operational window is 50–300 ppm; faster spin speeds and thicker films may require 100–400 ppm. The product is compatible with PGMEA, ethyl lactate, cyclopentanone, methyl n-amyl ketone, and 2-heptanone. Phase separation can occur in cyclohexanone-rich formulations stored below 0 °C; the material should be re-thermostatted to 20–25 °C and mixed until clear before use.
Mechanical cavitation cannot be fully corrected by defoamer chemistry. In a diaphragm pump, the suction pressure must be maintained at least 50 kPa above the solvent vapour pressure at process temperature. If the pump intake pressure is too low, the defoamer collapses the resulting bubbles only partially, and point-of-use filter pressure drop can fluctuate by ±0.01 MPa. In a 100 L batch with 300 ppm loading, a properly dispersed product typically shows a pressure drop increase of ≤0.02 MPa across a 0.1 µm UPE capsule over 24 h recirculation.
Foam collapse in laboratory jar tests at 0.1 wt% loading reduces Ross-Miles foam height by ≥85 % within 30 s in a 50:50 PGMEA/ethyl lactate solution at 20 °C, per ASTM D1173. Jar foam tests are not sufficient for qualification; a production-type dispense recirculation loop with a diaphragm pump and 0.1 µm UPE filter should be used to verify that the defoamer does not increase pressure drop or generate microgels.
On a production-scale track cluster with a 12-inch coater and dual pump dispense, batch-to-batch variation in contact angle has been kept within ±0.5° when the product is added at constant temperature and mixing shear. When the addition temperature is allowed to drift from 18 °C to 28 °C, the resulting viscosity changes of the formulation can shift dispense volume by 1–2 %; therefore, temperature control at ±1 °C is recommended at the addition point.
General-purpose antifoams are typically polydimethylsiloxane emulsions or mineral-oil dispersions that leave non-volatile residues and carry cation loads. Silicone-based defoamers are effective at reducing dynamic surface tension below 20 mN/m, but they can induce dewetting and crater formation on silicon, silicon nitride, and organic bottom anti-reflective coatings. Industrial antifoams usually contain chloride at 10–100 ppm and total trace metals at 1–50 ppm, which exceed contamination budgets for photoresist film stacks.
DF-EL-200 uses a silicone-free polyether-polyol ester structure. It is filtered at 0.05 µm, filled in an ISO 14644-1 Class 4 environment, and packaged in HDPE containers with nitrogen headspace. Thermogravimetric residue after 200 °C under nitrogen is ≤0.01 wt%, while typical industrial polyether and silicone emulsions leave 0.1–0.5 wt% and 0.05–0.2 wt% respectively. This lower non-volatile residue reduces lens contamination concerns in high-NA 193 nm scanners.
| Characteristic | DF-EL-200 Electronic/EL | General industrial polyether defoamer | Silicone defoamer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base chemistry | Silicone-free polyether-polyol ester | Polyether/mineral oil blend | Polydimethylsiloxane emulsion |
| Chloride | ≤0.5 ppm | 10–100 ppm | 1–10 ppm |
| Total trace metals, per element | ≤100 ppb | 1–50 ppm | 0.5–5 ppm |
| Particle count ≥0.1 µm | ≤25 particles/mL | ≥1,000 particles/mL | ≥500 particles/mL |
| Non-volatile residue at 200 °C | ≤0.01 wt% | 0.1–0.5 wt% | 0.05–0.2 wt% |
| Surface tension of 0.1 wt% in PGMEA | 26–28 mN/m | 24–30 mN/m | <20 mN/m |
| Dosage window | 50–500 ppm | 100–2,000 ppm | 10–200 ppm |
The surface tension of a 0.1 wt% dispersion of DF-EL-200 in PGMEA is 26–28 mN/m at 20 °C per ASTM D1331, whereas silicone defoamers can depress surface tension below 20 mN/m and create re-wetting defects. The controlled surface tension depression is sufficient to destabilize foam films but not so low that it produces craters. The dosage window is narrower for DF-EL-200 compared with industrial defoamers; this is an intentional consequence of high active content and low impurity background.
Exposure to air and humidity is controlled. At relative humidity above 60 %, unopened product should be stored with desiccant and, after first opening, used within 30 days; water ingress can hydrolyze ester linkages and shift pH. Avoid combination with amine-based additives because amine functionality can protonate the polyether-polyol ester and reduce defoaming efficiency in chemically amplified resists. Do not expose to direct ultraviolet light for more than 8 h; prolonged UV exposure can generate peroxides that interfere with photoacid generation. Long-term storage should remain at 5–30 °C in sealed amber glass or fluorinated HDPE. Unopened shelf life is 12 months from the date of filling. Before each use, the container should be purged with nitrogen and filtered through a 0.1 µm PTFE point-of-use filter if the bulk has been opened. These operational boundaries are derived from production-scale dispensing records; site-specific validation with the target photoresist filtration and dispense system remains mandatory.
