Photosensitive coating compositions, thermally stable coatings prepared from them, and the use of such coatings in forming thermally stable polymer images

Claim 2

A coating composition capable of forming a dual acting, aqueous developable, thermally stable, photosensitive coating, said composition comprising acid hardening resin system and photoacid generator dissolved in suitable solvent.

Claim 3

A coating composition as claimed in claim 1 wherein the photoacid generator comprises one or more of naphthoquinone diazide sulfonic acids, naphthoquinone diazide carboxylic acids, polymers derived from naphthoquinone diazide sulfonic acids, polymers derived from naphthoquinone diazide carboxylic acids, aliphatic alcohol esters of naphthoquinone diazide sulfonic acids and orthonitrobenzoic acid.

Claim 4

A coating composition as claimed in claim 1 wherein the photoacid generator comprises o-naphthoquinone diazide sulfonic acid derivative.

Claim 5

A coating composition as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 wherein the acid hardening resin system comprises aminoplast resin and reactive hydrogen containing compound.

Claim 6

A coating composition as claimed in claim 4 wherein the aminoplast resin comprises one or more of melamine, benzoguanamine, and urea resins.

Claim 7

A coating composition as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5 wherein the reactive hydrogen containing compound comprises alkali soluble resin, the alkali soluble resin being one or more of phenolic novolaks, cresolic novolaks, polyglutarimides, polyvinylphenols, and (meth)acrylic acid-styrene copolymers formed from at least 15 weight percent (meth)acrylic acid.

Claim 8

A coating composition as claimed in claim 1 wherein the acid hardening resin system comprises novolak resin and latent formaldehyde generating compound.

Claim 9

A coating composition as claimed in claim 7 wherein the latent formaldehyde generating compound comprises 2-hydroxyethyloxazolidine and/or oxazolidinylethyl methacrylate.

Claim 10

A coating composition as claimed in any of claims 4 to 6 comprising 3 to 50 parts by weight of said aminoplast resin, 90 to 40 parts by weight of said reactive hydrogen containing compound and 2 to 30 parts by weight of said photoacid generator.

Claim 11

A coating composition as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 wherein said acid hardening resin system comprises phenoplast resin and formaldehyde generating compound, and said phenoplast resin is present in an amount of 50 to 95 parts by weight, said formaldehyde generating compound is present in an amount of 40 to 3 parts by weight, and said photoacid generator is present in an amount of 2 to 30 parts by weight.

Claim 12

A coating composition as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8 comprising 20 to 30 weight percent of said photoacid generator and 80 to 75 weight percent of said acid hardening resin system, based on the total solids content of said composition.

Claim 13

A coating composition as claimed in claim 11 wherein said photoacid generator comprises about 25 weight percent naphthoquinone diazide sulfonic acid derivative and 2 to 5 weight percent aliphatic sulfonic acid ester, based on the solids content of said composition.

Claim 14

A composition capable of forming a dual acting, aqueous base developable coating said coating composition being in the form of a photoresist comprising novolak resin and naphthoquinone diazide photoacid generator dissolved in a suitable solvent, there being incorporated therein 5 to 50 parts by weight of acid hardening aminoplast or formaldehyde generating compound, based on 100 parts by weight of the novolak resin.

Claim 15

A composition capable of forming a dual acting, aqueous base developable coating said coating composition being in the form of a photoresist comprising novolak resin and naphthoquinone diazide photoacid generator dissolved in a suitable solvent, there being incorporated therein 5 to 50 parts by weight of acid hardening aminoplast or formaldehyde generating compound, based on 100 parts by weight of the novolak resin.

Claim 16

An image on a substrate surface, said image being formed from a coating composition as claimed in any of claims 1 to 13, the image being crosslinked and thermally stable to temperatures of at least 200°C.

Claim 17

A process for forming a thermally stable, positive or negative image on a substrate surface comprising: (a) preparing a photosensitive coating composition as claimed in any of claims 1 to 13; (b) depositing the coating composition on a substrate surface; (c) drying the coated substrate surface to form a touch tack free photosensitive film on the substrate surface; (d) creating an acidic latent image in the film by exposing the film to a source of actinic radiation; and (e) either (i) forming a negative image on the substrate surface by heating the acidic latent image in the film to 70 to 120°C, reexposing the film to a source of actinic radiation, and developing the reexposed film with an aqueous solution; or (ii) forming a positive image on the substrate surface by removing the acidic latent image in the film with an aqueous solution and leaving a remaining film on the substrate surface, reexposing the remaining film to a source of actinic radiation to form a second acidic latent image in the remaining film, and heating the second acidic latent image in the remaining film to 70 to 120°C.

Claim 18

A thermally stable, negative image on a surface prepared by a process as claimed in claim 15 and wherein the image has a resolution of about 0.7 micrometers.

Claim 19

A process for forming a thermally stable positive or negative planarizing layer image on a substrate surface comprising forming a positive or a negative image on a substrate surface by a process as claimed in claim 15, employing the imaged surface formed thereby and repeating the process as claimed in claim 15 on said imaged surface.

Claim 20

A dual acting, aqueous developable, crosslinkable, photosensitive coating comprising acid hardening resin system and photoacid generator.

Claim 21

A dual acting, aqueous developable, crosslinkable, photosensitive coating comprising acid hardening resin system and photoacid generator.

Claim 22

A coating as claimed in claim 18 which is prepared from a composition as claimed in any of claims 1 to 13 by removing or substantially removing the solvent.

Claim 23

A thermally stable crosslinked resin composition formed from a photosensitive coating composition as claimed in claim 18 or claim 19.

Claim 24

An article comprising a coating formed from a photosensitive coating as claimed in claim 18 or claim 19.

Claim 25

An article as claimed in claim 21 wherein the coating is in the form of a protective coating.