SU-8 Photoresist Portfolio

Background

A European biomedical engineering laboratory was developing a lab-on-a-chip system for rapid biological sample separation and analysis. The device required high-precision microchannels with vertical sidewalls and chemical resistance for repeated fluid handling.

Challenge

Traditional positive photoresists failed to maintain structural integrity during:

• Wet chemical processing
• Long-term aqueous exposure
• High-aspect-ratio channel fabrication

The team required a material capable of forming stable microfluidic molds with thickness above 100 μm.

Solution (Alfa Chemistry SU-8 Photoresist)

The research group selected Alfa Chemistry SU-8 2050 and SU-8 2100 series to fabricate master molds via standard photolithography:

• Single spin-coating to achieve thick resist layers
• UV exposure and post-exposure bake for full crosslinking
• Development to form sealed microchannel structures

Result

• Achieved uniform microchannels with aspect ratio >15:1 
• Excellent structural stability during long-term aqueous flow tests
• Successfully integrated into PDMS-based microfluidic chips

Outcome

The SU-8-based master molds significantly improved fabrication reproducibility and enabled scalable production of microfluidic diagnostic chips.

Background

A U.S.-based MEMS research group was developing a miniaturized pressure sensing platform for industrial fluid monitoring applications.

Challenge

The device required:

• High mechanical strength microstructures
• Precise lithographic patterning for cantilever elements
• Compatibility with metal deposition and etching steps

Conventional resists could not maintain dimensional stability after thermal curing.

Solution (Alfa Chemistry SU-8 Photoresist)

The team used Alfa Chemistry SU-8 2010 and SU-8 2025 formulations as structural layers for MEMS fabrication:

• Spin-coated SU-8 layers defining cantilever geometry
• UV lithography for precise pattern transfer
• Hard bake to enhance mechanical rigidity
• Followed by metal coating for sensing electrodes

Result

• High-resolution microcantilever structures successfully fabricated
• Improved mechanical stability under cyclic loading
• Reliable integration with downstream metallization processes

Outcome

The SU-8 structures enabled the development of a stable MEMS pressure sensor platform suitable for industrial prototype validation.

Background

An Asian photonics laboratory was working on on-chip optical waveguides and micro-optical alignment structures for integrated photonic devices.

Challenge

The fabrication process required:

• Transparent polymer structures with precise geometry
• Low optical loss waveguide patterns
• High thickness control for multi-layer optical routing

Conventional polymer systems suffered from deformation and poor optical uniformity.

Solution (Alfa Chemistry SU-8 Photoresist)

The research team implemented Alfa Chemistry SU-8 2005 and SU-8 2015 grades:

• Multi-step spin coating for controlled thickness layers
• Deep-UV lithography for waveguide patterning
• Thermal curing to stabilize refractive index profile

Result

• Successfully fabricated low-loss polymer waveguides (<0.05 dB/cm equivalent reported range in literature systems) 
• Achieved multi-layer optical routing capability
• High structural precision for fiber alignment features

Outcome

The SU-8 platform enabled rapid prototyping of integrated photonic components for lab-scale optical communication systems.