Abstract: A water-soluble photoresist composition is provided which comprises a water-soluble photosensitive composition containing a casein component and a water-soluble photosensitive agent and at least one calcium salt of an organic acid. The photoresist composition has excellent sensitivity, resolution, and etching resistance and can be used for the production of highly refined electronic components such as shadow masks, lead frame, etc.

Abstract: A photoresist composition is disclosed. The photoresist composition comprises a base resin, a photosensitizer, and a solvent. The base resin comprises polyhydroxystyrene represented by the following structural formula (I): ##STR1## (wherein k is a positive integer). The photosensitizer comprises a polyhalogen compound(s). The photoresist composition of the present invention has dry etching resistance characteristics comparable to those of conventional positive novolak photoresist compositions and can form a resist pattern with a high resolution and vertical sidewall profiles. This makes microprocessing possible.

Abstract: A process for forming a photoresist pattern comprises the steps of forming a photoresist layer on an underlying layer, forming a contrast enhancement layer for enhancing the contrast of light entering the photoresist layer on the photoresist layer, selectively exposing the photoresist layer through the contrast enhancement layer to light, and developing the photoresist layer to form a photoresist pattern. The contrast enhancement layer is formed as a layer containing a photobleachable agent and a material soluble in both of a nonpolar organic solvent and an aqueous alkali solution. The material is selected from the group of abietic acid, a derivative thereof, a rosin containing abietic acid as the main component, and a derivative thereof. The contrast enhancement layer is treated and removed simultaneously with development for the photoresist. The stability of a coating solution for the contrast enhancement layer is remarkably high.

Abstract: A pattern-forming material is made by halogenoacetylation of the hydroxyl group of the copolymer of hydroxystyrene, and methyl methacrylate or ethyl methacrylate copolymer. The pattern-forming material in this invention is based on a resin copolymer of hydroxystyrene which has excellent dry etching resistance properties and methyl methacrylate or hydroxy ethyl methacrylate which is transparent to deep UV radiation over a relatively wide spectral range, combined with halogenoacetyl groups as photoreactive groups. Further, as the pattern-forming materials of this invention are soluble in the various liquids described below, a resist solution can easily be prepared, and a film of the material can easily be formed by the spin coating process.

Abstract: A photosensitive lithographic plate comprising a hydrophilic substrate, a photosensitive diazo resin layer superposed on the substrate, and a layer of a photosensitive polyvinyl acetal resin containing an aromatic azide group in a side chain thereof and having an acid number of 10 to 100 and superposed on the diazo resin layer, and a method for the manufacture of this photosensitive lithographic plate.

Abstract: A method of preparing a lithographic printing plate in which a toner image formed by electrophotographic process is transferred and fixed on a metal base lithographic printing plate having a thin insulating synthetic resin surface layer. Thereafter the synthetic resin layer on the non-image area is removed followed by removal of the toner to leave resin image areas.

Abstract: A resist material used for forming a positive image by application of radiation, said material comprising as principal constituent poly(ethyl .alpha.-cyanoacrylate), poly(ethyl .alpha.-amidoacrylate) or a binary copolymer thereof or a ternary copolymer of poly(ethyl .alpha.-cyanoacrylate), poly(ethyl .alpha.-amidoacrylate) and polymethacrylonitrile. The minimum incident charge of radiation required for forming a desired resist pattern by use of this resist material is as low as 10.sup.-7 coulomb/cm.sup.2, or far lower than the level required in use of other known resist materials, and a positive resist image which can well stand the chromium etching solutions is obtained by short-time irradiation.

Abstract: A film of poly(methacrylamide) is heated to partially form imide bonds with elimination of ammonia, and such imide bonding causes crosslinking in the polymer to form a crosslinked polymer film. This film can be advantageously adapted as a positive resist capable of forming a positive image by exposure to radiation such as electron beams. The minimum incident charge required for such exposure is of the order of 10.sup.-7 coulomb/cm.sup.2, which is far lower than the level required in the use of conventional resists. The resist provided according to this invention is also capable of forming an excellent heat-resistant positive resist image by short-time exposure to radiation.