Patent ID: 7399572

Claim:
A process for pretreating a substrate to be subjected to forming a relief pattern thereon by exposure to actinic radiation, the process comprising treating the substrate with a pretreatment composition prior to coating the substrate with a photosensitive composition, the pretreatment composition comprising: (1) at least one compound having structure VI V 1 —Y—V 2 VI wherein Y is selected from the group consisting of S, O, NR 2 , (HOCH) p , and wherein each R 1 is independently selected from the group consisting of H, an alkyl group, an alkenyl group, an alkynyl group, an alkoxy group, and a halogen, each R 2 is independently selected from the group consisting of H, SH, CH 3 , C 2 H 5 , and a linear or branched C 1 -C 4 alkyl group containing a thiol group; and wherein V 1 and V 2 are independently selected from the group consisting of wherein, m is independently an integer from 0 to 4 with the proviso that m=0 only when Y═ n is an integer from 1 to 5; p is an integer of from 1 to 4, and (2) at least one organic solvent; wherein the amount of the compound of Structure VI present in the composition is effective to inhibit residue from forming when a photosensitive composition is coated on the substrate and the resulting coated substrate is subsequently processed to form an image on the substrate, with the proviso that when a polybenzoxazole precursor polymer is used in a negative working photosensitive composition, Y cannot be (HOCH) p in structure VI.