Glossary comparison
Photomask vs Photoresist: what is the difference?
The difference
The photoresist is the light-sensitive film on the wafer. The mask is the master plate the light passes through, or reflects from, before reaching it.
The photomask carries the pattern that is projected; the photoresist is the film on the wafer that records it.
The two terms
Photomask
The patterned master plate, normally a quartz substrate with a chrome or molybdenum silicide absorber, whose image is projected onto the wafer. One is needed for every patterned layer in a process.
Photoresist
The light-sensitive polymer film coated on the wafer whose solubility changes where it is exposed, forming the three-dimensional mask for the subsequent etch or implant.
Side by side
| Field | Photomask | Photoresist |
|---|---|---|
| Stands for | Not an abbreviation | Not an abbreviation |
| Type | Component | Material |
| Domain | Lithography & Materials | Lithography & Materials |
| Group | Photomasks | Photoresist |