--On Monday, March 22, 2004 3:12 PM -0800 Phillipe Tabada
 wrote:

> Hi Yonduck
>
>   You can use the STS to deposit a teflon like layer to help you peel PDMS
> off the substrate.  Usually a two minute run of only passivation gases
> using
> the standard recipe should be sufficient for your needs.  The layer should
> last you for about 5-10 runs before you need to remove the layer and
> redeposit the coat.  You also need to recondition the STS chamber after
> you
> run this process.

Phil,

Are you certain about this? I have tried this myself using the CMU Nanofab
STS, and I was not impressed by the performance of that passivation layer
as a release agent. I found that I got much better performance by coating
my molds with a fluorosilane from United Chemical Technologies (put a few
drops in a vial, put vial and molds in standard lab dessicator and connect
to house vacuum, wait an hour or two).

Alik Widge
Doctoral Student
MEMS Laboratory
Carnegie Mellon University