The development of a water-developable negative photoresist from beta-CD using an acid-catalyzed chemical amplification method is investigated here. Tertiary butoxyl protected beta-cyclodextrin (t-BOC-CD) is also synthesized and used to prepare a positive photoresist. Glutaraldehyde is added as a crosslinking agent for both positive and negative photoresists. Deprotection of t-BOC-CD is accelerated by a photo-induced acid. In the presence of glutaraldehyde and acid, both the deprotected t-BOC-CD and beta-cyclodextrin are crosslinked. The introduction of a t-butoxyl group into the beta-CD molecule and the addition of glutaraldehyde into the beta-CD molecules are both found to decrease the crystallinity of the molecules, improving the resist film properties. The etching resistance of both positive and negative photoresist films is improved by the crosslinking method. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.