Hi Shane, The manufacturer recommends the use of an optical filter to reduce the wavelengths exposing SU-8. From the SU-8 2000 series datasheet: > To obtain vertical sidewalls in the SU-8 2000 resist, we > recommend the use of a long pass filter to eliminate UV > radiation below 350 nm. With the recommended filter (PL- > 360-LP) from Omega Optical (www.omegafilters.com) or > Asahi Technoglass filters V-42 plus UV-D35 (www.atgc.co.jp), > an increase in exposure time of > approximately 40% is required to reach the optimum > exposure dose. Note that the resist itself has a sharp knee in its optical response curve (around 360 nm if I recall correctly), so that the resist itself effectively functions as a short-pass filter. Thus, the use of the recommended 350 nm long- pass filter in conjunction with the resist's own optical properties has the effect of selecting a narrow wavelength range for exposure. Microchem also has some other suggestions in its SU-8 FAQ ( http://microchem.com/su_eight_faq.htm ): > How do I produce SU-8 structures with near vertical sidewalls in very thick films? > SU-8 and SU-8 2000 resists are optically transparent and highly functional, which permits high aspect ratio structures in very thick films to be imaged with optimized lithographic processes. Optimization techniques include; spectral shaping of the exposure bandwidth- remove shorter wavelengths that are absorbed in the upper portion of the resist film and result in negatively sloped sidewalls; fine tuning the exposure dose and post exposure bake (PEB) process in order to obtain uniform cross-link density throughout the resist film and by optimizing the prebake and develop process. For more information about suggested baseline processes, please refer to our SU-8 and SU-8 2000 technical data sheets or your SU-8 technical sales representative. Best, Mike Whitson On Dec 6, 2013, at 1:25, SHANE GUOwrote: > Hi all, > > We have a UV light source which is being used for exposing SU-8. It is not a mask aligner with an advanced UV source but it still works for patterning SU-8 features that are more than 100um wide with an aspect ratio of 0.5. However, I found that the side walls are not very vertical for narrow(smaller than 30um) and tall (over 200um) features. > > I believe the UV light is the culprit, which is not very directional so the side walls are tapered, especially for those tall and narrow features. > > Does anyone know if there is a way to improve the directionality of the light source? > > > Best > _______________________________________________ > Hosted by the MEMS and Nanotechnology Exchange, the country's leading > provider of MEMS and Nanotechnology design and fabrication services. > Visit us at http://www.mems-exchange.org > > Want to advertise to this community? See http://www.memsnet.org > > To unsubscribe: > http://mail.mems-exchange.org/mailman/listinfo/mems-talk _______________________________________________ Hosted by the MEMS and Nanotechnology Exchange, the country's leading provider of MEMS and Nanotechnology design and fabrication services. Visit us at http://www.mems-exchange.org Want to advertise to this community? See http://www.memsnet.org To unsubscribe: http://mail.mems-exchange.org/mailman/listinfo/mems-talk