US Patent 7682458 Aqueous based residue removers comprising fluoride

A composition and method comprising same for selectively removing residues such as, for example, ashed photoresist and/or processing residues are disclosed herein. In one aspect, there is provided a composition for removing residue wherein the composition has a pH ranging from about 2 to about 9 comprising: a buffer solution comprising an organic acid and a conjugate base of the organic acid in a molar ratio of acid to base ranging from 10:1 to 1:10; a fluoride, and water, provided that the composition is substantially free of an added organic solvent. In another aspect, the composition may further comprise a corrosion inhibitor.