Provided is a resin material for forming an underlayer film which is used to form a resist underlayer film used in a multi-layer resist process, the resin material including a cyclic olefin polymer (I), in which a temperature at an intersection between a storage modulus (G) curve and a loss modulus (G) curve in a solid viscoelasticity of the resin material for forming an underlayer film which is as measured under conditions of a measurement temperature range of 30 C. to 300 C., a heating rate of 3 C./min, and a frequency of 1 Hz in a nitrogen atmosphere in a shear mode using a rheometer is higher than or equal to 40 C. and lower than or equal to 200.

The disclosure provides a film composition, wherein the film composition includes an oligomer and a crosslinking agent. The oligomer can have a structure represented by Formula (I)

##STR00001##

, wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are independently hydrogen, C.sub.1-20 alkyl group, C.sub.2-20 alkenyl group, C.sub.6-12 aryl group, C.sub.6-12 alkylaryl group, C.sub.5-12 cycloalkyl group, C.sub.6-20 cycloalkylalkyl group, alkoxycarbonyl group, or alkylcarbonyloxy group; R.sup.1 is not hydrogen when R.sup.2 is hydrogen; a is 0 or 1; 100n1; 100m1; and when n is not 0, the ratio of n to m is from 3:1 to 1:4. The weight ratio of the oligomer and the crosslinking agent can be from 9:1 to 3:7. The oligomer has a number average molecular weight (Mn) from 1,000 to 8,000.

The present invention relates to a norbornene-based crosslinked polymer containing at least one member selected from the group consisting of dicyclopentadiene-based monomer units, tetracyclododecene-based monomer units, and tricyclopentadiene-based monomer units in an amount of 50% by mass or more, wherein the norbornene-based crosslinked polymer has a glass transition temperature of 240 C. or higher. Further, the present invention relates to a method for producing a norbomene-based crosslinked polymer as defined above, including step (1): heating a blend containing at least one member of the above monomer components, and a metathesis polymerization catalyst to a temperature lower than a deactivation temperature of the metathesis polymerization catalyst to carry out a primary curing; and step (2): heating a cured product obtained in the step (1) to a temperature equal to or higher than the deactivation temperature of the above metathesis polymerization catalyst to carry out a secondary curing.

A method for producing a dicyclopentadiene-modified phenolic resin. The method including reusing a fluorine-based ion-exchange resin as a catalyst in a reaction between a phenol and a dicyclopentadiene, the fluorine-based ion-exchange resin having been used as a catalyst when a phenol and a dicyclopentadiene are allowed to react with each other to produce a first dicyclopentadiene-modified phenolic resin. In the method, the fluorine-based ion-exchange resin is washed with an organic solvent. The dicyclopentadiene-modified phenolic resin obtained by the method has a stable quality, has a high purity, and is inexpensive.

Provided is a film for a capacitor that can improve dielectric strength retention at high temperatures and can also improve metal vapor deposition properties and formability. The film for a capacitor contains a hydrogenated dicyclopentadiene ring-opened polymer that is crystalline and has a heat shrinkage ratio of not less than 0.01% and not more than 1.0% when heated at 200 C. for 10 minutes, a plane orientation factor of 0.01 or more, a density of 1.0310.sup.6 g/m.sup.3 or more, and a thickness of 15.0 m or less.

An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method of designing a polymer. The method can include: providing a set of polymer data; generating a set of polymer structures; providing one or more target properties for the polymer, predicting properties of each polymer structure of the set of polymer structures, and design considerations for the set of polymer structures; and selecting one or more polymer structures from the set of polymer structures, based at least in part, on the predicted properties of the polymer structures. The polymer data can include a set of monomer structures.

The present invention relates to a norbornene-based crosslinked polymer containing at least one member selected from the group consisting of dicyclopentadiene-based monomer units, tetracyclododecene-based monomer units, and tricyclopentadiene-based monomer units in an amount of 50% by mass or more, wherein the norbornene-based crosslinked polymer has a glass transition temperature of 240 C. or higher. Further, the present invention relates to a method for producing a norbomene-based crosslinked polymer as defined above, including step (1): heating a blend containing at least one member of the above monomer components, and a metathesis polymerization catalyst to a temperature lower than a deactivation temperature of the metathesis polymerization catalyst to carry out a primary curing; and step (2): heating a cured product obtained in the step (1) to a temperature equal to or higher than the deactivation temperature of the above metathesis polymerization catalyst to carry out a secondary curing.

A composition of matter is described in which a porous material, such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), is coated with parylene N, C, D, or AF-4 by vapor deposition polymerization while a temperature of the porous material's surface being coated is heated to between 60 C. and 120 C., or 80 C. and 85 C., during deposition. The parylene forms nano roots within the porous material that connect with a conformal surface coating of parylene. In some embodiments, a watertight separation chamber in an integrated microfluidic liquid chromatography device is fabricated by heating tunnels in micro-fabricated PDMS and depositing parylene within the heated tunnels.

Disclosed is a polybenzoxazime precursor and a method of preparing the same. The polybenzoxazime precursor is used to prepare a hardened material having improved thermal characteristics, having high thermal and flame-retardant characteristics while maintaining its excellent electrical characteristics, or having high thermal and electrical characteristics, thus being available for use in a copper clad laminate, a semiconductor encapsulate, a printed circuit board, an adhesive, a paint, and a mold.

The present invention provides organic solvent soluble or aqueous alkali soluble polymer composition comprising, in copolymerized form, one or more bis-arylcyclobutene monomers and one or more olefin or dienophile group containing second monomers, wherein the polymer is substantially free of (unreacted) arylcyclobutene groups. The compositions cure by a separate from the B-staging reaction which consumes substantially all of the arylcyclobutene groups in the composition; and they cure at temperatures below the cure temperature of less than 210 C., preferably, less than 180 C. The polymer compositions find use in making films or coatings and are aqueous or organic solvent developable when used in photolithography. Methods for making the polymer compositions are also provided.