2019 Volume 92 Issue 3 Pages 82-86
We have characterized the dispersion state of photoresist particles and their adsorption/desorption behavior onto an ITO substrate in a mixture of ethylene carbonate (EC) and propylene carbonate (PC). We have also demonstrated the effect of addition of Pluronic surfactant (F-68) on the dispersion state and the adsorption/desorption behavior of the photoresist particles. The addition of water in the EC/PC mixed solvent caused the aggregation of the photoresist particles, whereas the dispersion samples were visually transparent under the coaddition of F-68. This indicates that F-68 adsorbs on the photoresist particles and improves the dispersion state of the photoresist particles in the presence of water. Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) measurements demonstrated that the residual amount of photoresist particles on the ITO surface after rinsing by the solvent significantly increased with increasing water concentration in the EC/PC mixed solvent without F-68. In contrast, the residual amount decreased in the mixture of EC/PC and water with F-68, suggesting that the poly(ethylene oxide) chains of F-68 adsorbed on the ITO and photoresist surfaces prevent the particles from their adsorption as a result of the steric effect in the mixed solvent.
