A KrF (248 nm) photoresist patterning process flow is disclosed wherein photoresist patterns having a sub-100 nm CD are formed on a dielectric antireflective coating (DARC) thereby lowering cost of ownership by replacing a more expensive ArF (193 nm) photoresist patterning process. A key feature is treatment of a DARC such as SiON with a photoresist developer solution that is 0.263 N tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) prior to treatment with hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) in order to significantly improve adhesion of features with CD down to about 60 nm. After the HMDS treatment, a photoresist layer is coated on the DARC, patternwise exposed, and treated with the photoresist developer solution to form a pattern therein. Features that were previously resolved by KrF patterning processes but subsequently collapsed because of poor adhesion, now remain upright and intact during a subsequent etch process used to transfer the sub-100 nm features into a substrate.

The transfer film includes a temporary support and a photosensitive transparent resin layer formed on the temporary support, in which the photosensitive transparent resin layer includes a binder polymer, a photopolymerizable compound having an ethylenic unsaturated group, a photopolymerization initiator, and a blocked isocyanate, the binder polymer is a carboxyl group-containing acrylic resin having an acid value of 60 mgKOH/g or more, and the transfer film is to protect electrodes in electrostatic capacitance-type input devices.

A method for producing a fiber having a pattern on a surface thereof. The fiber is produced by a method including forming a photosensitive composition layer on a template layer having a pattern, bonding a film including an adhesive layer on a principal plane onto the photosensitive composition layer, linearly exposing the photosensitive composition layer to light, separating an exposed laminate comprising the photosensitive composition layer, the adhesive layer, and the film from the template layer, and developing the photosensitive composition layer in the separated laminate.

A liquid solder resist composition contains: a carboxyl group-containing resin; a photopolymerizable compound which contains one or more kinds of compounds selected from a group consisting of a photopolymerizable monomer and a photopolymerizable prepolymer; a photopolymerization initiator; an epoxy compound; and titanium dioxide. The carboxyl group-containing resin is obtained by polymerization of a monomer composition which contains: a carboxyl group-containing monomer represented by following formula (1); and a maleimide compound represented by following formula (2). The carboxyl group-containing resin does not contain a photopolymerizable functional group. In the formula (1), X represents R.sup.a—COO.

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A nanoimprint lithography method includes disposing a pretreatment composition on a nanoimprint lithography substrate to form a pretreatment coating, and disposing discrete portions of imprint resist on the pretreatment coating, each discrete portion of the imprint resist covering a target area of the nanoimprint lithography substrate. The imprint resist is a polymerizable composition and includes a polymerization initiator. A composite polymerizable coating is formed on the nanoimprint lithography substrate as each discrete portion of the imprint resist spreads beyond its target area. The composite polymerizable coating is contacted with a nanoimprint lithography template. The polymerization initiator is activated, and the composite polymerizable coating is polymerized to yield a composite polymeric layer and an uncured portion of the pretreatment coating on the nanoimprint lithography substrate. After polymerizing the composite polymerizable coating to yield the composite polymeric layer, the uncured portion of the pretreatment coating is polymerized.

A pattern is formed on a substrate with forming a layer of a curable composition (A1) containing a polymerizable compound (a1) on a surface of the substrate, then dispensing droplets of a curable composition (A2) containing a polymerizable compound (a2) dropwise discretely onto the curable composition (A1) layer, subsequently sandwiching a mixture layer of the curable composition (A1) and the curable composition (A2) between a mold and the substrate, then irradiating the mixture layer with light to cure the mixture layer, and releasing the mold from the mixture layer after the curing. The curable composition (A1) except a solvent has a viscosity at 25° C. of 40 mPa.Math.s or more and less than 500 mPa.Math.s. The curable composition (A2) except a solvent has a viscosity at 25° C. of 1 mPa.Math.s or more and less than 40 mPa.Math.s.

A pattern is formed on a substrate with a layer of a curable composition (A1) containing a component (a1) serving as a polymerizable compound on a surface of the substrate, then dispensing droplets of a curable composition (A2) containing at least a component (a2) serving as a polymerizable compound and a component (b2) serving as a photopolymerization initiator dropwise discretely onto the curable composition (A1) layer to lay the droplets, subsequently sandwiching a mixture layer of the curable composition (A1) and the curable composition (A2) between a mold having a pattern and the substrate, then irradiating the mixture layer with light to cure the layer, and releasing the mold from the mixture layer after the curing, a Distance in Hansen space Ra((a1)−(A2)) between the component (a1) serving as a polymerizable compound in the curable composition (A1) and the curable composition (A2) being 6 or less.

A method of transferring a flexible layer to a substrate makes use of a partial bulge in the flexible layer, which does not make contact with the substrate. The partial bulge advances to the location of an alignment marker on the substrate. When alignment adjustments are needed, they are made with the partial bulge in place so that more reproducible positioning is possible when fully advancing the flexible layer against the substrate.

A method of creating a custom relief image printing element from at least one raw photocurable material and at least one lamination layer supplied by a manufacturer is described. The manufacturer provides a menu of raw photocurable materials and a menu of lamination layers and wherein the customer selects at least one raw photocurable material from the menu of raw photocurable materials and selects at least one lamination layer from the menu of lamination layers. The method includes the steps of: a) laminating the selected at least one raw photocurable material to the selected at least one lamination layer at a customer's location to create a photocurable printing blank; and thereafter b) imagewise exposing the at least one photocurable printing blank to actinic radiation at the customer's location to crosslink and cure portions of the at least one photocurable material and create a relief image therein. A lamination system is also described.

A method of forming a cured layer on a substrate can include applying on the exterior surface of the substrate a first liquid film and subjecting the first liquid film to actinic radiation in at least one first region of the film. The actinic radiated region can modify the substrate surface such that the drop spreading of a region not subjected to actinic radiation is larger than the drop spreading in a region subjected to actinic radiation.