Abstract: The present invention relates to a continuous electrochemical process for preparing zinc powder. The process involves providing to an electrochemical cell a suspension in a 1.25 Molar to 10.0 Molar aqueous alkaline solution of zinc oxide or any other zinc compound that reacts with an aqueous alkaline solution to produce zinc oxide, such that the solution or suspension comprises at least 2 millimoles of solubilized zinc based species per 100 grams of electrolyte. Current is passed to the cell at a current density of about 500 to 40,000 A/m2, for a time period sufficient to electrochemically reduce the solubilized zinc based species to zinc powder, while continuously or intermittently adding a sufficient amount of the zinc oxide or the other zinc compound to the cell to maintain the concentration of the solubilized zinc based species at a level of at least 2 millimoles per 100 grams of electrolyte.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a cleaner for lithography which is excellent in the ability to dissolve a resist and highly safe to the human body and which can be used usefully to clean a coater such as in a coater cup, to remove an unnecessary resist from a substrate when or after coating of a resist, to remove the resist from the substrate after the object using the resist was achieved, and to clean and rinse the substrate after removal of the resist. The cleaner for lithography comprises a homogeneous solution of at least one organic solvent selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol alkyl ether, propylene glycol alkyl ether acetate, ethylene glycol alkyl ether, ethylene glycol alkyl ether acetate, acetic acid alkyl ester, propionic acid alkyl ester, alkoxypropionic acid alkyl ester, lactic acid alkyl ester, aliphatic ketone, and alkoxybutanol and at least one selected from alcohols having alkyl group with 1 to 4 carbon atoms.

Abstract: Disclosed is an electrochemical process for preparing zinc powder which involves: a) providing to an electrochemical cell a basic solution of zinc oxide or any other zinc compound that reacts with an aqueous base to produce zinc oxide, the basic solution prepared by dissolving the zinc oxide or the other zinc compound in an aqueous 2.5 to 10.0 M base solution; and b) passing current to the cell at a current density of about 10,000 to about 40,000 A/m2 for a time period sufficient to electrochemically reduce the zinc oxide to zinc powder, wherein the electrochemical process has a current efficiency of at least 70% and is substantially free from electrode corrosion.

Abstract: A radiation sensitive resin composition which contains a specific amount of a fluorescent material and has high sensitivity, high resolution, excellent highly normalized film remaining characteristics, and capability to form a good pattern. In the case that the radiation sensitive resin composition comprises at least both a resin and a photosensitive material, such as an alkali-soluble novolak resin and a quinonediazide compound, the fluorescent material is used in an amount of 0.0001 to 1.0 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of the photosensitive material. In the case that the radiation sensitive resin composition comprises at least both a resin and a photoacid generator, such as a positive-working or negative-working chemically amplified resist, the fluorescent material is used in an amount of 1.0 to 30.0 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of the photoacid generator.

Abstract: A positive-working radiation-sensitive resin composition showing a good throughput upon production of semiconductors or the like and less process dependence of dimensional accuracy as well as having high sensitivity and high resolution, and being able to form a pattern with good shape and a high aspect ratio.

Abstract: A radiation absorbing polymer having chemically bonded thereto a radiation absorbing dye, which has high absorption at a predetermined wavelength radiation, which shows good adhesion to a substrate and good thin film-forming, which has no dependence upon resists, which is soluble in a solvent for photoresists but becomes insoluble after being baked; a composition for radiation absorbing coating containing this polymer, and a radiation absorbing coating such as an anti-reflective coating formed from this composition are disclosed. The radiation absorbing polymer comprises a copolymer containing at least both a recurring unit composed of a monomer containing a keto group and a divalent group (preferably a methylene group) in its side chain and a recurring unit composed of a monomer containing an organic chromophore bonded directly or through a linkage group to the main chain. This radiation absorbing polymer is dissolved in a solvent such as alcohol, aromatic hydrocarbon, ketone, ester, etc.

Abstract: Disclosed is a liquid pine oil cleaning composition containing: A) water; B) about 5-20% by weight of pine oil; C) about 2-10% by weight of an organic solubilizer distinct from said pine oil; D) about 0.1-5% by weight of an alkalinity agent; E) about 0.1-15% by weight of an anionic surfactant; F) about 0.01 to about 2% by weight by weight of a cationic surfactant comprising a quaternary ammonium salt represented by the formula wherein R9 and R10 are independently a hydrogen or a C1-3 alkyl group; R11 is a C8-C18 alkyl group; and R12 is a C1-3 alkyl group or an ethoxylate group represented by the formula —(CH2CH2O)yH, wherein y is a number from 1 to 3; and X− is a halide ion or a methosulfate, and G) about 0.1 to 10% by weight of a nonionic surfactant comprising an alcohol alkoxylate. Also disclosed is a method for cleaning a hard surface comprising contacting the hard surface in need of cleaning with the aforementioned pine oil cleaning composition.

Abstract: A composition for forming a radiation absorbing coating which comprises an organic solvent, a radiation absorbing polymer or a radiation absorbing material dissolved therein and a crosslinking agent having blocked isocyanate groups. Since the isocyanate groups of the crosslinking agent have been blocked, the composition containing the crosslinking agent has excellent storage stability. When the composition applied to a substrate and then baked, crosslinking proceeds to give an antireflective coating, which does not intermix with a resist layer to be formed thereon by coating and is free from diffusion of a photo-generated acid thereinto from the resist layer. As a result, a resist image free from footing or scum can be formed.

Abstract: A dyeing process comprising a number of liquid treatment steps such as washing and rinsing, after the application of the dyeing liquor to the textile, the fabric being centrifuged after each treatment step; and a centrifuge adapted for carrying out the centrifugation.

Abstract: Radiation-sensitive resin composition having excellent and well-balanced various properties required for photoresist, such as sensitivity, pattern profile and heat resistance. The radiation-sensitive resin composition comprises an alkali-soluble resin and a photosensitizer having a quinonediazide group. The alkali-soluble resin is a phenol novolak resin which is treated by a thin film distillation method to selectively remove monomer and dimer. The novolak resin treated by thin film distillation method preferably shows the following ratio in area in its profile in gel permeation chromatography with a detector at 280 nm: B2/B1≧0.95; C2/(A2+B2+C2)≦0.060 wherein A1 is a high-molecular region, B1 is a middle-molecular region, and C1 is a monomer/dimer region before the treatment of the starting novolak resin, and A2, B2 and C2 are the corresponding counterparts after the treatment of the novolak resin.

Abstract: A photosensitive resin composition comprising (a) a photosensitizer having in its structure 1,2-diazidonaphthoquinone structure, and a methylene-bridged structure composed of two or more methyl-substituted phenol derivatives, (b) a polymer having both hydroxyl group and carboxyl group, or a combination of a polymer having hydroxyl group and one having carboxyl group, (c) a crosslinking agent capable of crosslinking hydroxyl group and carboxyl group, and (d) a solvent. This composition can form highly transparent films, and, in addition, patterns having high contrast can be obtained when this composition is used as a photoresist.

Abstract: A container cleaning apparatus comprises a solvent cleaning unit having a solvent cleaning chamber, and a rinsing unit having a rinsing chamber connected to the solvent cleaning chamber. Containers are conveyed by a conveyor through the solvent cleaning chamber and the rinsing chamber. The containers are cleaned by jetting a water-soluble or partially water-soluble solvent against the containers in the solvent cleaning chamber. Shutter devices have shutters disposed at an entrance to the solvent cleaning chamber and an exit from the solvent cleaning chamber, respectively, and capable of being moved between closed positions to close the entrance to and the exit from the solvent cleaning chamber and to isolate the solvent cleaning chamber from the rinsing chamber, and open positions to permit the containers to move from the solvent cleaning chamber to the rinsing chamber.

Abstract: A composition for an anti-reflective coating or a light absorbing coating, which shows good light absorption for lights of 100-450 nm in wavelength, suffers neither footing nor intermixing, and has excellent storage stability and step coverage, and novel copolymers to be used therein.

Abstract: Compounds of the general formula (I) wherein R1 represents hydrogen or a C1-C4-alkyl group, X represents the radical of aliphatic, cyclic or aromatic diamines and Y represents hydrogen or an alkali metal, and a process for their preparation and their use for dyeing organic substrates, and organic substrates dyed with these compounds.

Abstract: A resist composition is prepared by reacting an alkali-soluble polymer having a phenolic hydroxyl or carboxyl groups with a vinyl ether compound in an aprotic solvent, such as propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, in the presence of an acid catalyst, suspending the reaction by the addition of a base, and directly adding a photoacid generator to the reaction solution. When a dialkyl dicarbonate is used in stead of the vinyl ether compound, a resist composition is prepared by carrying out the reaction in the presence of a basic catalyst and adding a photoacid generator directly to the reaction. Thus resist compositions can be prepared without isolating or purifying an alkali-soluble polymer which has been substituted by a catalytic reaction.

Abstract: A paper production process, characterized by the process step of providing to the paper at some point in the production process a compound of formula (I) which reduces the tendency of the obtained paper products, particularly those made from high-yield pulps, to yellow on exposure to light.

Abstract: A radiation absorbing polymer is characterized by having a main chain copolymer containing recurring units of dicarboxylic acid or carboxylic anhydride group with an organic chromophore bonded to the carboxyl group through methylene or alkylene linkage group, where the organic chromophore is bonded to the carboxyl group by esterification reaction. Residual carboxyl groups of the radiation absorbing polymer can optionally be amidized and/or imidized with an aromatic compounds having a reactive amino group. When the photoresist is applied on the antireflective coating and is exposed by radiation such as deep ultraviolet radiation, a resist pattern with high resolving power is formed, which is not affected by standing wave upon manufacturing integrated circuit elements.