Patent Document ID: 4628023
Application ID: 06846824
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. An aqueous metal ion-free developer composition for developing an image in an exposed photoresist consisting essentially of a mixture of a metal ion-free alkali hydroxide as a source of alkalinity and a metal ion-free surfactant, said source of alkalinity being a lower alkyl quaternary ammonium hydroxide and said surfactant being one or more quaternary ammonium compounds that differs from the alkali hydroxide, but conforms to the general formula: ##STR6## wherein R.sup.1 is a saturated or unsaturated, straight or branched chain hydrocarbon having from 6 to 20 carbon atoms, and from 0 to 3 atoms, provided that each oxygen atom is separated from another by at least one carbon atom, and which is alkoxy substituted or unsubstituted; R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 are the same or different where each is selected from the group of alkyl having from 1 to 3 carbon atoms and (R.sup.5 O).sub.n H, wherein R.sup.5 is alkylene having from 1 to 3 carbon atoms and n is an integer of from 1 to 20; or R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 together is a member selected from the group of a cycloaliphatic hydrocarbon having from 2 to 8 carbon atoms with from 0 to 2 heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of O, N, and S, provided that each heteroatom is separated from another heteroatom and from the quaternary nitrogen by at least one carbon atom; and a cycloaromatic hydrocarbon having from 2 to 8 carbons with from 0 to 2 nitrogen heteroatoms, provided that each nitrogen is separated from another and from the quaternary nitrogen by at least 1 carbon atom; R.sup.4 is a member selected from the group of a saturated or unsaturated, straight or branched hydrocarbon having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms; (R.sup.5 O).sub.n H as defined above; phenalkyl, wherein the alkyl moiety has from 0 to 3 carbon atoms; and ##STR7## where m is an integer of from 1 to 4, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 are as defined above, and R.sup.6 is a saturated, straight or branched hydrocarbon having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms or (R.sup.5 O).sub.n H as defined above; and X is a member selected from the group of halo, hydroxy, silicate, and the corresponding amino oxide of said quaternary ammonium compounds; said alkali being present in sufficient quantity to provide a photoresist developer having a pH of at least 11 and said surfactant being present in a quantity sufficient to reduce the exposure energy required to form a latent image in a photoresist by at least 20 percent compared to said developer free of said surfactant.