Process for preparing stable photoresist compositions

1. A method of making a stable photoresist solution containing a polymer from a solution of a polymer containing trace metals, said method which consists of the steps of:

(a) providing a polymer solution containing a polymer, a first solvent and trace metals;

(b) passing said polymer solution through an acidic cation ion exchange material to remove said trace metals therefrom and thereby forming a polymer solution containing free acid radicals;

(c) precipitating said polymer from said polymer solution of step b by contacting with a second solvent wherein the polymer is substantially insoluble therein;

(d) filtering said solution and said second solvent to thereby form a solid polymer cake;

(e) contacting said cake from step d with sufficient quantities of additional said second solvent in order to remove free acid radicals therefrom;

(f) adding a compatible photoresist solvent to said solid polymer cake from step e and mixing the two in order to dissolve said polymer in said photoresist solvent and thereby forming a photoresist solution; and

(g) removing any residual first and second solvents from said photoresist solution containing said polymer to form a stable photoresist solution.

2. The process as set forth in claim 1 wherein the first solvent is an alcoholic solvent.

3. The process as set forth in claim 1 wherein the second solvent is selected from the group consisting of water, hexanes, heptanes, octanes, petroleum ether, ligroin, lower alkyl halohydrocarbons, and mixtures thereof.

4. The process as set forth in claim 2 wherein said alcoholic solvent is selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, propanol, isoproponal, t-butanol, and mixtures thereof.

5. A method of making a stable polymer from a solution of a polymer containing trace metals, said method which consists of the steps of:

(a) providing a polymer solution containing a polymer, a first solvent and trace metals;

(b) passing said polymer solution through an acidic cation ion exchange material to remove said trace metals therefrom and thereby forming a polymer solution containing free acid radicals;

(c) precipitating said polymer from said polymer solution of step b by contacting with a second solvent wherein the polymer is substantially insoluble therein;

(d) filtering said solution and said second solvent to thereby form a solid polymer cake; (e) contacting said cake from step d with sufficient quantities of additional said second solvent in order to remove free acid radicals therefrom; and

(f) removing any residual first and second solvents from said polymer to form a stable polymer.

6. The process as set forth in claim 1 wherein the first solvent is any solvent wherein the polymer is substantially soluble therein.

7. The process as set forth in claim 1 wherein the second solvent is any solvent wherein the polymer is substantially insoluble therein.