This paper describes an "environmentally friendly", water-castable, water-developable photoresist system. The chemically amplified negative-tone resist system consists of three water-soluble components: a polymer, poly(methyl acrylamidoglycolate methyl ether), [poly-(MAGME)]; a photoacid generator, (2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)dimethylsulfonium triflate, and a cross-linker, 1,4-butanediol. In the three-component resist system, the acid generated by photolysis of the photoacid generator catalyzes the cross-linking of poly(MAGME) in the exposed regions during postexposure baking, thus rendering the exposed regions insoluble in water. Negative-tone relief images are obtained by developing with pure water. The resist is able to resolve 1 µm line/space features (1:1 aspect ratio) with a deep-UV exposure dose of 100 mJ/cm 2 (dose to print). The resist can be used to generate etched copper relief images on printed circuit boards using aqueous sodium persulfate as the etchant. The mechanism of cross-linking has been investigated by model compound studies using 13 C NMR.

The feasibility of a chemically amplified fully water-soluble negative-tone resist based upon the cross-linking of a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) matrix resin has been demonstrated. Two-component resists incorporating PVA and (2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)dimethylsulfonium triflate as a water-soluble photoacid generator were formulated in deionized water and spincoated onto bare silicon wafers. Negative-tone images were obtained upon irradiation at 254 nm, postbaking, and subsequent development in pure water. The two-component resist suffered from swelling during development, but improved performance was obtained through the addition of a cross-linking agent, hexamethoxymethylmelamine (HMMM). The resulting three-component, water-soluble resist was able to resolve micron-sized images using a 248 nm stepper, at a dose of ca. 200 mJ/cm 2 . Model studies conducted using 13 C NMR monitoring with 2,4-pentanediol as a model for PVA showed that under acidic catalysis HMMM reacts to form active electrophilic species that add to the diol, affording ether linkages with concomitant liberation of methanol.

A family of water-soluble, negative-tone, high-resolution, chemically amplified photoresists based on partially or fully deprotected poly(1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-3-O-methacryloyl-α-d-glucofuranose) is described. Both the molecular weight of the parent ketal-protected polymer and the extent of its deprotection to a water-soluble polymer containing 3-O-methacryloyl-d-glucopyranose repeat units must be carefully controlled to provide good coating and imaging properties. The two ketal protecting groups of the poly(1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-α-d-glucofuranose) have different reactivity, and their complete removal requires long reaction times under hydrolytic conditions. The detailed deprotection chemistry of the polymer is readily understood through model studies with the fully and partially protected analogues of the polymer pendant groups:  1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-α-d-glucofuranose and 1,2-isopropylidene-α-d-glucopyranose. When combined with a water-soluble photochemical precursor of acid such as (4-methoxyphenyl)dimethylsulfonium trifluoromethanesulfonate, films of the deprotected or partially deprotected poly(1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-3-O-methacryloyl-α-d-glucofuranose) undergo acid-catalyzed cross-linking. The enhanced performance of the partially deprotected polymers over that of poly(3-O-methacryloyl-d-glucopyranose) suggests that the presence of remaining hydrophobic groups that afford water dispersibility rather than full solubility may be key to their performance. Imaged negative-tone features as small as 0.2 μm are obtained with these materials that have sensitivities of ca. 30 mJ/cm2 with wholly aqueous casting and processing.

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