Epoxy Methacrylate Resin as Binder Polymer for Black Negative-Tone Photoresists

Epoxy acrylate (EA) resin, which originates from epoxides, has long been served as a photocurable coating and adhesive material owing to its double bonds. Specifically, alkaline-developable EA resins can be used as a binder polymer in negative-tone photoresists. In this work, we synthesized a series of acidic polyester-type epoxy methacrylate resins, characterized the intermediates and products, and tested their performance as a binder polymer for the photolithographic micro-patterning of the pixel-defining layer on organic light-emitting diodes in comparison to a widely used commercial binder polymer. Copolymer-type binder polymer BP-2-2 was produced excellent patterning with no residue due to its high compatibility with the black mill base.