Quartz crystal microbalance thin-film dissolution rate monitor

We describe the details of construction and operation of an instrument useful for the characterization of dissolution kinetics of thin films. This device, based on a quartz crystal microbalance operating in contact with a liquid, avoids the limitations associated with the use of optical, electrical, and mechanical dissolution rate measurement techniques. The QCM rate monitor has general application to the measurement of the kinetics of dissolution of transparent and opaque thin films such as dielectrics, metals, and polymeric resists.