International Business Machines Corporation

Christian Lalonde

Douglas Adam Cywar

Don H Hess

The present invention provides a process for rendering acrylic based negative photoresists resistant to hot alkaline permanganate etchant and the iron chloride etchant and for improving the adhesion of the photoresist to the substrate, yet does not require halogenated reagents to develop or strip the photoresist. It has been discovered that the degradation of acrylic based negative photoresists by the permanganate etchant may be overcome by exposing an imaged acrylic based negative photoresist to select wavelengths of actinic radiation either ultraviolet light that is rich in deep UV, about 254 nm wavelength; or infrared radiation from about 2.4 to about 8 microns. Where UV radiation is used, the photoresist is then baked to reduce undercutting of the photoresist. Thereafter, the photoresist is stripped using nonhalocarbon solvents.

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Brossard, Canada

Christian Lalonde