TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - CERAMICS AND GLASS - Preferred Component: The predetermined material includes glass.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The surface is processed by etching according to the predetermined pattern. Preferred Component: The predetermined material includes dielectrics such as silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, transparent conducting oxides, metals such as aluminum, copper, silver, gold, tin and lead or their alloys and semiconductor materials including silicon, germanium, gallium-arsenide, indium phosphide, or alloys such as silicon-germanium or aluminum-gallium-arsenide, indium-selenide, gallium-selenide, cadmium-telluride or copper indium gallium selenide. The deposition composition contains a source of fluoride ions including ammonium fluoride, sodium fluoride or lithium fluoride. The etching results in openings in a dielectric layer (110) of a silicon solar cell device. The openings are used to form metal contacts to the silicon solar device. A component of a deposition composition comprises an oxidizing agent for the predetermined material to be etched. The oxidizing agent is nitric acid or hydrogen peroxide.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Component: The source of fluoride ions includes tetra alkyl ammonium fluoride.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Component: The layer comprising the first component, extending over the region of the surface to be processed is a gel or solid layer. The solution containing the first component also contains an additive which enhances or catalyzes the processing of the surface. The surface is a surface of a predetermined material including organic resins and other polymers comprising pattern mask materials. The surface layer contains an acidic polymer layer including polyacrylic acid, polystyrene sulfate, acidic polythiophene derivative, acidic polyaniline derivative, or a water soluble phenolic resin. Preferred Method: The method of applying the solution containing the first component comprises a flow-on method, a spin-on method, a spray coating method or an inkjet printing method.