Dissolution Mechanism of Resist Polymers

Reiser, Photoreactive Polymers The Science and Technology of Resists, p. 200, John Wiley Sons, Hoboken, NJ (1989). 

Ueberreiter and F. Asmussen, Velocity of dissolution of polymers. Part I, J. Polym. Sci. 57, 187 (1962) F. Asmussen and K. Ueberreiter, Velocity of dissolution of polymers. Part II, J. Polym. Sci. 57, 199 (1962). 

Alfrey, Jr., E.F. Gurnee, and W.O. Lloyd, Diffusion in glassy polymers, J. Polym. Sci., Part C Polymer Symposia, 12, 249 (1960). 

In the following section, we discuss in some depth the dissolution mechanism of phenolic polymer resists such as novolac and poly(hydroxy styrene) resins, as well as those of acrylate and alicyclic resist polymer platforms. The development of phenolic polymer resins involves similar dissolution stages. Unlike their counterparts that are solvent developable, such as his-azide/cis-polyisoprene negative resists that require some degree of swelling for their dissolution, these phenolic polymer resists do not require such adverse swelling for dissolution.  

---