Method of etching polyimide

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods of etching polyimide from a substrate and to the etched substrates prepared according to such methods. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method of etching polyimide from a substrate, comprising the steps of: providing a basic bath; ultrasonically agitating said basic bath; exposing said substrate containing polyimide to said basic bath; rinsing said substrate with hot water; optionally repeating the aforementioned steps at least once; and recovering an etched substrate. In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method of etching polyimide from a substrate, comprising the steps of: providing a basic bath; exposing said substrate containing polyimide to said basic bath; rinsing said substrate with hot water; maintaining the high loading capacity of said basic bath after exposure of polyimide to said basic bath, comprising cooling at least a portion of said basic bath thereby precipitating particles and separating the particles from said basic bath prior to reuse of said basic bath; and recovering an etched substrate.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.