Abstract: This invention relates to a composition comprising microcapsules suspended in an aqueous media, said microcapsules comprising a water immiscible material contained within an encapsulating wall of polymeric material, wherein the aqueous media contains a stabilizer comprising an anionic polymer mixture comprising a first sulfonated polystyrene polymer and a second sulfonated polystyrene polymer wherein the ratio of the weight average polymer molecular weight of the first polymer to the second polymer is greater than 2. It further relates to an imaging element comprising said microcapsules.

Abstract: The present invention provides an over-coating composition comprising a basic compound for coating a photoresist composition to provide a vertical photoresist pattern.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for baking a film onto a substrate. A film, such as a layer of photoresist, is disposed on a first surface of a substrate while a second surface is exposed to a liquid bath. The liquid bath is maintained at a pre-selected temperature. Exposure of the substrate to the liquid bath allows the film on the opposite surface to bake. The liquid bath is then re-circulated to maintain a constant and uniform temperature gradient across the substrate.

Abstract: When rays of light converge inside a photosensitive material at angles larger than 70 degrees, one polarization of the light may fail to produce the desired image contrast in conventional exposure media. This invention describes means of suppressing the effects of the undesired polarization by using a class of photosensitive media that are insensitive to that polarization and more sensitive to the polarization conveying the desired image contrast as well as by means of optical configurations relevant in the context of semiconductor manufacturing using photolithography.

Abstract: A radiation-sensitive patterning composition comprising: (1) at least one acid generating compound selected from the group of compounds of formulae (I) or (II): wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, and R6, are individually selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom, nitro group, hydroxyl group, a carbonyl group, a halogen atom, a cyano group and an unsubstituted or substituted alkyl group, an unsubstituted or substituted cycloalkyl group; an unsubstituted or substituted alkoxy group, or an unsubstituted or substituted aryl group; wherein X+ represents an onium ion selected from the group consisting of diazonium, iodonium, sulfonium, phosphonium, bromonium, chloronium, oxysulfoxonium, oxysulfonium, sulfoxonium, selenium, tellurium and arsenium; and wherein n is an integer from 4 to 100; (2) at least one cross-linking agent cross-linkable by an acid; (3) at least one polymer compound capable of reacting with the cross-linking agent; and (4) at least one infrared absorbing compound.

Abstract: A negative type planographic printing plate in which recording can be performed directly from digital data of a computer or the like using an infrared laser. Sensitivity of the plate is high, ablation by a recording layer during recording is suppressed, a developing property is good, occurrence of a film residue does not occur, and image forming properties such as halftone dot reproducibility are excellent. The negative type planographic printing plate has on a supporting body, in the following order, a first layer that contains a polymer insoluble in water and soluble in an alkaline aqueous solution, and a second layer that contains a cross-linking or polymeric compound, which forms a covalent bond by action of light or heat and lowers solubility of the second layer in an alkaline developing liquid.

Abstract: A photoresist composition that employs onium salt carboxylates as thermally stable dissolution inhibitors. The photoresist composition can be either an onium carboxylate salt with a phenolic photoresist, such as novolac, or an onium cation protected carboxylate-containing resin such as an acrylic/acrylic acid copolymer. The onium carboxylate can be an onium cholate, wherein the onium cholate is an iodonium cholate. Particularly preferred iodonium cholates are alkyloxyphenylphenyl iodonium cholates and most particularly preferred is octyloxyphenyphenyl iodonium cholate. The photoresist composition will not create nitrogen or other gaseous byproducts upon exposure to radiation, does not require water for photoactivation, has acceptable UV radiation transmission characteristics, and is thermally stable at temperatures required for solvent removal.

Abstract: A method for forming a patterned amorphous carbon layer in a semiconductor stack, including forming an amorphous carbon layer on a substrate and forming a silicon containing photoresist layer on top of the amorphous carbon layer. Thereafter, the method includes developing a pattern transferred into the resist layer with a photolithographic process and etching through the amorphous carbon layer in at least one region defined by the pattern in the resist layer, wherein a resist layer hard mask is formed in an outer portion of the photoresist layer during etching.

Abstract: A lightsensitive material package contains a silver halide color photographic lightsensitive material and a plastic material member. The photographic lightsensitive material has at least one red-sensitive, at least one green-sensitive and at least one blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer on a support. The plastic material member is constituted of a thermoplastic reclaimed resin. The photographic lightsensitive material and the plastic material member are arranged in a common gas-phase atmosphere and sealed in the package. 60% or more of the total projected area of silver halide grains contained in at least one of the red-, green- and blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layers is occupied by tabular grains having an aspect ratio of 8.0 or more. The plastic material member is that produced from a resin to which a substance capable of adsorbing a substance having an adverse effect on a photographic property has been supplementally added prior to molding thereof.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of forming a photosensitive film pattern. It provides a method of forming a photosensitive film pattern capable of performing a photolithography process by blocking an opening of a high aspect ratio trench with a DFR film, during forming a semiconductor element and an MEMS element. In addition, it is possible to prevent the photoresist from flowing into the trench when the liquid photoresist is deposited by a spin coating method to form the photosensitive film pattern for metal pattern to apply electric signal from outside to inside of trench.

Abstract: Inventive silsesquioxane polymers are provided, and resist compositions that contain such silsesquioxane polymers are provided in which at least a portion of the silsesquioxane polymer contains fluorinated moieties, and at least a portion of the silisesquioxane polymer contains pendant solubility inhibiting acid-labile moieties that have low activation energy for acid-catalyzed cleaving, and the presence of high optical density moieties are minimized or avoided. The inventive polymer also contains pendant polar moieties that promote alkaline solubility of the resist in aqueous alkaline solutions. The inventive polymers are particularly useful in positive resist compositions. The invention encompasses methods of using such resist compositions in forming a patterned structure on a substrate, and particularly multilayer (e.g. bilayer) photolithographic methods, which methods are capable of producing high resolution images at wavelengths such as 193 nm and 157 nm.

Abstract: Novel photoresists containing at least about 0.2 molar ratio of a base with respect to the concentration of a photoacid generator present and their preparation are described. It has been discovered that inclusion of a sufficient amount of base counteracts the detrimental effects of photoacid generators, thus providing resists having submicron linewidth resolution.

Abstract: A silver halide photographic light-sensitive material is disclosed, comprising at least one silver halide emulsion characterized in that 50% or more of the projected area of all silver halide grains comprises tabular silver halide grains satisfying all of the following requirements (i) to (iii) and the coefficient of variation in the thickness of the tabular silver halide grains is less than 40%: (i) to have a grain thickness of less than 0.05 ?m and an equivalent-circle diameter of 0.6 ?m or more; (ii) to be silver iodobromide or silver chloroiodobromide having a silver bromide content of 70 mol % or more; (iii) to be a tabular silver halide grain having two parallel main planes comprising a (111) face.

Abstract: A positive photosensitive composition comprising (A) a specific acid generator that generates an acid upon irradiation of an actinic ray or radiation, and (B) a resin that has a monocyclic or polycyclic alicyclic hydrocarbon structure and is decomposed by the action of an acid to increase solubility in an alkali developing solution.

Abstract: A method for producing a digital screen printing blank usable in a screen printing process, directly from digital information in the computer, in an economical fashion. In a preferred embodiment, a screen (28) is provided with a photosensitive layer (38), and a digitally determined image from a computer is printed on the screen by means of an inkjet printer. Preferably, a flat bed ink-jet imaging system is used so that the screen can be stretched in a frame and directly placed under the ink-jet head (44). The ink (46) used need not have strong colorant, but functions as a UV mask and thus must contain a UV absorbing pigment. The ink is not absorbed into the photosensitive layer, but remains as an undried image (56) on the surface. The ink must remain wet so that it does not spread and therefore gives a sharp image, and so that the UV absorbent material remains concentrated. The solvent of the ink must be chosen so as to assure that it will not affect the screen.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the colored inscription or marking of plastics and surface coatings, including powder coatings, in which a colorant is transferred into the plastic or surface coating by laser radiation with the aid of a laser light-absorbent substance.

Abstract: When rays of light converge inside a photosensitive material at angles larger than 70 degrees, one polarization of the light may fail to produce the desired image contrast in conventional exposure media. This invention describes a material which may be applied to a semiconductor wafer surface which ensures that the photosensitive material is exposed principally by light polarized parallel to the semiconductor wafer surface.

Abstract: A photosensitive resin composition for using in combination with a photosensitizer comprises an active component selected from an active metal alkoxide represented by the formula (1) or a polycondensate thereof and a particle represented by the formula (2), (X)m-n-Mm-[(U1)p—(U2-Z)t]n??(1) P—[(Y)s—{(U1)p—(U2-Z)t}]k??(2) wherein, X shows a hydrogen, a halogen, an alkoxy group or an alkoxycarbonyl group, M shows a metal atom whose valence m is not less than 2, U1 shows a first connecting unit, U2 shows a second connecting unit and Z shows a group causing a difference in solubility by light exposure, P shows a fine particle carrier, Y shows a coupling residue, n shows an integer of not less than 1 and m>n, p shows 0 or 1, t shows 1 or 2, k shows an integer of not less than 1, and s shows 0 or 1).

Abstract: The present invention provides a photopolymerizable composition, which is highly sensitive to visible light rays to IR rays and has an excellent raw storage property, and a recording material capable of carrying out highly sensitive image recording and having an excellent raw storage property and humidity dependency. Namely, the invention provides a photopolymerizable composition containing at least a polymerizable compound having an ethylenic unsaturated bond, a photoradical generating agent, and a thiol compound represented by the following general formula (I) and a recording material using the photopolymerizable composition: [R represents an alkyl or an aryl, either of which may have substituents; A represents an atom group forming a 5-member or 6-member heteroring having an N?C—N portion and carbon atoms and A may further have a substituent group.].

Abstract: The present invention relates to a positive-working radiation-sensitive composition which is characterized in that it contains a compound meeting any of conditions a1) to a3), and b) an acid generator which generates acid by irradiation with radiation; and also to a method for the production of a resist pattern employing same. a1) A compound wherein a carboxyl group is protected by an acid labile group represented by general formula (1) (R1 and R2 are aromatic rings, and R3 represents an alkyl group, a substituted alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group or an aromatic ring. R1 to R3 may be the same or different.) a2) A compound in which an alkali-soluble group is protected by an acid labile group represented by general formula (2) (R4 to R6 are each an alkyl group, a substituted alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group or an aromatic ring, and at least one of R4 to R6 is an aromatic ring with an electron-donating group. R4 to R6 may be the same or different.