Japanese chemicals major Toray Industries is ready to roll out mass production of its STF-1000 photosensitive polyimide solution, a world-class material designed to revolutionize microfabrication. The company calls it “the fruit of its ongoing drive to push the envelope with its proprietary negative-type photosensitive technology.”
STF-1000 enables patterning with an unprecedented aspect ratio of 36 for films up to 500 micrometers thick. High-aspect-ratio patterning allows microstructures to be narrow and tall—key for cutting-edge electronics and MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems) applications.
Toray began shipping samples last year for customer evaluations in electronic components, MEMS, and other applications. MEMS technology integrates micro-mechanical components, sensors, and actuators using semiconductor-based microfabrication techniques.
The company’s innovation earned it The Chemical Society of Japan Award for Young Chemists in Technical Development for 2025. The recognition highlights Toray’s ability to maintain the inherent advantages of polyimide—heat and chemical resistance, mechanical strength, insulation, and UV durability—while achieving high-aspect-ratio patterning.
Photolithography, the process underpinning STF-1000, produces high-resolution patterns across large areas by coating substrates with photosensitive materials and exposing them to light to form circuit patterns. This technique is central to manufacturing semiconductors, liquid crystal displays, and sensors.
“The rising need to miniaturize and densely integrate electronic components has driven the development of MEMS devices,” Toray noted, pointing to the surge in demand for photosensitive materials that can withstand high-aspect-ratio patterning in thick films. Conventional materials often fail above 200 micrometers, suffering from delamination or cracking.
Toray addressed this challenge by enhancing its polymer design for negative-tone photosensitive materials. The result: a polyimide that “can suppress pattern distortion and cracking even in thick films,” enabling a remarkable aspect ratio of 36 in films thicker than 200 micrometers.
The material supports diverse patterns, including semiconductor vias and MEMS structures, and is also suited for scintillator panels in X-ray non-destructive testing equipment. Future applications range from advanced semiconductors to microfluidic devices.
In 2025, Toray developed STF-2000, a photosensitive polyimide free of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, focusing on applications in electronic components and microfluidics.
Looking ahead, Toray plans to leverage its strengths in synthetic organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, biotechnology, and nanotechnology to drive R&D in groundbreaking materials. The company reaffirmed its commitment to delivering new value and contributing to social progress.
