Effect of dye additives on photodimerization of thymine pendant groups in water-soluble photoresist polymers

The short wavelength UV-induced photocross-linking of vinylbenzylthymine (VBT) based photoresist polymers was investigated in a polymer-dye water soluble system. The goal of the study was to determine whether the presence of UV-absorbing dye additives would prevent the photocrosslinking from occurring. It was found that the photoreactivity of the VBT polymer was not hindered significantly even when the amount of dye additive was comparable to the amount of thymine. Further, adding dyes to the photoresist allowed obtaining good quality images in one step. This study may provide a basis for testing VBT-containing polymers for use in controlled release applications.