A photosensitive resin composition comprises: a resin having a phenolic hydroxyl group; a photosensitive acid generator; a compound having at least one selected from the group consisting of an aromatic ring, a heterocycle and an alicycle, and at least one selected from the group consisting of a methylol group and an alkoxyalkyl group; an aliphatic compound having two or more functional groups being at least one selected from the group consisting of an acryloyloxy group, a methacryloyloxy group, a glycidyloxy group, an oxetanyl alkyl ether group, a vinyl ether group and a hydroxyl group; and a compound having at least one skeleton selected from the group consisting of an anthracene skeleton, a phenanthrene skeleton, a pyrene skeleton, a perylene skeleton, a carbazole skeleton, a phenothiazine skeleton, a xanthone skeleton, a thioxanthone skeleton, an acridine skeleton, a phenylpyrazoline skeleton, a distyrylbenzene skeleton and a distyrylpyridine skeleton, or a benzophenone compound.

The invention provides a novolak resin having excellent properties such as heat resistance, alkali developability, photosensitivity and resolution, a photosensitive composition including the novolak resin, a curable composition including the novolak resin, a cured product thereof, and a resist material which uses the photosensitive composition or the curable composition. The novolak resin is one obtained from a compound (A) having a tris(hydroxyaryl)methine group and an aldehyde compound (B) as essential reaction ingredients. The photosensitive composition includes the novolak resin. The curable composition includes the novolak resin, and the cured product is one obtained from such a composition. The resist material uses the photosensitive composition or the curable composition.

The invention provides a novolak resin having excellent properties such as heat resistance, alkali developability, photosensitivity and resolution, a photosensitive composition including the novolak resin, a curable composition including the novolak resin, a cured product thereof, and a resist material which uses the photosensitive composition or the curable composition. The novolak resin is one obtained from a compound (A) having a tris(hydroxyaryl)methine group and an aldehyde compound (B) as essential reaction ingredients. The photosensitive composition includes the novolak resin. The curable composition includes the novolak resin, and the cured product is one obtained from such a composition. The resist material uses the photosensitive composition or the curable composition.

A composition for resist underlayer film formation contains: a compound having a partial structure represented by the following formula (1); and a solvent. In the formula (1): X represents a group represented by formula (i), (ii), (iii) or (iv). In the formula (i): R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, a substituted or unsubstituted monovalent aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, or a substituted or unsubstituted aralkyl group having 7 to 20 carbon atoms provided that at least one of R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 represents the substituted or unsubstituted monovalent aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms or the substituted or unsubstituted aralkyl group having 7 to 20 carbon atoms; or R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 taken together represent a part of a ring structure having 3 to 20 ring atoms together with the carbon atom to which R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 bond. ##STR00001##

The present invention relates to a method for increasing the reactivity of lignin, wherein the method comprises the following steps: a) forming, under heating at a temperature of 30-70° C., an aqueous dispersion comprising alkali and lignin, wherein the alkali comprises a hydroxide of an alkali metal; and b) heating the dispersion formed in step a) at a temperature of 50-95° C. for producing alkalated lignin.

The present invention relates to a method for increasing the reactivity of lignin, wherein the method comprises the following steps: a) forming, under heating at a temperature of 30-70° C., an aqueous dispersion comprising alkali and lignin, wherein the alkali comprises a hydroxide of an alkali metal; and b) heating the dispersion formed in step a) at a temperature of 50-95° C. for producing alkalated lignin.

A process for the high-yield preparation of p-(R)calix[9-20]arenes.

A process for the high-yield preparation of p-(R)calix[9-20]arenes.

The present invention provides a photosensitive composition having excellent heat resistance, low absorbance at the exposure light at wavelengths of g-line, h-line, and i-line, and satisfactory sensitivity even when the thickness of a resist film is increased, and also provides a resist material, a coating film thereof, a novolac phenol resin suitable for these applications, and a method for producing the phenol resin. Specifically, there is provided a novolac phenol resin produced by reacting a phenolic trinuclear compound (A) with formaldehyde under an acid catalyst, the phenolic trinuclear compound (A) including a phenolic trinuclear compound (A1) produced by condensation reaction of dialkyl-substituted phenol with a hydroxyl group-containing aromatic aldehyde and a phenol trinuclear compound (A2) produced by condensation reaction of dialkyl-substituted phenol having alkyl groups at the 2- and 3-positions, 2- and 5-position, the 3- and 4-positions, or 3- and 5-positions with an aromatic aldehyde not having a hydroxyl group, wherein the molar ratio of the phenolic trinuclear compound (A1) to the phenolic trinuclear compound (A2) is 20:80 to 90:10.

The present invention provides a photosensitive composition having excellent heat resistance, low absorbance at the exposure light at wavelengths of g-line, h-line, and i-line, and satisfactory sensitivity even when the thickness of a resist film is increased, and also provides a resist material, a coating film thereof, a novolac phenol resin suitable for these applications, and a method for producing the phenol resin. Specifically, there is provided a novolac phenol resin produced by reacting a phenolic trinuclear compound (A) with formaldehyde under an acid catalyst, the phenolic trinuclear compound (A) including a phenolic trinuclear compound (A1) produced by condensation reaction of dialkyl-substituted phenol with a hydroxyl group-containing aromatic aldehyde and a phenol trinuclear compound (A2) produced by condensation reaction of dialkyl-substituted phenol having alkyl groups at the 2- and 3-positions, 2- and 5-position, the 3- and 4-positions, or 3- and 5-positions with an aromatic aldehyde not having a hydroxyl group, wherein the molar ratio of the phenolic trinuclear compound (A1) to the phenolic trinuclear compound (A2) is 20:80 to 90:10.