Publication date: 15th December 2025
SU-8 photoresist thin films are widely used epoxy-based polymers in nanofabrication. Their mechanical performance and viscoelastic behaviours are strongly influenced by thermal treatment, which is crucial for device performance and longevity.
Despite extensive use, quantitative data linking individual baking steps to near surface mechanical behaviour remain limited.
Our aim was to show a set up where systematic comparison across baking stages can be seen using the same nanoindentation.
Samples were fabricated using the spin coating technique to develop thin SU-8 films on silicon wafers followed by standard baking phases. To study the mechanical behaviour quasi-static nanoindentation measurements were performed along with creep measurements to evaluate the viscoelasticity. The Oliver-Pharr method was used to determine the modulus of elasticity and hardness of the samples.
The elastic modulus showed minimal variation across baking stages, remaining close to 6 GPa indicating that film stiffness is largely preserved throughout curing. In contrast, hardness increased statistically significantly following post-bake and hard-bake treatments, consistent with cross-linking of the polymer network near the surface. Creep measurements further revealed a reduction in viscoelastic deformation during the baking phases, demonstrating enhanced resistance to time-dependent strain in more cured films.
These results demonstrate that nanoindentation is an effective technique for examining mechanical evolution of polymer films across baking stages. Our findings provide insight into how thermal processing influences the mechanical properties of SU-8 coatings and offer possible gateways for optimizing thin-film performance in micro- and nanoscale fabrication processes.
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