Hardmasks are necessary when the material being etched is itself an organic polymer. Anything used to etch this material will also etch the photoresist being used to define its patterning since that is also an organic polymer. This arises, for instance, in the patterning of low-κ dielectric insulation layers used in VLSI fabrication. Polymers tend to be etched easily by oxygen, fluorine, chlorine and other reactive gases used in plasma etching.