Process for using photosensitive, heat-resistant resin composition to form patterns

Claim 1

A process for formation of a pattern of a heat-resistant insulating polyimide resin film on a base material, said process consisting of: (a) coating a surface of the base material with a resin composition including (1) a non-photosensitive polyimide precursor varnish capable of undergoing a cyclodehydration reaction to provide a polyimide, (2) a photopolymerizable acrylic or methacrylic monomer or oligomer compatible with said non-photosensitive polyimide precursor and capable of undergoing photopolymerization to provide a high-heat-resistant polymer, wherein said oligomer or monomer is represented by the following formula: ##STR10## wherein A is an acrylic or methacrylic acid; B is a polyhydric alcohol; C is a polybasic acid; and n denotes an integer having a value of one or more; and (3) a photopolymerization initiator for said monomer or oligomer, (b) exposing the resultant coating to a light pattern to photopolymerize said monomer or oligomer in a predetermined pattern through the action of a radical generated from said photopolymerization initiator, thereby selectively causing said monomer or oligomer to form a high-heat-resistant polymer in said composition at preselected regions of the coating without causing photopolymerization of said non-photosensitive polyimide precursor in said composition at said preselected regions of the coating; (c) selectively removing said coating from said base material at regions other than said preselected regions where said high-heat-resistant polymer of said monomer or oligomer has been formed by said photopolymerization thereof; and (d) heat-treating the coating remaining at said preselected regions to thereby cause said non-photosensitive polyimide precursor contained in the coating at said preselected regions to undergo the cyclodehydration reaction to thereby cure said polyimide precursor to form polyimide, and present said heat-resistant insulating resin film at said preselected regions; and (e) retaining the photopolymerized monomer or oligomer in said film.