Water soluble electrically conducting polymers

Summary form only given. Polyanaline is a family of electrically conducting polymers. Various polyaniline derivatives have been found to be viable in a number of lithographic applications. These have included charge dissipators for electron-beam lithography and SEM mask metrology, conducting resists, and imageable metal seeders. Most of the polyanilines to date have been processed in organic solvents. This paper introduces a novel series of polyaniline derivatives, PanAquas, which are water soluble in the conducting form and thus, eliminate environmental concerns of organic solvents. As these materials can be easily applied and removed in water, they can be used as removable charge dissipators in a number of lithographic areas replacing metals which often need to be sputtered or plated. By incorporating cross-linkable functionality on the backbone of these derivatives , the polyanilines can be made to cure upon irradiation. The cured polymers are no longer soluble and thus can be used as permanent conducting coatings for electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection. They can be applied as coatings on electronic component carriers replacing metals and carbon filled materials. The cross-linkable polyanilines can also be made into water developable conducting resists