A method for measuring a distance of diffusion of a curing catalyst for a thermosetting silicon-containing material includes the steps of: forming a silicon-containing film from a composition containing a thermosetting silicon-containing material, a curing catalyst and a solvent; coating the silicon-containing film with a photosensitive resin composition containing a resin whose solubility in alkaline developer is increased by the action of an acid, an acid generator and a solvent, and subsequently heating to prepare a substrate on which the silicon-containing film and a resin film are formed; irradiating the substrate with a high energy beam or an electron beam to generate an acid and heat-treating the substrate to increase the solubility of the resin in an alkaline developer by the action of the acid in the resin film; dissolving the resin film in an alkaline developer; and measuring a film thickness of the remaining resin.

A method for producing flexographic printing plates, using as starting material a photopolymerizable flexographic printing element which at least comprises, arranged one atop another, a dimensionally stable support, and at least one photopolymerizable, relief-forming layer, at least comprising an elastomeric binding, an ethylenically unsaturated compound, and a photoinitiator, a digitally imagable layer, and the method comprises at least the following steps (a) producing a mask by imaging the digitally imagable layer, (b) exposing the photopolymerizable, relief-forming layer through the mask with actinic light, and photopolymerizing the image regions of the layer, and (c) developing the photopolymerized layer by washing out the unphotopolymerized regions of the relief-forming layer with an organic solvent, or by thermal development, characterized in that step (b) comprises two or more exposure cycles (b 1) to (b n) with actinic light with an intensity of 100 to 5000 mW/cm.sup.2 from a plurality of UV-LEDs, the energy input into the photopolymerizable, relief-forming layer per exposure cycle being 0.1 to 5 J/cm.sup.2.

The present invention provides a silicone skeleton-containing polymer including a silicone skeleton shown by the following formula (1) and having a weight average molecular weight of 3,000 to 500,000.

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This can provide a silicone skeleton-containing polymer that can easily form a fine pattern with a large film thickness, and can form a cured material layer (cured film) that is excellent in various film properties such as crack resistance and adhesion properties to a substrate, electronic parts, and a semiconductor device, particularly a base material used for a circuit board, and has high reliability as a film to protect electric and electronic parts and a film for bonding substrates; and a photo-curable resin composition that contains the polymer, a photo-curable dry film thereof, a laminate using these materials, and a patterning process.

A method for processing a photosensitive flexographic printing plate having an aqueous-processable photopolymer. A main processing unit is used to develop a relief image by removing unexposed photopolymer using an aqueous processing solution including a first dispersing agent while the photosensitive flexographic printing plate is being subjected to mechanical cleaning. Used aqueous processing solution containing the removed photopolymer is returned back into a processing solution tank. A secondary processing unit is used to wash the developed relief image with secondary aqueous processing solution including a second dispersing agent to remove debris from the developed relief image. Used secondary aqueous processing solution containing the removed photopolymer is directed into the processing solution tank. A portion of the aqueous processing solution from the processing solution tank is removed to keep a volume of aqueous processing solution in the processing solution tank below a predefined maximum volume.

A method for processing a photosensitive flexographic printing plate having an aqueous-processable photopolymer. A main processing unit is used to develop a relief image by removing unexposed photopolymer using an aqueous processing solution including a first dispersing agent while the photosensitive flexographic printing plate is being subjected to mechanical cleaning. Used aqueous processing solution containing the removed photopolymer is returned back into a processing solution tank. A secondary processing unit is used to wash the developed relief image with secondary aqueous processing solution including a second dispersing agent to remove debris from the developed relief image. Used secondary aqueous processing solution containing the removed photopolymer is directed into the processing solution tank. A portion of the aqueous processing solution from the processing solution tank is removed to keep a volume of aqueous processing solution in the processing solution tank below a predefined maximum volume.

A resin having a small linear thermal expansion coefficient and a low absorbance is provided. The resin is characterized by including at least one structure selected from structures represented by the following general formulae (1) and (2):

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A pattern forming method includes: applying an actinic ray-sensitive or radiation- sensitive resin composition onto a substrate to form a resist film; forming an upper layer film on the resist film, using a composition for forming an upper layer film; exposing the resist film having the upper layer film formed thereon; and developing the exposed resist film using a developer including an organic solvent to form a pattern. The composition for forming an upper layer film contains a resin having a repeating unit (a) with a ClogP value of 2.85 or more and a compound (b) with a ClogP of 1.30 or less, and the receding contact angle of the upper layer film with water is 70 degrees or more, a resist pattern formed by the pattern forming method, and a method for manufacturing an electronic device, including the pattern forming method.

Organometallic solutions have been found to provide high resolution radiation based patterning using thin coatings. The patterning can involve irradiation of the coated surface with a selected pattern and developing the pattern with a developing agent to form the developed image. The patternable coatings may be susceptible to positive-tone patterning or negative-tone patterning based on the use of an organic developing agent or an aqueous acid or base developing agent. The radiation sensitive coatings can comprise a metal oxo/hydroxo network with organic ligands. A precursor solution can comprise an organic liquid and metal polynuclear oxo-hydroxo cations with organic ligands having metal carbon bonds and/or metal carboxylate bonds.

Organometallic solutions have been found to provide high resolution radiation based patterning using thin coatings. The patterning can involve irradiation of the coated surface with a selected pattern and developing the pattern with a developing agent to form the developed image. The patternable coatings may be susceptible to positive-tone patterning or negative-tone patterning based on the use of an organic developing agent or an aqueous acid or base developing agent. The radiation sensitive coatings can comprise a metal oxo/hydroxo network with organic ligands. A precursor solution can comprise an organic liquid and metal polynuclear oxo-hydroxo cations with organic ligands having metal carbon bonds and/or metal carboxylate bonds.

Organometallic precursors are described for the formation of high resolution lithography patterning coatings based on metal oxide hydroxide chemistry. The precursor compositions generally comprise ligands readily hydrolysable by water vapor or other OH source composition under modest conditions. The organometallic precursors generally comprise a radiation sensitive organo ligand to tin that can result in a coating that can be effective for high resolution patterning at relatively low radiation doses and is particularly useful for EUV patterning. The precursors compositions are readily processable under commercially suitable conditions. Solution phase processing with in situ hydrolysis or vapor based deposition can be used to form the coatings.