Abstract
Spin coating is one of the simplest methods for depositing solution-derived thin films onto flat substrates of moderate size. This process is used for the deposition of photoresists, antireflection coatings, dielectric layers, and passivating layers (like spin-on-glass) during the fabrication of integrated circuitry. And, it is one of the key methods for depositing CSD ferroelectric coatings. As the trend toward smaller devices continues, the uniformity of these thin films is increasingly important in achieving optimum device performance. While the process is conceptually quite simple, there are cases where the characteristics of the coating solution may be perturbed by the flow and evaporation processes that are inherent to this process, sometimes causing process-related defects in the final coating. Therefore, the first part of this chapter is aimed at presenting the basic operation of the spin coating process and the connection to basic fluid flow physics. Later parts of this chapter are used to examine some of the cases where coating solution properties can lead to defects and/or thickness variations. In most cases we desire completely flat and uniform coatings, however there may be some situations where texturing is required at the micro and nano scale.