Abstract: A thermally imageable element, useful as a lithographic printing plate precursor is disclosed. The element comprises a hydrophilic substrate; an underlayer comprising a first polymeric material; and an ink-receptive top layer comprising a second polymeric material and a solubility-suppressing component. The solubility-suppressing component may be a separate dissolution inhibitor compound and/or the second polymeric material may also function as a solubility-suppressing component. On thermal exposure the exposed regions of the top layer becomes more readily soluble in an aqueous developer, allowing the developer to remove the top layer and reveal the surface of the hydrophilic substrate. The lithographic printing plate thus formed has excellent properties, including the absence of sludging of the developer.

Abstract: A method of producing a lithographic printing plate comprising a step of providing on a support a layer has a hydrophobic surface and comprises an oxidizable material and a reducible material, a step of irradiating imagewise with active rays in the presence of a photocatalytic metal compound, wherein the oxidizable material in the irradiated area is decomposed imagewise to convert the layer surface in the irradiated area surface into hydrophilic property and form an imagewise distribution of hydrophilic areas and hydrophobic areas: and a lithographic printing plate precursor used in the aforesaid method. In accordance with this method, no development-processing is required for plate-making, the plate-making operations can be carried out as the plate precursor is mounted on a printing press, and the lithographic printing plate made can have an excellent press life and hardly generates staining.

Abstract: A heat-sensitive lithographic printing plate in which the occurrence of stains in printing can be prevented without increasing the exposure of a laser, comprising a support having provided thereon a hydrophilic layer having a crosslinked structure, and a layer containing a polymer having on a side chain a group in which the solubility in water can be changed by heat, the layer being provided on the hydrophilic layer.

Abstract: A coated imageable semiconductor is imaged by heating an area of the coating with an infrared laser and reacting the coating in the heated area with ultraviolet or visible radiation. The coating can be either positive working or negative working. The modulated radiation may either be the ultraviolet/visible radiation or the infrared radiation and the radiation spots are superimposed or the ultraviolet/visible spot may closely trail the infrared spot. The imaging time is reduced since the reaction rate is increased at the elevated temperature.

Abstract: A silver halide photographic lightsensitive material comprises at least one lightsensitive silver halide emulsion layer on a support. The lightsensitive material exhibits a speed at 3×10−9 sec exposure time being lower than a speed at 10−5 sec exposure time by 30 or more in terms of speed unit.

Abstract: A silver halide photographic emulsion containing silver halide grains. A variation coefficient of distribution of equivalent circle diameters of all the silver halide grains of the silver halide photographic emulsion is 40 to 3%. The silver halide photographic emulsion and contains tabular grains, which satisfy the following requirements (i) to (iv), in an amount of 50% or more of the total projected area of the silver halide grains: (i) silver bromoiodide or silver bromochloroiodide tabular grains having (111) faces as main planes, (ii) the equivalent circle diameter is 1.0 &mgr;m or more and a thickness is 0.10 &mgr;m or less, (iii) ten or more dislocation lines per grain are present at a fringe portion of the grain, and (iv) when the grain is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the (111) main plane, it has a hexagonal or triangular shape whose edge and/or corner are partly substantially hollowed.

Abstract: A package of photosensitive planographic printing plates which comprises a stack of the photosensitive planographic printing plates between each of which a protection paper is interposed, wherein the coefficient of static friction between the surface of the photosensitive layer of the photosensitive planographic printing plate and the surface of the protection paper is 0.3 or more. In the package, slippage between the photosensitive planographic printing plate and the protection paper and abrasion of the photosensitive layer rarely occur through transport.

Abstract: A color photographic silver halide material, which has a support which comprises at least one blue-sensitive, yellow-coupling silver halide emulsion layer nearest the light source and at least one green-sensitive, magenta-coupling silver halide emulsion layer and at least one red-sensitive, cyan-coupling silver halide emulsion layer which are further from the light source than is the at least one blue-sensitive layer, and which contains at least one cyan masking coupler which has its maximum absorption above 650 mn, the red-sensitive layers have their maximum sensitivity at 620±20 nm and the absorption of the masking coupler at the maximum sensitivity of the red-sensitive layers is at most 70% of its absorption at 690 mn, is distinguished by improved color reproduction and color saturation in the magenta layer without loss of sensitivity.

Abstract: This invention comprises a multicolor photographic element comprising a support bearing a cyan dye image-forming unit comprising at least one red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith at least one cyan dye-forming coupler, a magenta dye image-forming unit comprising at least one green-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith at least one magenta dye-forming coupler, a yellow dye image-forming unit comprising at least one blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith at least one yellow dye-forming coupler, wherein at least one of said layers comprises large tabular grains having an average circular diameter of greater than 2 &mgr;m and contains a fragmentable electron donating compound is of the formula: X—Y′ or a compound which contains a moiety of the formula —X—Y′; wherein X is an electron donor moiety, Y′ is a leaving proton H or a leaving group Y, with the proviso that if Y′ is a pr

Abstract: A sulfonium salt compound designated by a general formula (I), a photoresist composition containing the sulfonium salt compound and a method for patterning by employing the sulfonium salt compound.

Abstract: According to the present invention there is provided a heat-sensitive non-ablatable wasteless imaging element for providing a lithographic printing plate, comprising on a support a top layer which is capable of forming by image-wise exposure image-wise hydrophobic and hydrophilic areas, characterized in that said imaging element contains an IR-dye capable of changing its optical density by exposure of the imaging element.

Abstract: The present invention provides a dye precursor for forming color through contact with a base and which is represented by either of the following formulas (1) and (2): wherein Ar represents an aromatic ring or a heterocyclic ring, each of which may have a substituent; Cp represents a coupler residue; L1 represents a protective group which can be eliminated by a base; and L2 represents an elimination group or a protective group which is eliminated after L1 is eliminated. Further, the present invention provides an image forming material and an image forming method, wherein the image forming material has an image forming layer on a support, the image forming layer containing at least one type of each of a photopolymerization initiator, a dye precursor which can form color through contact with a base, a base or a base precursor, and a polymerizable compound.

Abstract: A photosensitive resin composition comprising an oxygen sensitizer and a cis-diene-substituted polyamic acid or a polyimide. A printed wiring board, a substrate for disposing semiconductor chips and a semiconductor device prepared by coating a substrate with the photosensitive resin composition and forming fine patterns by exposure to radiation. Processes for producing a printed wiring board, a substrate for disposing semiconductor chips and a semiconductor device, which comprise coating a substrate with the photosensitive resin composition and forming fine patterns by crosslinking cis-diene by oxidation polycondensation with singlet oxygen generated by exposure of the oxygen sensitizer to radiation. The photosensitive resin composition is of the negative type and exhibits high sensitivity and high resolution. The photosensitive resin composition can form a resin layer having excellent heat resistance.

Abstract: A polymer comprising units of formula (1-1) or (1-2) and having a weight average molecular weight of 1,000 to 500,000 is provided. R1 is an acid labile group, R2 is H or straight or branched C1-4 alkyl, Z is a tetravalent C2-10 hydrocarbon group, and k=0 or 1. A resist composition comprising the polymer as a base resin has significantly improved sensitivity, resolution and etching resistance and is very useful in microfabrication.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system and method for controlling the formation of a layer of photoresist. In one illustrative embodiment, the method comprises sensing a viscosity of the photoresist material to be applied on a process layer, providing the sensed viscosity to a controller that determines, based upon the sensed viscosity, at least one parameter of a photoresist application process used to apply the photoresist material, and applying the photoresist using an application process that is comprised of said determined parameter. In one illustrative embodiment, the system is comprised of at least one sensor for sensing the viscosity of the photoresist, a controller that receives the sensed viscosity and determines, based upon the sensed viscosity, at least one parameter of the application process used to apply the photoresist, and a tool for applying the photoresist using a process that includes the determined parameter.

Abstract: Preparation method of a silver halide emulsion is disclosed, in which the silver halide emulsion contains tabular grains having a mean equivalent circle diameter of 0.1 to 10.0 &mgr;m, a mean grain thickness of 0.01 to 0.3 &mgr;m and an aspect ratio of 1.5 to 300, the emulsion is prepared by a process comprising: (a) forming the tabular silver halide grains in the presence of fine silver halide grains containing at least a metal selected from the group of indium, gallium and metals in Groups 8, 9 and 10 of the periodical table and (b) subjecting the tabular silver halide grain emulsion to ultrafiltration to remove a salt-containing solution from a reaction mixture solution in the growth process of the tabular grains.

Abstract: Photosensitive printing element for preparing flexographic printing plates via computer-to-plate technology with a support, a photopolymerizable layer and an IR-ablatable layer substantially opaque to actinic radiation which comprises at least one heat-combustible polymeric binder, at least one IR-absorbing material and at least one aliphatic diester, and a process for making a flexographic printing plate using such an element.

Abstract: The invention relates to a photographic element comprising at least one biaxially oriented sheet wherein said biaxially oriented sheet when viewed from a surface of said element emits light in the visible spectrum when exposed to ultraviolet radiation.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an integrated optical device on a substrate is described wherein the device comprises first and second areas each containing at least one optical component. The first and second areas are separated by a third relatively featureless area, which provides optical communication between the first and second areas. The method uses a photolithographic stepper to define features of the optical components in the first area within a first exposure field and the features of the optical component(s) in the second area within a second exposure field, the stepper being moved between exposures so that first and second exposure fields are contiguous, and a line of contact or area of overlap between the first and second fields lies within the third, relatively featureless area of the substrate.

Abstract: A method of imaging employing sensitized high chloride silver halide emulsions which exhibit improved speed and high intensity reciprocity performance for use with short duration, high intensity exposure optical and digital exposure systems. The method comprising providing a photographic element comprising at least one high chloride silver halide emulsion layer, exposing said element utilizing a high intensity actinic radiation exposure for an exposure time of less than {fraction (1/100)} second, and developing said element to produce a photographic image, wherein the high chloride silver halide emulsion layer is comprised of silver halide emulsion grains containing at least 90 mole percent chloride, based on silver, obtained by providing a high chloride host emulsion, bringing a Lippmann emulsion comprising primarily fine silver bromide grains doped with iridium into contact with said high chloride host emulsion, and subsequently chemically sensitizing the high chloride emulsion.