Spin-coating process evolution and reproducibility for power-law fluids

A distinct development of an exact analytical solution for power-law fluids during the spin-coating process is presented for temporal and spatial thickness evolution, after steady state conditions are attained. This solution leads to the definition of a characteristic time, related to the memory of the initial thickness profile. Previously obtained experimental data, for several rotation speeds and carboxymetilcellulose concentrations in water, are quantitatively analyzed through the evaluation of their characteristic times and compared with theoretical predictions, thus allowing better understanding of thickness profile evolution and of process reproducibility.