Photo-resist stripping process using atmospheric micro-plasma system

Abstract

A capillary electrode based micro-plasma system was utilized to evaluate the photo-resist stripping effect. Argon and nitrogen micro-plasmas were, respectively, employed as the working gas and ignited under atmospheric pressure. The result showed that the latter system required a much higher breakdown voltage than the former one to keep the micro-plasma in a steady state. Nitrogen micro-plasma with the inclusion of atmospheric oxygen was relatively rich in N, O-containing varieties, which thereafter induced complex reactions, e.g. by forming C–N,O structures, with the chemical substances on the photo-resist surface and required extensive treatment time to complete the photo-resist stripping process. In contrast, the use of atmospheric argon micro-plasma was very successful in increasing the photo-resist stripping rate. It is presumable that for this particular process, a simple physical effect with reduced reaction steps is highly proficient in removing photo-resist molecules from the substrate. One may therefore adjust the composition of atmospheric micro-plasma for an effective treatment on a coating.