Abstract: A positive photoresist aqueous alkaline two-step developing method is provided that gives a high contrast to the photoresist.The developer disclosed comprises a formulation of aqueous alkali-base such as potassium hydroxide and a fluorocarbon or carboxylated surfactant. The incorporation of the fluorocarbon or carboxylated surfactant provides the unexpected increase in the contrast of the photoresist. A double dip method in effecting development of the exposed film is used. The contrast and sensitivity of the photoresist remains essentially unchanged over the life of the bath.The high contrast photoresist provides linewidth control and affords improved processing uniformity in photoresist imaging.