Provided is a resist composition which contains a resin (A) and a solvent (B) that contains a compound (B1) represented by general formula (b-1), wherein the content of the active ingredients based on the total amount of the resist composition is 45% by mass or less.

##STR00001##

(In formula (b-1), R.sup.1 represents an alkyl group having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms.)

To provide a resist material that can form a film with high smoothness and uniformity and has high patterning performance, such as resolution, a resist material is provided that contains a calixarene compound (A) with a molecular structure represented by the following structural formula (1) and a resin component (B); ##STR00001##
wherein R.sup.1 denotes a perfluoroalkyl group or a structural moiety with a perfluoroalkyl group; R.sup.2 denotes a hydrogen atom, a polar group, a polymerizable group, or a structural moiety with a polar group or a polymerizable group; R.sup.3 denotes a hydrogen atom, an aliphatic hydrocarbon group that optionally has a substituent, or an aryl group that optionally has a substituent; n denotes an integer in the range of 2 to 10; and * denotes a bonding point with an aromatic ring.

The present invention provides a method for forming a patterned polyimide layer with the use of a positive photoresist composition. The composition comprises a cresol-type novolac resin, a diazonaphthoquinone-based sensitizer and an organic solvent; based on the cresol-type novolac resin with a total amount of 100 parts by weight, the amount of the diazonaphthoquinone-based sensitizer ranges from 40 parts to 60 parts by weight, the amount of the free cresol in the cresol-type novolac resin is lower than 2 parts by weight, and the alkaline dissolution rate (ADR) of the cresol-type novolac resin in an aqueous solution of 3.5 wt % to 7 wt % tetramethylammonium hydroxide is lower than 285 Å/s. The positive photoresist composition has excellent chemical resistance to the polyimide stripper, and can specifically improve the protective ability of the photoresist layer to the low-dielectric polyimide layer, thereby optimizing the manufacturing process and quality of the patterned polyimide layer.

A patterning method includes providing a photosensitive composition on a material layer. The photosensitive composition includes one part by weight of a photo sensitive compound, 1.5 to 8 parts by weight of a resin, and 10 to 40 parts by weight of a diluent. The photosensitive compound has a chemical structure of

##STR00001##

The patterning method further includes removing the diluent in the photosensitive composition to form a photoresist layer, exposing the photoresist layer, and removing an exposed part of the photoresist layer to expose a part of the material layer.

A method for fabricating an imprint master 1 comprises a first forming step of forming micro-protrusion-and-recess structures 23 having a first average pitch on one surface of a substrate 10 and a second forming step of forming main recesses 21 or main protrusions 22 having a second average pitch larger than the first average pitch on the one surface of the substrate 10 having the micro-protrusion-and-recess structures 23 formed thereon, in a manner maintaining a shape of at least a portion of the micro-protrusion-and-recess structures 23 in the main recesses 21 or the main protrusions 22 while the main recesses 21 or the main protrusions 22 are being formed.

A novolak resin including a partial structure represented by —C(CF.sub.3)H—. In addition, there are provided a photosensitive resin composition containing the above-described novolak resin and a photosensitizing agent. In addition, there is provided an epoxy resin having a partial structure represented by —C(CF.sub.3)H—. In addition, there is provided a curable resin composition containing the novolak resin or the epoxy resin. In addition, there is provided a cured substance obtained by curing the composition. In addition, there is provided a production method for a novolak resin, including reacting an aromatic compound with fluoral in a presence of an acid catalyst to produce a novolak resin having a partial structure represented by —C(CF.sub.3)H—. Further, there is provided a production method for an epoxy resin, including an epoxidation step of reacting a novolak resin having a partial structure represented by —C(CF.sub.3)H— with epihalohydrin in a presence of a base.

Disclosed herein are techniques for fabricating a straight or slanted surface-relief grating with a uniform or non-uniform grating depth. According to certain embodiments, a gray-tone photoresist includes a novolac resin, a diazonaphthoquinone (DNQ) dissolution inhibitor, and one or more crosslinking agents for crosslinking the novolac resin at an elevated temperature to increase a glass transition temperature of the gray-tone photoresist and/or lower an etch rate of the gray-tone photoresist. After gray-tone photo exposure and development, the gray-tone photoresist is baked at the elevated temperature to crosslink. The crosslinked gray-tone photoresist has a higher density and a higher glass transition temperature, and thus would not become flowable to cause ripples or other surface roughness during the etching.

There is provided a highly sensitive colorant-containing photosensitive resin composition for use in the formation of organic EL element barrier ribs. In one embodiment, the photosensitive resin composition for an organic EL element barrier rib comprises: (A) a binder resin; (B) at least one low molecular weight organic compound having a molar volume of 130 cm.sup.3/mol or less and being selected from the group consisting of aromatic carboxylic acids and compounds each having a plurality of phenolic hydroxyl groups; (C) a radiation sensitive compound; and (D) a colorant selected from the group consisting of black dyes and black pigments.

The present disclosure relates to a method for selecting a photosensitive resin composition, the method including: exposing a resin film of a photosensitive resin composition at 100 to 2000 mJ/cm.sup.2 and heat-treating the resin film at 150° C. to 250° C. for 1 to 3 hours under nitrogen to produce a strip sample of a cured film having a film thickness of 10 μm and a width of 10 mm; performing a fatigue test of repeatedly pulling the strip sample under condition (1) in which the set temperature is 25° C., the distance between chucks is 20 mm, the testing rate is 5 mm/min, and the cyclic load stress is 100 MPa, or under condition (2) in which the set temperature is −55° C., the distance between chucks is 20 mm, the testing rate is 5 mm/min, and the cyclic load stress is 120 MPa; and selecting a photosensitive resin composition satisfying the following condition: the number of times of pulling required until the strip sample breaks in the fatigue test is 100 or more cycles.

There is provided a highly sensitive colorant-containing photosensitive resin composition that can form an excellent crack resistant cured product for use in the formation of organic EL element barrier ribs. One embodiment of the photosensitive resin composition for use in organic EL element barrier ribs comprises: (A) a binder resin; (B) a phenolic hydroxyl group-containing compound having a molecular weight of 260 to 5,000 and a phenolic hydroxyl group equivalent of 80 to 155; (C) a radiation sensitive compound; and (D) a colorant selected from the group consisting of black dyes and black pigments.