Stainless Steel Surface Pre-Treatment for Dry Film Photoresist Adhesion

March 2001

Dr. Elke Kotur, Macdermid, Inc., Electronics Imaging

Different cleaning processes on stainless steel were tested to enhance dry film adhesion. It was found that using an alkaline cleaner followed by a well-balanced mixture of acids, acid salts and activators provides an excellent surface for dry film adhesion. Several Aquamer dry film resists were compared on different types of stainless steel (Type 301, 302, 304, 316, 321, 327, 410, 430, and 440). Adhesion and resolution were used to make quantitative measurements to characterize dry film performance. Comparative data on a variety of Aquamer dry films versus different stainless steels are included.