New photoresists are provides that are suitable for short wavelength
imaging, particularly sub-170 nm such as 157 nm. Resists of the invention
comprise a fluorine-containing polymer, a photoactive component, and a
solvent component. Preferred solvents for use on the resists of the
invention can maintain the resist components in solution and include one
or more preferably two or more (i.e. blends) of solvents. In particularly
preferred solvent blends of the invention, each blend member evaporates at
substantially equal rates, whereby the resist composition maintains a
substantially constant concentration of each blend member.
