What is resist in art?

Answer 1

Hey Dieu Linh,

In semiconductor fabrication, "resist" refers to both:

1. A thin layer used to transfer a circuit pattern to the semiconductor substrate which it is deposited upon. A resist can be patterned via lithography to form a (sub)micrometer-scale, temporary mask that protects selected areas of the underlying substrate during subsequent processing steps.
2. The material used to prepare said thin layer (typically a viscous solution). Resists are generally proprietary mixtures of a polymer or its precursor and other small molecules (e.g. photoacid generators) that have been specially formulated for a given lithography technology. Resists used during photolithography are called photoresists.

Answer 2

Putting a substance down that prevents (resists) another substance. Example: putting down rubber frisket or rubber cement on watercolor paper, letting it dry, then painting over/around it. After the watercolor paint is dry, the rubber cement can be rolled away. The area of paper protected by the rubber cement will have "resisted" the paint and remain clean.

Another example would be wax resist in batik dying. The wax is applied to the fabric in a design, the fabric is dyed, the wax is removed and the area under it is unaffected by the last dye applied.