WS-650-23B Spin Coater

Available Options

Chucks and Adapters: Most Laurell Spin Coaters come standard with a vacuum chuck and fragment adapter. There are also thousands of other standard and custom chucks or adapters to choose from.  Details

In-Deck Mounting (IND): Allows the fully-sealed spin processor to be permanently installed into a wet bench with remotely-mounted controller.  Details

On-Deck Mounting (OND): Features an earthquake-proof base mounting with remotely mounted controller. Commonly used with glovebox or wet-bench mounting.  Details

Liners: Removable, reusable process chamber liners, made from FEP Teflon®, are available for every model, and one is included with every HL Series Spin Coater.

Teflon® Housing: Substitute NPP with Teflon® for use with processes that require chemistry to be dispensed at elevated temperatures.  Details

WS-650-23B Spin Coater Specifications

Process Controller: The 650-series process controller utilizes a robust microprocessor and, with the use of its accompanying PC software (written in an object-oriented programming language), it achieves nearly unheard of flexibility both in process definition and use. This controller allows operator interaction in real-time during the process execution including pausing time, stopping and continuing on from that point. The system can and will be continually updated easily and quickly in the field with downloadable firmware revisions. (We plan ahead at Laurell!)

Researchers worldwide have developed unique processes which will ONLY run with the level of control sophistication we offer. The 650-series controller can also be used in conjunction with a PC with Spin 3000, Laurell's exclusive process management software. However, this is NOT required to program or run the equipment. The use of a PC adds the ability to record a process as it's run, operate remotely, program or communicate across a LAN or the Internet. The software, which is supplied at no additional cost, allows the operator to create virtual process simulations even beyond the hardware actually installed spin processor, in effect, letting them try it before they commit to a process. All 650 systems can be upgraded or re-purposed without return to the factory with simple plug-in modules, either actually or virtually, and can contain a virtually unlimited number of processes and steps.

A Brief Description: The housing for this system is typically made from a solid co-polymer blend exclusive to Laurell Technologies. Unlike pure Natural Polypropylene, this material is able to resist solvents and strong acids and bases. Samples are available for testing and verification upon request. A solid PTFE Hostaflon® TFM-1600 / Teflon® AF housing is available (popular for high temperature chemistry and sub-micron particle studies).

Laurell's unique internal bowl design eliminates splash back, making it unnecessary to install "splash rings." Our Exhausted Drain Adapter with removable reservoir is as functional as it is convenient.

The closed bowl design, coupled with the precision of the process controller, allows most coating materials to dry in a quiescent state, increasing uniformity and minimizing particle contamination. The upper plenum closes inside the base to provide an overlapping seal, and the inside of the lid has a special gutter to channel fluid to the rear of the system to discourage chemicals from accidentally dripping onto the substrate.

A proprietary labyrinth seal protects the motor and control electronics from chemical contamination. This seal provides the process chamber with Nitrogen purge and has been proven to be particle-free on a sub-micron level during field testing. The system's lid is chemically resistant, and only ECTFE-coated 316 stainless steel screws are used in some non-wetted areas throughout the system.

Need more details? See WS-650 Coater / Universal Spin Processor.

Operator and System Safety

Safety

Complete electrical isolation from the operator, fool-proof door interlock, and ETL certification, UL, and CSA approval of components assure many years of safe, trouble-free performance. Interlocks prevent rotation when the vacuum switch has not been engaged and when the lid is open. All Laurell systems are CE and RoHS compliant, and all certificates are sent with each system. For more information, please visit the Safety page.

Process Safeguard

The "process safeguard" feature of all Laurell process controllers ensures that the same process cannot inadvertently be run on the same substrate. This feature can easily be bypassed to run the same process again without opening the system or a sequence can be run over and over (looping).

Required Facilities

N₂ Process/Seal Purge: 60–70 PSIG (4–5 bar) of Nitrogen/CDA is required to pressurize the labyrinth-type motor seal. This gas also purges the process chamber. The gas consumption is very low, at 3 cubic feet per hour (0.085 m³/hour) for our standard motor, and 20 cubic feet per hour (0.566 m³/hour) for our High Performance motor. 10 feet (300 cm) of 3/16 inch (~4 mm) inside diameter X 1/4 inch (~6 mm) outside diameter PE tubing is provided.

Vacuum: 25–28 inches (~635–711mm) Hg of vacuum with a flow volume of 4.5 SCFM (0.127 cubic meters/minute) at 0 inches Hg is suggested. 10 feet (300 cm) of 3/8 inch (~9.5 mm) outside diameter X 1/4 inch (~6 mm) inside diameter PE tubing is provided.

Power: 95 to 240VAC, 47/63HZ, ~300 Watts

Processes supported

The WS-650 series is typically employed for Solvent, Base or Acid-based processing: Coating, Etching, Developing, Rinsing-Drying and Cleaning. While all of these process are supported, Laurell recommends single-use only, due to known material conflicts. For example, Photoresist and Developer (cross-contamination), and SC-1 & SC-2 (HCl + NH₄OH), creating NH₄Cl, a hazardous inhalation risk. Many dispense options, both manual and automatic, are available.

Continued Process Development:

A spray coating technique is currently in the prototype stage, focusing on our MEMS Customers. We believe there is a more straightforward and affordable approach for uniformly coating high-aspect-ratio features found in MEMS work. We are currently looking for a few partners to help with beta-testing the system. If you have such an interest, please contact us with your specific needs.