Patent ID: 8067147

Claim:
A method of irradiating a surface of a photosensitive layer (L 2 ) on a substrate (L 1 ) immersed in a fluid (L 3 ), where said irradiation is performed through a removable transparent spacer layer (L 4 ) to pattern said photosensitive layer (L 2 ), the method comprising: applying said photosensitive layer (L 2 ) to a top surface of said substrate (L 1 ), applying a removable protective transparent layer (L 4 ) to a top surface of the photosensitive layer (L 2 ), wherein the removable protective transparent layer (L 4 ) serves to space apart the photosensitive layer (L 2 ) from the immersion fluid (L 3 ), immersing the removable protective transparent layer (L 4 ) in an immersion fluid without dissolving it, projecting electromagnetic radiation at a first wavelength onto the top surface of the photosensitive layer (L 2 ) through the immersion fluid (L 3 ) and through the removable protective transparent layer (L 4 ), and altering the solubility of the removable protective transparent layer (L 4 ) after the immersion in the immersion fluid by a flood exposure at a second wavelength different from the first wavelength of the projected electromagnetic radiation to ensure that the protective transparent layer (L 4 ) is fully dissolvable, and dissolving the removable protective transparent layer (L 4 ) in a developer solution thereby exposing the photosensitive layer (L 2 ) to the developer solution, thus allowing the photosensitive layer (L 2 ) to be developed; wherein the thickness of the removable protective transparent layer (L 4 ) is greater than or equal to 200 nm.