Effects of the photoacid generator type on the imaging and thermal decomposition properties of photodefinable, thermally sacrificial poly(propylene carbonate) materials

Photosensitive, thermally sacrificial polymer systems consisting of poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) and a photoacid generator (PAG) were studied for use in the fabrication of buried microchannel systems such as microfluictic devices. Because the fabrication of microchannels was affected by the performance of these materials, changes in the imaging properties were monitored upon the variation of the PAG used in the system. Thin films of PPC loaded with a PAG were spin-cast onto silicon wafers, exposed to UV light to selectively generate acid, and placed on a hotplate to decompose the exposed regions. Properties such as the contrast, sensitivity, and amount of residue remaining after decomposition varied significantly, depending on the PAG used. The use of a metal-free, ionic methide PAG gave the best performance for formulating a chemically amplified, photosensitive, sacrificial polymer system based on PPC. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.