Process of forming resist image in positive photoresist with thermally stable phenolic resin

Claim 1

The process of developing an image-wise exposed photoresist-coated substrate comprising: (1) coating said substrate with a light-sensitive composition useful as a positive working photoresist, said composition comprising an admixture of o-quinonediazide compound and a binder phenolic novolak resin comprising the product of a condensation reaction of an aldehyde comprising a haloacetaldehyde source or a mixture of an haloacetaldehyde source and a formaldehyde source with a phenolic monomer comprising at least one compound of the formula: ##STR3## wherein R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are individually selected from hydrogen or a one to four carbon alkyl group and wherein the ratio of total carbon atoms in the sum of R 1 , R 2 and R 3 to the total number of phenolic nuclei in said resin is from about 0.5:1 to about 1.5:1 in the presence of a solvent; said resin made by employing a molar ratio of total aldehyde to total phenolic monomers from about 0.33:1 to about 0.70:1, the amount of said o-quinonediazide compound or compounds being about 5% to about 40% by weight and the amount of said binder resin being about 60% to 95% by weight, based on the total nonvolatile solids content of said light-sensitive composition; (2) subjecting said coating on said substrate to an image-wise exposure of radiation; and (3) subjecting said image-wise exposed coated substrate to a developing solution wherein the exposed areas of said light-exposed coating are dissolved and removed from the substrate, thereby resulting in positive image-wise pattern in the coating.