IR-sensitive lithographic printing plate precursors provide a stable print-out image using a unique IR radiation-sensitive composition in an infrared radiation-sensitive image-recording layer. This IR radiation-sensitive composition includes: (1) a free radical initiator composition that comprises an electron-donating agent; (2) a free radically polymerizable composition; and (3) a color-changing compound that is represented by the Structure (I) having an indene ring in the conjugated chain between the aromatic terminal groups. The compound can also have a —C(═O)—OR.sup.7, —SO.sub.2—R.sup.3, or —SO.sub.2NR.sup.8R.sup.9 group wherein R.sup.7 represents a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having a secondary or tertiary connecting carbon that connects to the rest of the —C(═O)—OR.sup.7 group; and R.sup.8, R.sup.9, and R.sup.10 independently represent substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, aryl, or heteroaryl groups. After IR imaging, these precursors exhibit desirable printout images both fresh and after dark storage. The precursors can be developed off-press or on-press.

The present invention provides a photosensitive resin composition and a cured film prepared therefrom. The photosensitive resin composition includes a mixture of two or more siloxane polymers having different dissolution rates with respect to an aqueous solution of tetramethylammonium hydroxide. The composition keeps high transparency and high sensitivity, which are advantages of a composition containing a siloxane polymer, and has excellent chemical resistance, thereby providing a cured film having excellent stability in a post-processing.

A photosensitive resin composition including a polyamide-imide resin having a specific structure, a film comprising a cured product of the photosensitive resin composition, a method for preparing the film and a method for forming a resist pattern using the photosensitive resin composition.

A radiation-sensitive resin composition includes: an onium salt compound represented by formula (1′); a resin including a structural unit having an acid-dissociable group; and a solvent. E.sup.A is a substituted or unsubstituted (α+β)-valent organic group having 1 to 40 carbon atoms; Z.sup.+ is a monovalent radiation-sensitive onium cation; and α and β are each independently 1 or 2.

##STR00001##

Provided are a method for forming a resist pattern that demonstrates excellent performance in sensitivity, resolution, etc. in an exposure step when a next-generation exposure technique is applied, and a radiation-sensitive resin composition. The method for forming a resist pattern includes step (1) of forming a resist film in which a content of a radiation-sensitive acid generator (C) is 0.1% by mass or less, step (2) of exposing the resist film to EUV or an electron beam (EB), and step (3) of developing the resist film exposed in the step (2).

The present invention is a positive photosensitive resin composition including: (A) an alkali-soluble resin containing at least one structure selected from a polyimide structure, a polyamide structure, a polybenzoxazole structure, a polyamide-imide structure, and a precursor structure thereof; (B) a polymer compound having a structural unit formed by cyclopolymerization; and (C) a compound having a quinonediazide structure for serving as a photosensitizer to generate an acid by light and increase a dissolution speed to an alkaline aqueous solution. An object of the present invention is to provide a positive photosensitive resin composition and a positive photosensitive dry film that are soluble in an alkaline aqueous solution, that can achieve high resolution without damaging excellent features such as the mechanical characteristics of a protective film, adhesiveness, etc., and that have excellent mechanical characteristics and adhesiveness to a substrate even when cured at low temperatures.

A film-forming composition for forming a resist underlayer film for a solvent development type resist that is capable of forming a good resist pattern which contains a hydrolysis-condensation product of a hydrolyzable silane compound, at least one substance that is selected from the group consisting of an aminoplast crosslinking agent and a phenoplast crosslinking agent, and a solvent, and wherein the hydrolyzable silane compound contains a hydrolyzable silane represented by formula (1).

A film-forming composition includes a solvent and hydrolysis condensate prepared through hydrolysis and condensation of a hydrolyzable silane compound by using an acidic compound containing two or more acidic groups. The hydrolyzable silane compound contains an amino-group-containing silane with formula (1). R.sup.1 is an organic group containing an amino group. R.sup.2 is a substitutable alkyl, substitutable aryl, substitutable aralkyl, substitutable halogenated alkyl, substitutable halogenated aryl, substitutable halogenated aralkyl, substitutable alkoxyalkyl, substitutable alkoxyaryl, substitutable alkoxyaralkyl, or substitutable alkenyl group, or an organic group containing an epoxy, acryloyl, methacryloyl, mercapto, or a cyano group. R.sup.3 is an alkoxy, aralkyloxy, or acyloxy group or halogen atom. a is an integer of 1 or 2, b of 0 or 1; and a and b satisfy a relation of a+b≤2.

R.sup.1.sub.aR.sup.2.sub.bSi(R.sup.3).sub.4−(a+b)  (1)

A resist composition which generates an acid upon exposure and whose solubility in a developing solution is changed due to an action of the acid, the resist composition including a base material component whose solubility in a developing solution is changed due to the action of an acid, an acid generator component which generates an acid upon exposure, and an organic acid which contains at least one carboxy group, in which the acid generator component contains a compound represented by formula (b1) in which R.sup.2011 to R.sup.2031 represent an aryl group, an alkyl group, or an alkenyl group. R.sup.2011 to R.sup.2031 have a total of four or more substituents containing fluorine atoms, X.sup.n− represent an n-valent anion, and n represents an integer of 1 or greater. ##STR00001##

A lithography method includes forming a bottom anti-reflective coating (BARC) layer on a substrate, wherein the BARC layer includes an organic polymer and a reactive chemical group having at least one of chelating ligands and capping monomers, wherein the reactive chemical group is bonded to the organic polymer; coating a metal-containing photoresist (MePR) layer on the BARC layer, wherein the MePR being sensitive to an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation; performing a first baking process to the MePR layer and the BARC layer, thereby reacting a metal chemical structure of the MePR layer and the reactive chemical structure of the BARC layer and forming an interface layer between the MePR layer and the BARC layer; performing an exposure process using the EUV radiation to the MePR layer; and developing the MePR layer to form a patterned photoresist layer.