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 method of forming a photoresist pattern wherein a photoresist coating film of naphthoquinone diazide sulfonate of novolak is formed on a substrate layer, the photoresist coating film is exposed by selectively irradiating with near ultraviolet radiation of 350 to 450 nm through a photomask, and the exposed photoresist coating film is developed with an either a negative type or positive type developing solution. The resultant photoresist pattern is usable for manufacturing a highly integrated circuit such as LSI which requires fine processing techniques.

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 photosensitive high polymer which is a random copolymer comprising a structural unit represented by the formula ##STR1## wherein A is ##STR2## wherein R is hydrogen, methyl or methoxy and a structural unit represented by the formula ##STR3## the polymer containing about 5 to about 80 mole % of structural units of the formula (I) and having a polymerization degree of about 300 to about 3000, a process for preparing the photosensitive high polymer and a composition comprising the photosensitive high polymer and solvent.

Abstract: A water-soluble, photosensitive resin composition containing a water-soluble polymer having an ethylenic unsaturated bond in its side-chains, a water-soluble anthraquinone sulfonic acid or anthraquinone carboxylic acid sensitizer, or salts thereof, and if desired, a water-soluble azide compound.