JP7711042B2 - Manufacturing method of cut pieces - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a method for manufacturing cut pieces and a laminate.

In display devices (such as organic electroluminescence (EL) display devices and liquid crystal display devices) equipped with a touch panel such as a capacitance-type input device, conductive layer patterns such as an electrode pattern corresponding to a sensor in the visible area, and wiring for a peripheral wiring portion and an extraction wiring portion are provided inside the touch panel.
Generally, in forming a patterned layer, the number of steps required to obtain a desired pattern shape is small, and therefore a method is widely used in which a layer of a photosensitive composition provided on a substrate using a photosensitive transfer member is exposed through a mask having a desired pattern and then developed.

Furthermore, a conventional method for cutting a film is known from Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-233696.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-228023 describes a method for cutting a film in which a continuously running film is inserted between an upper blade and a lower blade that rotate so that one side of the blade edges are in sliding contact with each other, and the film is cut to divide along the running direction and in the width direction, characterized in that the upper blade has a blade edge angle of 80 to 90° that slides against the lower blade, and the lower blade has a blade edge angle of 80 to 90° that slides against the upper blade.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a cut product that can suppress dent failure in the resulting cut product.
Another problem to be solved by another embodiment of the present invention is to provide a laminate with less dent failures.

Means for solving the above problems include the following aspects.
<1> A method for producing a cut product, comprising a step of sandwiching and cutting a laminate having a photosensitive layer between an upper blade and a lower blade, wherein a clearance between the cutting edge of the upper blade and the cutting edge of the lower blade is 5 μm or less.
<2> The method for manufacturing a cut product according to <1>, wherein a chamfer angle θ1, which is an inclination angle of the cutting edge of the upper blade on the lower blade side, is 3° or less in a cross section of the upper blade perpendicular to the feed direction of the stack.
<3> The method for producing a cut product according to <1> or <2>, wherein a cutting edge angle θ2 of the upper blade is 33° or less in a cross section of the upper blade perpendicular to the feed direction of the laminate.
<4> The method for producing cut products according to any one of <1> to <3>, wherein the thickness of the entire laminate is 50 μm or less.
<5> The method for producing cut products according to any one of <1> to <4>, wherein the photosensitive layer has a thickness of 1 μm to 20 μm.
<6> The method for producing cut products according to any one of <1> to <5>, wherein the laminate has a support, the photosensitive layer, and a cover film.
<7> The method for producing cut products according to <6>, wherein the support and the cover film each have a thickness of 10 μm to 20 μm.
<8> The method for producing cut products according to <6> or <7>, wherein the arithmetic mean roughness Ra value of the surface of the support facing the photosensitive layer is 0.05 μm or less.
<9> The method for producing a cut product according to any one of <6> to <8>, wherein the arithmetic mean roughness Ra value of the surface of the cover film on the photosensitive layer side is 0.1 μm or less.
<10> The method for producing cut products according to any one of <1> to <9>, further comprising, after the cutting step, a step of winding up at least a part of the cut products of the laminate obtained.
<11> A laminate having a photosensitive layer, the laminate having at least a cut surface formed by cutting, the cut surface having a width of 50 μm and a number of cracks per 10 points on the cut surface being 3 or less.
<12> A laminate having a photosensitive layer, the laminate having at least a cut surface formed by cutting, and the number of dent defects in the laminate being 60 dents/ ^m2 or less.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for producing a cut product that can suppress dent failure in the obtained cut product.
Moreover, according to another embodiment of the present invention, a laminate with fewer dent failures can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of an upper blade and a lower blade of a disk-shaped rotary slitter used in the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the layer structure of a photosensitive transfer member used in the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of an example of an end portion of a cut surface of a laminate having a support, a photosensitive layer, and a cover film.

The present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which reference numerals may be omitted.
In addition, in this specification, a numerical range expressed using "to" means a range that includes the numerical values before and after "to" as the lower and upper limits.
In addition, in this specification, "(meth)acrylic" refers to both or either of acrylic and methacrylic, and "(meth)acrylate" refers to both or either of acrylate and methacrylate.
Furthermore, in this specification, when a plurality of substances corresponding to each component are present in the composition, the amount of each component in the composition means the total amount of the corresponding substances present in the composition, unless otherwise specified.
In this specification, the term "process" includes not only an independent process but also a process that cannot be clearly distinguished from other processes as long as the intended purpose of the process is achieved.
In the description of groups (atomic groups) in this specification, when there is no indication of substituted or unsubstituted, the term encompasses both unsubstituted and substituted groups. For example, the term "alkyl group" encompasses not only alkyl groups without a substituent (unsubstituted alkyl groups) but also alkyl groups with a substituent (substituted alkyl groups).
In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the term "exposure" includes not only exposure using light, but also drawing using particle beams such as electron beams and ion beams. In addition, examples of light used for exposure generally include the bright line spectrum of a mercury lamp, far ultraviolet light represented by an excimer laser, extreme ultraviolet light (EUV light), X-rays, active light rays (active energy rays) such as electron beams, etc.
In addition, chemical structural formulas in this specification may be described as simplified structural formulas in which hydrogen atoms are omitted.
In the present disclosure, "mass %" and "weight %" are synonymous, and "parts by mass" and "parts by weight" are synonymous.
Also, in the present disclosure, combinations of two or more preferred aspects are more preferred aspects.
In addition, unless otherwise specified, the weight average molecular weight (Mw) and number average molecular weight (Mn) in the present disclosure are molecular weights detected by a gel permeation chromatography (GPC) analyzer using columns of TSKgel GMHxL, TSKgel G4000HxL, or TSKgel G2000HxL (all product names manufactured by Tosoh Corporation) using a differential refractometer with THF (tetrahydrofuran) as a solvent, and converted using polystyrene as a standard substance.
In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the content of metal elements is a value measured using an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectroscopic analyzer.
In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the refractive index is a value measured using an ellipsometer at a wavelength of 550 nm.
In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the hue is a value measured using a color difference meter (CR-221, manufactured by Minolta Co., Ltd.).
In this specification, "alkali-soluble" means that the solubility in 100 g of a 1% by mass aqueous solution of sodium carbonate at a liquid temperature of 22°C is 0.1 g or more.
In this specification, "water-soluble" means that the solubility in 100 g of water having a pH of 7.0 and a liquid temperature of 22° C. is 0.1 g or more. Therefore, for example, a water-soluble resin refers to a resin that satisfies the above-mentioned solubility conditions.
In this specification, the "solid content" of a composition means the components that form a layer produced using the composition, and when the composition contains a solvent (organic solvent, water, etc.), it means all components excluding the solvent. In addition, liquid components that form the above layer are also considered to be solid contents.
In this specification, the thickness of each layer of the photosensitive transfer member is measured by observing a cross section perpendicular to the main surface of the photosensitive transfer member with a scanning electron microscope (SEM), measuring the thickness of each layer at any five or more points based on the obtained observation image, and calculating the average value.

[Method of manufacturing cut products]
The method for producing a cut product according to the present disclosure includes a step of sandwiching and cutting a laminate having a photosensitive layer between an upper blade and a lower blade, and the clearance between the upper blade and the lower blade is 5 μm or less.

In principle, it is advantageous to narrow the gap between the mask and the resist material of a photosensitive transfer member or other resist material in order to form a resist faithful to the patterning mask by exposure. The narrower the gap, the shorter the optical path length, and the less susceptible to the effects of diffraction and scattering, making it possible to realize a resist faithful to the mask. At high resolution, the gap distance becomes more pronounced, and it is important to control these. In dry films, exposure is performed through a support from the perspective of preventing mask contamination, so it is necessary to make the support thinner, and as a result, the total film thickness is becoming thinner. The inventor has found that cutting cannot be performed well under conventional cutting conditions, resulting in a large amount of cutting chips, and these cutting chips adhere to the cut laminate (cut product) having the above-mentioned photosensitive layer, causing a dent (dent) failure. For example, cutting chips adhere to a laminate having a photosensitive layer, and then the cut product is stacked for storage, causing a dent (dent) failure. In addition, when a laminate having a photosensitive layer is wound into a roll, a dent failure occurs when the cutting chips are rolled up.

As a result of extensive research, the present inventors have found that by using the method for manufacturing a cut product having the above configuration, it is possible to suppress dent failure in the resulting cut product.
Although the detailed mechanism by which the above effect occurs is unknown, it is presumed that by having a clearance between the cutting edge of the upper blade and the cutting edge of the lower blade of 5 μm or less, the generation of chips can be suppressed when cutting a laminate having a photosensitive layer, and that dent failure caused by chips adhering to the laminate can be suppressed.

The laminate having the photosensitive layer is preferably a photosensitive transfer member.
The photosensitive transfer members used in this disclosure are preferably negative-acting photosensitive transfer members.
A preferred embodiment of the laminate having the photosensitive layer will be described later.

<Cutting step>
The method for producing a cut product according to the present disclosure includes a step of sandwiching and cutting a laminate having a photosensitive layer between an upper blade and a lower blade, and the clearance between the cutting edge of the upper blade and the cutting edge of the lower blade is 5 μm or less.
The cutting means having an upper blade and a lower blade used in the present disclosure is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a cutter, a slitter, etc. Since the cutting means is capable of continuous cutting and winding into a roll, the cutting means is preferably a rotary slitter, and more preferably a disk-shaped rotary slitter.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of an upper blade and a lower blade of a disk-shaped rotary slitter used in the present disclosure, showing a cross section in a direction perpendicular to the cut surface of the laminate.
The upper blade 102 is a blade having a chamfer angle θ1 and a cutting edge angle θ2, and has a chamfer length R1.
The lower blade 104 is a blade having a chamfer angle θ3 and a chamfer length R2.
Moreover, the clearance CL between the cutting edge 102a of the upper blade 102 and the cutting edge 104a of the lower blade 104 shown in FIG. 1 is equal to the value of R1+R2.
Furthermore, during cutting, a laminate (not shown) having a photosensitive layer is sandwiched between the upper blade 102 and the lower blade 104 depending on the penetration depth T of the upper blade 102 into the lower blade 104, thereby cutting the laminate having a photosensitive layer. In Fig. 1, the laminate having a photosensitive layer is sandwiched between the upper blade 102 and the lower blade 104 and cut so as to be separated into left and right halves.

The clearance CL between the cutting edge 102a of the upper blade 102 and the cutting edge 104a of the lower blade 104 is 5 μm or less, and from the viewpoint of suppressing dent defects, it is preferably 1 μm or more and 5 μm or less, more preferably 2 μm or more and 4.5 μm or less, even more preferably 2.5 μm or more and 4.0 μm or less, and particularly preferably 2.5 μm or more and 3.5 μm or less.

In the cross section of the upper blade 102 on a plane perpendicular to the feed direction of the laminate, the chamfer length R1 of the upper blade 102 is, from the viewpoint of suppressing dent defects, preferably 0.5 μm or more and 3 μm or less, more preferably 0.5 μm or more and 2.5 μm or less, even more preferably 0.8 μm or more and 2.0 μm or less, and particularly preferably 0.8 μm or more and 1.5 μm or less.
Furthermore, in a cross section of the lower blade 104 on a plane perpendicular to the feed direction of the laminate, the chamfer length R2 of the lower blade 104 is preferably 0.5 μm or more and 3 μm or less, more preferably 1.0 μm or more and 2.5 μm or less, and particularly preferably 1.5 μm or more and 2.5 μm or less, from the viewpoint of suppressing dent defects.

In a cross section of the upper blade 102 perpendicular to the feed direction of the laminate, the chamfer angle θ1, which is the inclination angle of the lower blade side at the cutting edge 102a of the upper blade 102, is preferably 15° or less, more preferably 10° or less, even more preferably 3° or less, and particularly preferably 1° or more and 3° or less, from the viewpoint of suppressing dent defects.
Moreover, from the viewpoint of suppressing dent defects, the chamfer angle θ1 is preferably an angle exceeding 0°.

In a cross section of the upper blade 102 perpendicular to the feed direction of the above-mentioned laminate, the cutting edge angle θ2 of the upper blade 102 is preferably 45° or less, more preferably 40° or less, even more preferably 33° or less, and particularly preferably 20° or more and 33° or less, from the viewpoint of suppressing dent defects.
Furthermore, from the viewpoint of suppressing dent defects, the cutting edge angle θ2 is preferably an angle that is equal to or greater than twice the chamfer angle θ1, more preferably an angle that is equal to or greater than five times the chamfer angle θ1, and particularly preferably an angle that is equal to or greater than ten times the chamfer angle θ1.

In a cross section of the lower blade 104 perpendicular to the feed direction of the above-mentioned laminate, the cutting edge angle θ3 of the lower blade 104 is preferably greater than 90° and not greater than 120° , more preferably not greater than 110° , even more preferably not greater than 105° , and particularly preferably not greater than 100°, from the viewpoint of suppressing dent defects.

The material of the upper blade 102 and the lower blade 104 is not particularly limited, and known materials can be used, and preferable examples thereof include high speed tool steel (SKH), alloy tool steel (e.g., SKD), cemented carbide, etc., and are appropriately set depending on the thickness of the laminate, cutting conditions, etc. Furthermore, the shapes of the upper blade 102 and the lower blade 104 other than those described above, such as the thickness of the upper blade 102 and the thickness of the lower blade 104, can also be appropriately set depending on the thickness of the laminate, etc.
In addition, in the cutting step, the upper blade 102 is preferably positioned higher in the direction of gravity than the lower blade 104 .

The penetration depth T of the upper blade 102 into the lower blade 104 during cutting in the above-mentioned cutting process is not particularly limited as long as cutting is possible, but from the viewpoints of cutting speed and suppression of dent defects, it is preferable that the penetration depth T be 0.4 mm to 0.6 mm in the case of a rotary slitter.
In the rotary slitter, it is preferable that the upper blade 102 and the lower blade 104 are in sliding contact with each other at least in part during the cutting process.

In the cutting step, the shape and size of the cut pieces obtained by cutting the laminate are not particularly limited, and the laminate may be cut into a desired shape and size.
The material and size of the upper blade and the lower blade can also be appropriately selected depending on the laminate and the cut product to be obtained.
In the cutting step, it is preferable to cut the laminate in the thickness direction.

The cutting speed in the cutting process is not particularly limited and can be selected as desired.

<Winding process>
The method for producing cut products according to the present disclosure preferably includes, after the cutting step, a step of winding up at least a portion of the cut products of the laminate obtained.
When winding up the cut material, dent defects caused by adhesion of cutting chips are likely to occur, so the effects of the present disclosure can be more effectively achieved.
The winding method is not particularly limited and any known method can be used, but in the winding step, it is preferable to wind the cut pieces into a roll.

<Other processes>
The method for producing a cut product according to the present disclosure may include any steps (other steps) other than the steps described above. Examples of the other steps include known steps.

The cutting device used in the present disclosure is not particularly limited, and any known cutting device can be used by adjusting the upper blade and lower blade within the above range.
A preferred cutting device is, for example, a cutting device equipped with a disk-shaped rotary slitter, which has rotating shafts arranged parallel to each other as the rotating shafts of the upper blade and the lower blade, and a circular upper blade and a circular lower blade are fixed to each rotating shaft. During cutting, the laminate is cut while one side of the cutting edge of the upper blade and the lower blade are in sliding contact with each other. Each rotating shaft is configured to rotate in a predetermined direction by a driving mechanism, so that the upper blade and the lower blade rotate.

Below, we will explain in detail the laminate having a photosensitive layer used in this disclosure.

<Laminate having a photosensitive layer>
The laminate having a photosensitive layer used in the present disclosure is not particularly limited as long as it is a laminate of two or more layers having a photosensitive layer, but it is preferably a laminate having at least a support and a photosensitive layer, and more preferably a laminate having a support, a photosensitive layer, and a cover film.
The laminate having the photosensitive layer is preferably a photosensitive transfer member.
In the photosensitive transfer member, the support and the photosensitive layer may be laminated directly without any other layer therebetween, or may be laminated via another layer. Also, another layer may be laminated on the surface of the photosensitive layer opposite to the surface facing the support.
Examples of layers other than the support and the photosensitive layer include a thermoplastic resin layer, an intermediate layer, a refractive index adjusting layer, and a cover film.
Moreover, each layer may be a single layer or a multi-layer structure consisting of two or more layers.

In order to better demonstrate the effects of the present disclosure, the thickness of the entire laminate is preferably 50 μm or less, more preferably 42 μm or less, and particularly preferably 20 μm or more and 42 μm or less.

An example of an embodiment of a laminate having a photosensitive layer used in the present disclosure is shown below, but is not limited thereto.
(1) "Support/photosensitive layer/refractive index adjusting layer/cover film"
(2) "Support/photosensitive layer/cover film"
(3) "Support/Intermediate layer/Photosensitive layer/Cover film"
(4) "Support/thermoplastic resin layer/intermediate layer/photosensitive layer/cover film"
In each of the above configurations, the photosensitive layer is preferably a negative photosensitive layer. It is also preferable that the photosensitive layer is a colored resin layer. The laminate having the photosensitive layer used in the present disclosure may be used as a photosensitive transfer material member for wiring protection film, or as a photosensitive transfer material for etching resist, as described later.
When the laminate is used as a photosensitive transfer member for a wiring protective film, the laminate preferably has the structure of the above-mentioned (1) or (2), for example.
When the laminate is used as a photosensitive transfer member for etching resist, the laminate preferably has the structure of any one of the above-mentioned (2) to (4).

In the laminate having a photosensitive layer used in the present disclosure, when the laminate further has other layers on the side opposite the support side of the photosensitive layer, the total thickness of the other layers arranged on the side opposite the support side of the photosensitive layer is preferably 0.1% to 30%, and more preferably 0.1% to 20%, of the thickness of the photosensitive layer.

From the viewpoint of preventing the generation of air bubbles during lamination, the maximum width of the undulations of the laminate having the photosensitive layer used in the present disclosure is preferably 300 μm or less, more preferably 200 μm or less, and even more preferably 60 μm or less. The lower limit of the maximum width of the undulations of the photosensitive transfer member is 0 μm or more, preferably 0.1 μm or more, and more preferably 1 μm or more.
The maximum width of undulations of a laminate having a photosensitive layer used in the present disclosure is a value measured by the following procedure.
First, the laminate is cut in a direction perpendicular to the main surface to a size of 20 cm long x 20 cm wide to prepare a test sample. If the laminate has a cover film, the cover film is peeled off. Next, the test sample is placed on a flat and horizontal stage so that the surface of the support faces the stage. After being placed, the surface of the test sample is scanned with a laser microscope (for example, VK-9700SP manufactured by Keyence Corporation) to obtain a three-dimensional surface image within a central 10 cm square range of the test sample, and the minimum concave height is subtracted from the maximum convex height observed in the obtained three-dimensional surface image. The above operation is performed on 10 test samples, and the arithmetic average value is taken as the "maximum waviness width of the photosensitive transfer member".

The laminate having a photosensitive layer used in the present disclosure is described below. The laminate of the following embodiment A has a configuration suitable for use as a photosensitive transfer member for an etching resist, and the laminate of the following embodiment B has a configuration suitable for use as a photosensitive transfer member for a wiring protection film.

[Laminate of embodiment A]
The laminate of embodiment A will be described below.

[Support]
The laminate used in the present disclosure preferably has a support.
The photosensitive transfer member used in the present disclosure has a support.
The support supports the photosensitive layer or a laminate including the photosensitive layer, and is peelable.

The support preferably has optical transparency from the viewpoint of enabling exposure of the photosensitive layer through the support when the photosensitive layer is subjected to patternwise exposure. In this specification, "having optical transparency" means that the transmittance of light of the wavelength used for patternwise exposure is 50% or more.
From the viewpoint of improving the exposure sensitivity of the photosensitive layer, the support preferably has a transmittance of 60% or more, more preferably 70% or more, for light having a wavelength used for patternwise exposure (more preferably a wavelength of 365 nm).
The transmittance of the layer of the photosensitive transfer member is the ratio of the intensity of the emitted light that passes through the layer to the intensity of the incident light when light is incident in a direction perpendicular to the main surface of the layer (thickness direction), and is measured using an MCPD Series manufactured by Otsuka Electronics Co., Ltd.

The support may have a single layer structure or a multilayer structure.
Examples of materials constituting the support include a glass substrate, a resin film, and paper. From the viewpoints of strength, flexibility, and light transmittance, a resin film is preferred.
Examples of the resin film include a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film, a cellulose triacetate film, a polystyrene film, and a polycarbonate film. Of these, a PET film is preferred, and a biaxially stretched PET film is more preferred.

The thickness (layer thickness) of the support is not particularly limited, and may be selected according to the material from the viewpoints of the strength as a support, the flexibility required for bonding to a circuit wiring formation substrate, and the light transmittance required in the initial exposure step.
The thickness of the support is preferably in the range of 5 μm to 100 μm, and from the viewpoints of ease of handling and versatility, more preferably in the range of 10 μm to 50 μm, further preferably in the range of 10 μm to 20 μm, and particularly preferably in the range of 10 μm to 16 μm.
The average thickness of the support is preferably 50 μm or less, and more preferably 25 μm or less, from the viewpoints of resolution and linearity when exposure is performed through the support.

Examples of supports include a biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate film with a thickness of 16 μm, a biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate film with a thickness of 12 μm, and a biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate film with a thickness of 9 μm.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the film used as the support is free from deformations such as wrinkles, scratches, defects, and the like.
From the viewpoints of pattern formability during pattern exposure through the support and the transparency of the support, it is preferable that the number of fine particles, foreign matter, defects, precipitates, etc. contained in the support is small. The number of fine particles, foreign matter, and defects having a diameter of 1 μm or more is preferably 50 pieces/10 ^mm2 or less, more preferably 10 pieces/10 mm2 ^{or less} , even more preferably 3 pieces/10 ^mm2 or less, and particularly preferably 0 pieces/10 ^mm2 .

Preferred embodiments of the support are described, for example, in paragraphs 0017 to 0018 of JP 2014-85643 A, paragraphs 0019 to 0026 of JP 2016-27363 A, paragraphs 0041 to 0057 of WO 2012/081680 A, paragraphs 0029 to 0040 of WO 2018/179370 A, and paragraphs 0012 to 0032 of JP 2019-101405 A, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

In addition, the arithmetic mean roughness Ra value of the surface of the support facing the photosensitive layer is preferably 0.3 μm or less, more preferably 0.1 μm or less, and particularly preferably 0.05 μm or less, from the viewpoint of better exerting the effects of the present disclosure.
The lower limit of the Ra value of the surface of the support in contact with the photosensitive layer is not particularly limited, but it is preferably 0.001 μm or more.

The Ra values of the surfaces of the support and the cover film are measured by the following method.
Using a three-dimensional optical profiler (New View 7300, manufactured by Zygo), the surface of the support or cover film is measured under the following conditions to obtain a surface profile of the optical film.
As the measurement and analysis software, Microscope Application of MetroPro ver. 8.3.2 is used. Next, the Surface Map screen is displayed in the analysis software, and histogram data is obtained in the Surface Map screen. From the obtained histogram data, the arithmetic average roughness is calculated, and the Ra value of the surface of the support or cover film is obtained.
When a support or a cover film is attached to a photosensitive layer or the like, the support or the cover film may be peeled off from the photosensitive layer, and the Ra value of the surface on the peeled side may be measured.

From the viewpoint of imparting handleability, a layer containing fine particles (also called a "lubricant layer") may be provided on the surface of the support. The lubricant layer may be provided on one side or both sides of the support. The diameter of the particles contained in the lubricant layer is preferably 0.05 μm to 0.8 μm.
The thickness of the lubricant layer is preferably 0.05 μm to 1.0 μm.

[Photosensitive layer]
The laminate used in the present disclosure has a photosensitive layer.
The photosensitive transfer member used in this disclosure has a photosensitive layer.

The photosensitive layer is preferably a negative-type photosensitive layer in which the solubility of the exposed portion in a developer solution is reduced by exposure, and the non-exposed portion is removed by development. However, the photosensitive layer is not limited to a negative-type photosensitive layer, and may be a positive-type photosensitive layer in which the solubility of the exposed portion in a developer solution is increased by exposure, and the exposed portion is removed by development.

The photosensitive layer preferably contains a polymerizable compound and a binder polymer, more preferably contains a polymerizable compound, a binder polymer, and a photopolymerization initiator, and particularly preferably contains polymer A, a polymerizable compound, and a photopolymerization initiator. The photosensitive layer preferably contains, based on the total mass of the photosensitive layer, 10% by mass to 90% by mass of the binder polymer, 5% by mass to 70% by mass of the polymerizable compound, and 0.01% by mass to 20% by mass of the photopolymerization initiator.
Each component will be described in turn below.

(Binder Polymer)
The photosensitive layer preferably contains a binder polymer.
The binder polymer is not particularly limited, and suitable examples thereof include known binder polymers used in etching resists.
Moreover, examples of the binder polymer include alkali-soluble polymers.
The alkali-soluble polymer is preferably an alkali-soluble polymer having an acid group.
Among these, the binder polymer is preferably the polymer A described below.

--Polymer A--
As the binder polymer, it is preferable to contain polymer A.
The polymer A is preferably an alkali-soluble polymer. The alkali-soluble polymer includes polymers that are easily soluble in alkaline substances.

The acid value of polymer A is preferably 220 mgKOH/g or less, more preferably less than 200 mgKOH/g, and even more preferably less than 190 mgKOH/g, from the viewpoint of suppressing swelling of the photosensitive layer by the developer and thereby achieving superior resolution.
The lower limit of the acid value of polymer A is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of better developability, it is preferably 60 mgKOH/g or more, more preferably 120 mgKOH/g or more, even more preferably 150 mgKOH/g or more, and particularly preferably 170 mgKOH/g or more.

The acid value is the mass [mg] of potassium hydroxide required to neutralize 1 g of sample.
In this specification, the unit is expressed as mgKOH/g. The acid value can be calculated, for example, from the average content of acid groups in the compound.
The acid value of the polymer A may be adjusted by changing the type of structural unit constituting the polymer A and the content of the structural unit containing an acid group.

The weight average molecular weight of polymer A is preferably 5,000 to 500,000. A weight average molecular weight of 500,000 or less is preferable from the viewpoint of improving resolution and developability. A weight average molecular weight of 100,000 or less is more preferable, 60,000 or less is even more preferable, and 50,000 or less is particularly preferable. On the other hand, a weight average molecular weight of 5,000 or more is preferable from the viewpoint of controlling the properties of the development aggregates and the properties of the unexposed film such as edge fuse property and cut chip property. A weight average molecular weight of 10,000 or more is more preferable, 20,000 or more is even more preferable, and 30,000 or more is particularly preferable. Edge fuse property refers to the degree of ease of protrusion of the photosensitive layer from the end face of the roll when the photosensitive transfer member is wound into a roll. Cut chip property refers to the degree of ease of chipping when the unexposed film is cut with a cutter. If these chips adhere to the upper surface of the photosensitive transfer member, they will be transferred to a mask in a subsequent exposure step, causing defective products. The dispersity of the polymer A is preferably 1.0 to 6.0, more preferably 1.0 to 5.0, even more preferably 1.0 to 4.0, and even more preferably 1.0 to 3.0. In the present disclosure, the molecular weight is a value measured using gel permeation chromatography. The dispersity is the ratio of the weight average molecular weight to the number average molecular weight (weight average molecular weight/number average molecular weight).

From the viewpoint of suppressing line width thickening and deterioration of resolution when the focal position is shifted during exposure, it is preferable that the polymer A has an aromatic hydrocarbon group, and more preferably has a structural unit having an aromatic hydrocarbon group. Examples of such aromatic hydrocarbon groups include substituted or unsubstituted phenyl groups and substituted or unsubstituted aralkyl groups. The content ratio of structural units having aromatic hydrocarbon groups in the polymer A is preferably 20% by mass or more, more preferably 30% by mass or more, even more preferably 40% by mass or more, particularly preferably 45% by mass or more, and most preferably 50% by mass or more, based on the total mass of the polymer A. There is no particular limit to the upper limit, but it is preferably 95% by mass or less, more preferably 85% by mass or less. In addition, when multiple types of polymer A are contained, the content ratio of structural units having aromatic hydrocarbon groups is calculated as a weight average value.

Examples of monomers that form structural units having an aromatic hydrocarbon group include monomers having an aralkyl group, styrene, and polymerizable styrene derivatives (e.g., methylstyrene, vinyltoluene, tert-butoxystyrene, acetoxystyrene, 4-vinylbenzoic acid, styrene dimer, styrene trimer, etc.). Among these, monomers having an aralkyl group or styrene are preferred. In one embodiment, when the monomer that forms the structural unit having an aromatic hydrocarbon group in polymer A is styrene, the content of the structural unit derived from styrene is preferably 20% by mass to 50% by mass, more preferably 25% by mass to 45% by mass, even more preferably 30% by mass to 40% by mass, and particularly preferably 30% by mass to 35% by mass, based on the total mass of polymer A. In addition, when the photosensitive layer contains multiple types of polymer A, the content of the structural unit having an aromatic hydrocarbon group is calculated as a weight average value.

Examples of aralkyl groups include substituted or unsubstituted phenylalkyl groups, and substituted or unsubstituted benzyl groups are preferred.

Examples of monomers having a phenylalkyl group other than a substituted or unsubstituted benzyl group include phenylethyl (meth)acrylate.

Examples of monomers having a substituted or unsubstituted benzyl group include (meth)acrylates having a substituted or unsubstituted benzyl group (e.g., benzyl (meth)acrylate, chlorobenzyl (meth)acrylate, etc.); and vinyl monomers having a benzyl group (e.g., vinylbenzyl chloride, vinylbenzyl alcohol, etc.). Among these, benzyl (meth)acrylate is preferred. In one embodiment, when the monomer forming the structural unit having an aromatic hydrocarbon group in polymer A is benzyl (meth)acrylate, the content of the structural unit derived from benzyl (meth)acrylate is preferably 50% by mass to 95% by mass, more preferably 60% by mass to 90% by mass, even more preferably 70% by mass to 90% by mass, and particularly preferably 75% by mass to 90% by mass, based on the total mass of polymer A.

It is preferable that polymer A having a structural unit having an aromatic hydrocarbon group is obtained by polymerizing a monomer having an aromatic hydrocarbon group with at least one type of a first monomer described below and/or at least one type of a second monomer described below.

Polymer A, which does not have a structural unit having an aromatic hydrocarbon group, is preferably obtained by polymerizing at least one type of first monomer described later, and more preferably obtained by copolymerizing at least one type of first monomer with at least one type of second monomer described later.

The first monomer is a monomer having a carboxy group in the molecule. Examples of the first monomer include (meth)acrylic acid, fumaric acid, cinnamic acid, crotonic acid, itaconic acid, 4-vinylbenzoic acid, maleic anhydride, and maleic acid half ester. Among these, (meth)acrylic acid is preferable.
The content ratio of the constitutional unit derived from the first monomer in polymer A is preferably 5% by mass to 50% by mass, more preferably 10% by mass to 40% by mass, and even more preferably 15% by mass to 30% by mass, based on the total mass of polymer A.

The content ratio of the structural unit derived from the first monomer is preferably 10% by mass to 50% by mass based on the total mass of polymer A. The copolymerization ratio of 10% by mass or more is preferable from the viewpoint of exhibiting good developability and controlling edge fusing properties, and is more preferably 15% by mass or more, and even more preferably 20% by mass or more. The content ratio of 50% by mass or less is preferable from the viewpoint of high resolution and bottom shape of the resist pattern, and further from the viewpoint of chemical resistance of the resist pattern, and from these viewpoints, 35% by mass or less is more preferable, 30% by mass or less is even more preferable, and 27% by mass or less is particularly preferable.

The second monomer is a monomer that is non-acidic and has at least one ethylenically unsaturated group in the molecule. Examples of the second monomer include (meth)acrylates such as methyl (meth)acrylate, ethyl (meth)acrylate, n-propyl (meth)acrylate, isopropyl (meth)acrylate, n-butyl (meth)acrylate, isobutyl (meth)acrylate, tert-butyl (meth)acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylate, 2-hydroxypropyl (meth)acrylate, cyclohexyl (meth)acrylate, and 2-ethylhexyl (meth)acrylate; esters of vinyl alcohol such as vinyl acetate; and (meth)acrylonitrile. Among them, methyl (meth)acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl (meth)acrylate, and n-butyl (meth)acrylate are preferred, and methyl (meth)acrylate is particularly preferred.
The content ratio of the constitutional unit derived from the second monomer in polymer A is preferably 5% by mass to 60% by mass, more preferably 15% by mass to 50% by mass, and even more preferably 20% by mass to 45% by mass, based on the total mass of polymer A.

In addition, it is preferable that the polymer A contains at least one type of structural unit selected from the group consisting of structural units having an aralkyl group and structural units derived from styrene, from the viewpoint of suppressing line width thickening and deterioration of resolution when the focal position is shifted during exposure. As the polymer A, for example, a copolymer containing methacrylic acid, benzyl methacrylate, and styrene, a copolymer containing methacrylic acid, methyl methacrylate, benzyl methacrylate, and styrene, etc. are preferable.
In one embodiment, polymer A is preferably a polymer containing 25% to 40% by mass of structural units having an aromatic hydrocarbon group, 20% to 35% by mass of structural units derived from a first monomer, and 30% to 45% by mass of structural units derived from a second monomer, and in another embodiment, polymer A is preferably a polymer containing 70% to 90% by mass of structural units having an aromatic hydrocarbon group, and 10% to 25% by mass of structural units derived from a first monomer.

The polymer A may have a linear structure, a branched structure, or an alicyclic structure in the side chain. By using a monomer containing a group having a branched structure in the side chain or a monomer containing a group having an alicyclic structure in the side chain, a branched structure or an alicyclic structure can be introduced into the side chain of the polymer A. The alicyclic structure may be a monocyclic structure or a polycyclic structure.
Specific examples of monomers containing a group having a branched structure in the side chain include i-propyl (meth)acrylate, i-butyl (meth)acrylate, s-butyl (meth)acrylate, t-butyl (meth)acrylate, i-amyl (meth)acrylate, t-amyl (meth)acrylate, isoamyl (meth)acrylate, 2-octyl (meth)acrylate, 3-octyl (meth)acrylate, and t-octyl (meth)acrylate, etc. Among these, i-propyl (meth)acrylate, i-butyl (meth)acrylate, or t-butyl methacrylate is preferred, and i-propyl methacrylate or t-butyl methacrylate is more preferred.
Specific examples of monomers containing a group having an alicyclic structure in a side chain include monomers having a monocyclic aliphatic hydrocarbon group and monomers having a polycyclic aliphatic hydrocarbon group, as well as (meth)acrylates having an alicyclic hydrocarbon group having 5 to 20 carbon atoms. More specific examples include (bicyclo[2.2.1]heptyl-2(meth)acrylate), 1-adamantyl (meth)acrylate, 2-adamantyl (meth)acrylate, 3-methyl-1-adamantyl (meth)acrylate, 3,5-dimethyl-1-adamantyl (meth)acrylate, 3-ethyladamantyl (meth)acrylate, 3-methyl-5-ethyl-1-adamantyl (meth)acrylate, 3,5,8-triethyl-1-adamantyl (meth)acrylate, 3,5-dimethyl-8-ethyl-1-adamantyl (meth)acrylate, 2-methyl-2-adamantyl (meth)acrylate, 2-ethyl-2-adamantyl (meth)acrylate, 3-hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylate, and 3-hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylate. Examples of such acrylates include 1-adamantyl (meth)acrylate, octahydro-4,7-menthanoinden-5-yl (meth)acrylate, octahydro-4,7-menthanoinden-1-ylmethyl (meth)acrylate, 1-menthyl (meth)acrylate, tricyclodecane (meth)acrylate, 3-hydroxy-2,6,6-trimethyl-bicyclo[3.1.1]heptyl (meth)acrylate, 3,7,7-trimethyl-4-hydroxy-bicyclo[4.1.0]heptyl (meth)acrylate, (nor)bornyl (meth)acrylate, isobornyl (meth)acrylate, fenchyl (meth)acrylate, 2,2,5-trimethylcyclohexyl (meth)acrylate, and cyclohexyl (meth)acrylate.
Among these (meth)acrylic acid esters, cyclohexyl (meth)acrylate, (nor)bornyl (meth)acrylate, isobornyl (meth)acrylate, 1-adamantyl (meth)acrylate, 2-adamantyl (meth)acrylate, fenchyl (meth)acrylate, 1-menthyl (meth)acrylate, or tricyclodecane (meth)acrylate is preferred, and cyclohexyl (meth)acrylate, (nor)bornyl (meth)acrylate, isobornyl (meth)acrylate, 2-adamantyl (meth)acrylate, or tricyclodecane (meth)acrylate is more preferred.

The photosensitive layer may contain one type of polymer A alone or two or more types. When two or more types are contained, it is preferable to use a mixture of two types of polymer A having an aromatic hydrocarbon group, or to use a mixture of a polymer A having an aromatic hydrocarbon group and a polymer A not having an aromatic hydrocarbon group. In the latter case, the content of the polymer A having an aromatic hydrocarbon group is preferably 50% by mass or more, more preferably 70% by mass or more, even more preferably 80% by mass or more, and particularly preferably 90% by mass or more, based on the total mass of the polymer A.

The synthesis of polymer A is preferably carried out by adding an appropriate amount of a radical polymerization initiator such as benzoyl peroxide or azoisobutyronitrile to a solution obtained by diluting the monomer or monomers described above with a solvent such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, or isopropanol, and heating and stirring the solution. In some cases, the synthesis is carried out while dropping a portion of the mixture into the reaction solution. After the reaction is completed, further solvent may be added to adjust the concentration to the desired level. As a synthesis method, in addition to solution polymerization, bulk polymerization, suspension polymerization, or emulsion polymerization may also be used.

The glass transition temperature Tg of the polymer A is preferably 30°C or more and 135°C or less. By using a polymer A having a Tg of 135°C or less in the photosensitive layer, it is possible to suppress line width thickening and deterioration of resolution when the focal position during exposure is shifted. From this viewpoint, the Tg of the polymer A is more preferably 130°C or less, even more preferably 120°C or less, and particularly preferably 110°C or less. In addition, using a polymer A having a Tg of 30°C or more is preferable from the viewpoint of improving edge fuse resistance. From this viewpoint, the Tg of the polymer A is more preferably 40°C or more, even more preferably 50°C or more, particularly preferably 60°C or more, and most preferably 70°C or more.

The photosensitive layer may contain a resin other than the polymer A.
Examples of resins other than polymer A include acrylic resins, styrene-acrylic copolymers (with the styrene content being 40 mass% or less), polyurethane resins, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl formal, polyamide resins, polyester resins, polyamide resins, epoxy resins, polyacetal resins, polyhydroxystyrene resins, polyimide resins, polybenzoxazole resins, polysiloxane resins, polyethyleneimines, polyallylamine, and polyalkylene glycols.

[0043] From the viewpoints of the resolution of the resulting etching pattern and the suppression of residues during development, the content of the structural unit formed from methacrylic acid in the binder polymer is preferably 40 mass% or less, more preferably 5 mass% or more and 40 mass% or less, even more preferably 10 mass% or more and 35 mass% or less, and particularly preferably 15 mass% or more and 30 mass% or less, relative to the total mass of the binder polymer.
Furthermore, from the viewpoints of the resolution of the resulting etching pattern and suppression of residues during development, the acid value of the binder polymer is preferably 100 mgKOH/g to 200 mgKOH/g.

The binder polymer may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.
The ratio of the binder polymer to the total mass of the photosensitive layer is preferably in the range of 10% by mass to 90% by mass, more preferably 30% by mass to 70% by mass, and even more preferably 40% by mass to 60% by mass. It is preferable to set the ratio of the binder polymer to the photosensitive layer to 90% by mass or less from the viewpoint of controlling the development time. On the other hand, it is preferable to set the ratio of the binder polymer to the photosensitive layer to 10% by mass or more from the viewpoint of improving edge fuse resistance.

(Polymerizable compound)
The photosensitive layer preferably contains a polymerizable compound.
In this specification, the term "polymerizable compound" refers to a compound that undergoes polymerization under the action of a polymerization initiator described below, and is different from the binder polymer described above.

The polymerizable compound is preferably an ethylenically unsaturated compound.
The ethylenically unsaturated compound is a component that contributes to the photosensitivity (i.e., photocurability) of the negative-type photosensitive layer and the strength of the cured film.
Also, an ethylenically unsaturated compound is a compound having one or more ethylenically unsaturated groups.
The photosensitive layer preferably contains, as the ethylenically unsaturated compound, a di- or higher functional ethylenically unsaturated compound.
Here, the bifunctional or higher functional ethylenically unsaturated compound means a compound having two or more ethylenically unsaturated groups in one molecule.
The ethylenically unsaturated group is more preferably a (meth)acryloyl group.
As the ethylenically unsaturated compound, a (meth)acrylate compound is preferred.

The photosensitive layer preferably contains a polymerizable compound having a polymerizable group.
The polymerizable group of the polymerizable compound is not particularly limited as long as it is a group that participates in a polymerization reaction, and examples thereof include groups having an ethylenically unsaturated group such as a vinyl group, an acryloyl group, a methacryloyl group, a styryl group, and a maleimide group; and groups having a cationic polymerizable group such as an epoxy group and an oxetane group.
The polymerizable group is preferably a group having an ethylenically unsaturated group, and more preferably an acryloyl group or a methacryloyl group.

As the polymerizable compound, a compound having one or more ethylenically unsaturated groups (ethylenically unsaturated compound) is preferred, and a compound having two or more ethylenically unsaturated groups in one molecule (polyfunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound) is more preferred, in that the photosensitivity of the photosensitive layer is superior.
From the viewpoint of obtaining superior resolution and peelability, the number of ethylenically unsaturated groups contained in one molecule of the ethylenically unsaturated compound is preferably 6 or less, more preferably 3 or less, and even more preferably 2 or less.

The photosensitive layer preferably contains a bifunctional or trifunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound having two or three ethylenically unsaturated groups in one molecule, and more preferably contains a bifunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound having two ethylenically unsaturated groups in one molecule, in that the photosensitive layer has a better balance between the photosensitivity, resolution, and peelability.
The content of the bifunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound relative to the content of the polymerizable compound in the photosensitive layer is preferably 60% by mass or more, more preferably more than 70% by mass, and even more preferably 90% by mass or more, from the viewpoint of excellent peelability.The upper limit is not particularly limited, and may be 100% by mass.That is, all the polymerizable compounds contained in the photosensitive layer may be bifunctional ethylenically unsaturated compounds.
As the ethylenically unsaturated compound, a (meth)acrylate compound having a (meth)acryloyl group as a polymerizable group is preferred.

-Polymerizable compound B1-
The photosensitive layer preferably contains a polymerizable compound B1 having an aromatic ring and two ethylenically unsaturated groups. The polymerizable compound B1 is a bifunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound having one or more aromatic rings in one molecule, among the above-mentioned polymerizable compounds.

In the photosensitive layer, the mass ratio of the content of the polymerizable compound B1 to the content of the polymerizable compound is preferably 40% by mass or more, more preferably 50% by mass or more, even more preferably 55% by mass or more, and particularly preferably 60% by mass or more, from the viewpoint of better resolution. There is no particular upper limit, but from the viewpoint of peelability, it is preferably 99% by mass or less, more preferably 95% by mass or less, even more preferably 90% by mass or less, and particularly preferably 85% by mass or less.

Examples of the aromatic ring that the polymerizable compound B1 has include aromatic hydrocarbon rings such as a benzene ring, a naphthalene ring, and an anthracene ring, aromatic heterocycles such as a thiophene ring, a furan ring, a pyrrole ring, an imidazole ring, a triazole ring, and a pyridine ring, and condensed rings thereof, and the aromatic hydrocarbon ring is preferred, and the benzene ring is more preferred. The aromatic ring may have a substituent.
The polymerizable compound B1 may have only one aromatic ring, or may have two or more aromatic rings.

The polymerizable compound B1 preferably has a bisphenol structure, since this suppresses swelling of the photosensitive layer due to a developer, thereby improving the resolution.
Examples of the bisphenol structure include a bisphenol A structure derived from bisphenol A (2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane), a bisphenol F structure derived from bisphenol F (2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)methane), and a bisphenol B structure derived from bisphenol B (2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)butane), with the bisphenol A structure being preferred.

An example of the polymerizable compound B1 having a bisphenol structure is a compound having a bisphenol structure and two polymerizable groups (preferably (meth)acryloyl groups) bonded to both ends of the bisphenol structure.
Both ends of the bisphenol structure may be directly bonded to the two polymerizable groups, or may be bonded via one or more alkyleneoxy groups. The alkyleneoxy groups added to both ends of the bisphenol structure are preferably ethyleneoxy groups or propyleneoxy groups, and more preferably ethyleneoxy groups. The number of alkyleneoxy groups added to the bisphenol structure is not particularly limited, but is preferably 4 to 16, and more preferably 6 to 14 per molecule.
The polymerizable compound B1 having a bisphenol structure is described in paragraphs 0072 to 0080 of JP-A-2016-224162, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

As the polymerizable compound B1, a bifunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound having a bisphenol A structure is preferable, and 2,2-bis(4-((meth)acryloxypolyalkoxy)phenyl)propane is more preferable.
Examples of 2,2-bis(4-((meth)acryloxypolyalkoxy)phenyl)propane include 2,2-bis(4-(methacryloxydiethoxy)phenyl)propane (FA-324M, Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.), 2,2-bis(4-(methacryloxyethoxypropoxy)phenyl)propane, 2,2-bis(4-(methacryloxypentaethoxy)phenyl)propane (BPE-500, Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.), and 2,2-bis(4-(methacryloxydodecaethoxy)phenyl)propane. Examples of suitable bisphenol A diacrylates include 2,2-bis(4-(methacryloxypentadecaethoxy)phenyl)propane (FA-3200MY, manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.), 2,2-bis(4-(methacryloxypentadecaethoxy)phenyl)propane (BPE-1300, manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.), 2,2-bis(4-(methacryloxydiethoxy)phenyl)propane (BPE-200, manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.), and ethoxylated (10) bisphenol A diacrylate (NK Ester A-BPE-10, manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.).

The polymerizable compound B1 is represented by the following general formula (I):

{In the formula, R ₁ and R ₂ each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, A is C ₂ H ₄ , B is C ₃ H ₆ , n ₁ and n ₃ each independently represent an integer from 1 to 39, and n ₁ +n ₃ is an integer from 2 to 40, n 2 and n 4 each independently represent an integer from 0 to 29, and n 2 +n ₄ is an integer from 0 to 30, and the arrangement of the repeating units -(A-O)- and -(B-O)- may be random or block. In the case of a block, either -(A-O)- or -(B-O)- may be on the bisphenyl group side.}
It is possible to use a compound represented by the following formula:
In one embodiment, n ₁ +n ₂ +n ₃ +n ₄ is preferably an integer of 2 to 20, more preferably an integer of 2 to 16, and even more preferably an integer of 4 to 12. Furthermore, n ₂ +n ₄ is preferably an integer of 0 to 10, more preferably an integer of 0 to 4, even more preferably an integer of 0 to 2, and particularly preferably 0.

The polymerizable compound B1 may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.
The content of the polymerizable compound B1 in the photosensitive layer is preferably 10% by mass or more, more preferably 20% by mass or more, based on the total mass of the photosensitive layer, from the viewpoint of better resolution. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but is preferably 70% by mass or less, more preferably 60% by mass or less, from the viewpoint of transferability and edge fusion (phenomenon in which components in the photosensitive layer, particularly binder polymers, bleed out from the edge of a transfer member).

The photosensitive layer may contain a polymerizable compound other than the above-mentioned polymerizable compound B1.
The polymerizable compound other than the polymerizable compound B1 is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected from known compounds. For example, a compound having one ethylenically unsaturated group in one molecule (monofunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound), a bifunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound having no aromatic ring, and a trifunctional or higher ethylenically unsaturated compound can be mentioned.

Examples of monofunctional ethylenically unsaturated compounds include ethyl (meth)acrylate, ethylhexyl (meth)acrylate, 2-(meth)acryloyloxyethyl succinate, polyethylene glycol mono(meth)acrylate, polypropylene glycol mono(meth)acrylate, and phenoxyethyl (meth)acrylate.

Examples of difunctional ethylenically unsaturated compounds having no aromatic ring include alkylene glycol di(meth)acrylates, polyalkylene glycol di(meth)acrylates, urethane di(meth)acrylates, and trimethylolpropane diacrylate.
Examples of alkylene glycol di(meth)acrylates include tricyclodecane dimethanol diacrylate (A-DCP, manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.), tricyclodecane dimethanol dimethacrylate (DCP, manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.), 1,9-nonanediol diacrylate (A-NOD-N, manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.), 1,6-hexanediol diacrylate (A-HD-N, manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, 1,10-decanediol diacrylate, and neopentyl glycol di(meth)acrylate.
Examples of polyalkylene glycol di(meth)acrylates include polyethylene glycol di(meth)acrylate, dipropylene glycol diacrylate, tripropylene glycol diacrylate, and polypropylene glycol di(meth)acrylate.
Examples of urethane di(meth)acrylates include propylene oxide modified urethane di(meth)acrylates, and ethylene oxide and propylene oxide modified urethane di(meth)acrylates. Commercially available products include 8UX-015A (manufactured by Taisei Fine Chemical Co., Ltd.), UA-32P (manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.), and UA-1100H (manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.).

Examples of the tri- or higher functional ethylenically unsaturated compound include dipentaerythritol (tri/tetra/penta/hexa)(meth)acrylate, pentaerythritol (tri/tetra)(meth)acrylate, trimethylolpropane tri(meth)acrylate, ditrimethylolpropane tetra(meth)acrylate, trimethylolethane tri(meth)acrylate, isocyanuric acid tri(meth)acrylate, glycerin tri(meth)acrylate, and alkylene oxide modified versions of these.
Here, "(tri/tetra/penta/hexa)(meth)acrylate" is a concept that includes tri(meth)acrylate, tetra(meth)acrylate, penta(meth)acrylate, and hexa(meth)acrylate, and "(tri/tetra)(meth)acrylate" is a concept that includes tri(meth)acrylate and tetra(meth)acrylate. In one embodiment, the photosensitive layer preferably contains the above-mentioned polymerizable compound B1 and a tri- or higher functional ethylenically unsaturated compound, and more preferably contains the above-mentioned polymerizable compound B1 and two or more tri- or higher functional ethylenically unsaturated compounds. In this case, the mass ratio of the polymerizable compound B1 to the tri- or higher functional ethylenically unsaturated compounds is preferably (total mass of the polymerizable compound B1):(total mass of the tri- or higher functional ethylenically unsaturated compounds)=1:1 to 5:1, more preferably 1.2:1 to 4:1, and even more preferably 1.5:1 to 3:1.
In one embodiment, the photosensitive layer preferably contains the above-mentioned polymerizable compound B1 and two or more kinds of trifunctional ethylenically unsaturated compounds.

Examples of alkylene oxide modified trifunctional or higher ethylenically unsaturated compounds include caprolactone modified (meth)acrylate compounds (KAYARAD (registered trademark) DPCA-20 manufactured by Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd., A-9300-1CL manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd., etc.), alkylene oxide modified (meth)acrylate compounds (KAYARAD RP-1040 manufactured by Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd., ATM-35E and A-9300 manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd., EBECRYL (registered trademark) manufactured by Daicel-Allnex Corporation), 135, etc.), ethoxylated glycerin triacrylate (A-GLY-9E, etc., manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.), ARONIX (registered trademark) TO-2349 (manufactured by Toagosei Co., Ltd.), ARONIX M-520 (manufactured by Toagosei Co., Ltd.), and ARONIX M-510 (manufactured by Toagosei Co., Ltd.).

In addition, as a polymerizable compound other than polymerizable compound B1, a polymerizable compound having an acid group described in paragraphs 0025 to 0030 of JP-A No. 2004-239942 may be used.

The ratio Mm/Mb of the content Mm of the polymerizable compound in the photosensitive layer to the content Mb of the binder polymer in the photosensitive layer is, from the viewpoints of the resolution of the obtained etching pattern and the suppression of residues during development, preferably 1.0 or less, more preferably 0.9 or less, and particularly preferably 0.5 or more and 0.9 or less.
In addition, from the viewpoints of curability and the resolution of the resulting etching pattern, the polymerizable compound in the photosensitive layer preferably contains a (meth)acrylic compound.
Furthermore, from the viewpoints of curability, resolution of the resulting etching pattern, and suppression of residues during development, it is more preferable that the polymerizable compound in the photosensitive layer contains a (meth)acrylic compound, and the content of the acrylic compound relative to the total mass of the (meth)acrylic compounds contained in the photosensitive layer is 60 mass% or less.

The polymerizable compounds may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.
The content of the polymerizable compound in the photosensitive layer is preferably from 10% by mass to 70% by mass, more preferably from 20% by mass to 60% by mass, and even more preferably from 20% by mass to 50% by mass, based on the total mass of the photosensitive layer.

The weight average molecular weight (Mw) of the polymerizable compound including polymerizable compound B1 is preferably 200 to 3,000, more preferably 280 to 2,200, and even more preferably 300 to 2,200.

(Other ingredients)
The photosensitive layer may contain components other than the binder polymer and the polymerizable compound.

- Photopolymerization initiator -
The photosensitive layer preferably contains a photopolymerization initiator.
The photopolymerization initiator is a compound that initiates polymerization of a polymerizable compound when exposed to active light such as ultraviolet light, visible light, and X-rays. The photopolymerization initiator is not particularly limited, and any known photopolymerization initiator can be used.
Examples of the photopolymerization initiator include a photoradical polymerization initiator and a photocationic polymerization initiator, and a photoradical polymerization initiator is preferred.

Examples of photoradical polymerization initiators include photopolymerization initiators having an oxime ester structure, photopolymerization initiators having an α-aminoalkylphenone structure, photopolymerization initiators having an α-hydroxyalkylphenone structure, photopolymerization initiators having an acylphosphine oxide structure, and photopolymerization initiators having an N-phenylglycine structure.

From the viewpoints of photosensitivity, visibility of exposed and non-exposed areas, and resolution, the photosensitive layer preferably contains, as a photoradical polymerization initiator, at least one selected from the group consisting of 2,4,5-triarylimidazole dimers and derivatives thereof. Note that the two 2,4,5-triarylimidazole structures in the 2,4,5-triarylimidazole dimer and derivatives thereof may be the same or different.
Examples of derivatives of 2,4,5-triarylimidazole dimers include 2-(o-chlorophenyl)-4,5-diphenylimidazole dimer, 2-(o-chlorophenyl)-4,5-di(methoxyphenyl)imidazole dimer, 2-(o-fluorophenyl)-4,5-diphenylimidazole dimer, 2-(o-methoxyphenyl)-4,5-diphenylimidazole dimer, and 2-(p-methoxyphenyl)-4,5-diphenylimidazole dimer.

As the photoradical polymerization initiator, for example, the polymerization initiators described in paragraphs 0031 to 0042 of JP 2011-95716 A and paragraphs 0064 to 0081 of JP 2015-14783 A may be used.

Examples of photoradical polymerization initiators include ethyl dimethylaminobenzoate (DBE, CAS No. 10287-53-3), benzoin methyl ether, anisyl (p,p'-dimethoxybenzyl), TAZ-110 (product name: manufactured by Midori Chemical Co., Ltd.), benzophenone, TAZ-111 (product name: manufactured by Midori Chemical Co., Ltd.), Irgacure OXE01, OXE02, OXE03, OXE04 (manufactured by BASF), Omnirad 651 and 369 (product names: manufactured by IGM Resins B.V.), and 2,2'-bis(2-chlorophenyl)-4,4',5,5'-tetraphenyl-1,2'-biimidazole (manufactured by Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.).

Commercially available photoradical polymerization initiators include, for example, 1-[4-(phenylthio)phenyl]-1,2-octanedione-2-(O-benzoyloxime) (trade name: IRGACURE (registered trademark) OXE-01, manufactured by BASF), 1-[9-ethyl-6-(2-methylbenzoyl)-9H-carbazol-3-yl]ethanone-1-(O-acetyloxime) (trade name: IRGACURE OXE-02, manufactured by BASF), IRGACURE OXE-03 (manufactured by BASF), 2-(dimethylamino)-2-[(4-methylphenyl)methyl]-1-[4-(4-morpholinyl)phenyl]-1-butanone (trade name: Omnirad 379EG, manufactured by IGM Resins), B.V.), 2-methyl-1-(4-methylthiophenyl)-2-morpholinopropan-1-one (trade name: Omnirad 907, manufactured by IGM Resins B.V.), 2-hydroxy-1-{4-[4-(2-hydroxy-2-methylpropionyl)benzyl]phenyl}-2-methylpropan-1-one (trade name: Omnirad 127, manufactured by IGM Resins B.V.), 2-benzyl-2-dimethylamino-1-(4-morpholinophenyl)butanone-1 (trade name: Omnirad 369, manufactured by IGM Resins B.V.), 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-phenylpropan-1-one (trade name: Omnirad 1173, manufactured by IGM Resins B.V.) B.V.), 1-hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone (trade name: Omnirad 184, manufactured by IGM Resins B.V.), 2,2-dimethoxy-1,2-diphenylethan-1-one (trade name: Omnirad 651, manufactured by IGM Resins B.V.), 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl-diphenylphosphine oxide (trade name: Omnirad TPO H, manufactured by IGM Resins B.V.), bis(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phenylphosphine oxide (trade name: Omnirad 819, manufactured by IGM Resins B.V.), oxime ester-based photopolymerization initiator (trade name: Lunar 6, manufactured by DKSH Japan Co., Ltd.), 2,2'-bis(2-chlorophenyl)-4,4',5,5'-tetraphenylbisimidazole (2-(2-chlorophenyl)-4,5-diphenylimidazole dimer) (trade name: B-CIM, manufactured by Hampford Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.), and 2-(o-chlorophenyl)-4,5-diphenylimidazole dimer (trade name: BCTB, manufactured by Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.).

A photocationic polymerization initiator (photoacid generator) is a compound that generates an acid when exposed to actinic rays. As the photocationic polymerization initiator, a compound that responds to actinic rays having a wavelength of 300 nm or more, preferably 300 to 450 nm, and generates an acid is preferred, but the chemical structure is not limited. In addition, even if a photocationic polymerization initiator is not directly sensitive to actinic rays having a wavelength of 300 nm or more, it can be preferably used in combination with a sensitizer as long as it responds to actinic rays having a wavelength of 300 nm or more and generates an acid when used in combination with a sensitizer.
As the photocationic polymerization initiator, a photocationic polymerization initiator that generates an acid having a pKa of 4 or less is preferable, a photocationic polymerization initiator that generates an acid having a pKa of 3 or less is more preferable, and a photocationic polymerization initiator that generates an acid having a pKa of 2 or less is particularly preferable. Although the lower limit of the pKa is not particularly set, for example, it is preferably −10.0 or more.

The photocationic polymerization initiator includes an ionic photocationic polymerization initiator and a nonionic photocationic polymerization initiator.
Examples of the ionic photocationic polymerization initiator include onium salt compounds such as diaryliodonium salts and triarylsulfonium salts, and quaternary ammonium salts.
As the ionic photocationic polymerization initiator, the ionic photocationic polymerization initiators described in paragraphs 0114 to 0133 of JP-A-2014-85643 may be used.

Examples of nonionic photocationic polymerization initiators include trichloromethyl-s-triazines, diazomethane compounds, imide sulfonate compounds, and oxime sulfonate compounds. As the trichloromethyl-s-triazines, diazomethane compounds, and imide sulfonate compounds, the compounds described in paragraphs 0083 to 0088 of JP 2011-221494 A may be used. As the oxime sulfonate compounds, the compounds described in paragraphs 0084 to 0088 of WO 2018/179640 A may be used.

The photosensitive layer preferably contains a photoradical polymerization initiator, and more preferably contains at least one selected from the group consisting of 2,4,5-triarylimidazole dimers and their derivatives.

The photosensitive layer may contain one type of photopolymerization initiator alone, or may contain two or more types of photopolymerization initiators.
The content of the photopolymerization initiator in the photosensitive layer is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.1% by mass or more, more preferably 0.5% by mass or more, and even more preferably 1.0% by mass or more, based on the total mass of the photosensitive layer. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but is preferably 10% by mass or less, and more preferably 5% by mass or less, based on the total mass of the photosensitive layer.

-Pigment-
From the viewpoints of visibility of exposed and unexposed areas, pattern visibility after development, and resolution, the photosensitive layer preferably contains a dye (also simply referred to as "dye N") that has a maximum absorption wavelength of 450 nm or more in the wavelength range of 400 nm to 780 nm during color development and whose maximum absorption wavelength changes with an acid, a base, or a radical. When dye N is contained, the adhesion to adjacent layers (e.g., a support and an intermediate layer) is improved, resulting in better resolution, although the detailed mechanism is unknown.

In this specification, the dye "whose maximum absorption wavelength changes due to an acid, a base, or a radical" may mean any of an embodiment in which a dye in a colored state is decolorized by an acid, a base, or a radical, a dye in a decolorized state is colored by an acid, a base, or a radical, and a dye in a colored state is changed to a colored state of another hue.
Specifically, the dye N may be a compound that changes from a decolorized state to a colored state by exposure, or may be a compound that changes from a colored state to a decolored state by exposure. In this case, the dye may be a dye whose colored or decolored state changes when an acid, base, or radical is generated and acts in the photosensitive layer by exposure, or a dye whose colored or decolored state changes when the state (e.g., pH) in the photosensitive layer is changed by an acid, base, or radical. Alternatively, the dye may be a dye whose colored or decolored state changes when it is directly stimulated by an acid, base, or radical without exposure.

Among these, from the viewpoints of visibility and resolution of exposed and unexposed areas, dye N is preferably a dye whose maximum absorption wavelength changes in response to an acid or a radical, and more preferably a dye whose maximum absorption wavelength changes in response to a radical.
From the viewpoints of visibility of exposed and unexposed areas and resolution, the photosensitive layer preferably contains both a dye N whose maximum absorption wavelength changes due to radicals, and a photoradical polymerization initiator.
From the viewpoint of visibility of exposed and unexposed areas, it is preferable that dye N is a dye that develops color in response to an acid, a base, or a radical.

An example of the color-developing mechanism of dye N in the present disclosure is a mode in which a photoradical polymerization initiator, a cationic photopolymerization initiator (photoacid generator), or a photobase generator is added to a photosensitive layer, and after exposure, a radical-reactive dye, an acid-reactive dye, or a base-reactive dye (e.g., a leuco dye) develops color due to the radicals, acids, or bases generated from the photoradical polymerization initiator, the cationic photopolymerization initiator, or the photobase generator.

From the viewpoint of visibility of exposed and unexposed areas, the dye N preferably has a maximum absorption wavelength in the wavelength range of 400 nm to 780 nm upon color development of 550 nm or more, more preferably 550 nm to 700 nm, and even more preferably 550 nm to 650 nm.
Furthermore, the dye N may have only one maximum absorption wavelength in the wavelength range of 400 nm to 780 nm when it develops color, or may have two or more maximum absorption wavelengths. When the dye N has two or more maximum absorption wavelengths in the wavelength range of 400 nm to 780 nm when it develops color, it is sufficient that the maximum absorption wavelength having the highest absorbance among the two or more maximum absorption wavelengths is 450 nm or more.

The maximum absorption wavelength of dye N is obtained by measuring the transmission spectrum of a solution containing dye N (liquid temperature 25°C) in the range of 400 nm to 780 nm using a spectrophotometer UV3100 (manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation) in an atmospheric environment and detecting the wavelength at which the light intensity is minimal (maximum absorption wavelength).

Examples of the dye that develops or loses color upon exposure to light include leuco compounds.
Examples of dyes that are decolorized by exposure to light include leuco compounds, diarylmethane dyes, oxazine dyes, xanthene dyes, iminonaphthoquinone dyes, azomethine dyes, and anthraquinone dyes.
As the dye N, a leuco compound is preferred from the viewpoint of visibility of exposed and non-exposed areas.

Examples of the leuco compound include leuco compounds having a triarylmethane skeleton (triarylmethane-based dyes), leuco compounds having a spiropyran skeleton (spiropyran-based dyes), leuco compounds having a fluoran skeleton (fluoran-based dyes), leuco compounds having a diarylmethane skeleton (diarylmethane-based dyes), leuco compounds having a rhodamine lactam skeleton (rhodamine lactam-based dyes), leuco compounds having an indolylphthalide skeleton (indolylphthalide-based dyes), and leuco compounds having a leucoauramine skeleton (leucoauramine-based dyes).
Among these, triarylmethane dyes or fluoran dyes are preferred, and leuco compounds having a triphenylmethane skeleton (triphenylmethane dyes) or fluoran dyes are more preferred.

From the viewpoint of visibility of exposed and non-exposed parts, the leuco compound preferably has a lactone ring, a sultine ring, or a sultone ring. This allows the lactone ring, sultine ring, or sultone ring of the leuco compound to react with a radical generated from a photoradical polymerization initiator or an acid generated from a photocationic polymerization initiator, thereby changing the leuco compound to a ring-closed state and discoloring, or changing the leuco compound to a ring-open state and coloring. As the leuco compound, a compound having a lactone ring, a sultine ring, or a sultone ring and coloring due to the ring-opening of the lactone ring, the sultine ring, or the sultone ring by a radical or an acid is preferred, and a compound having a lactone ring and coloring due to the ring-opening of the lactone ring by a radical or an acid is more preferred.

Examples of the dye N include the following dyes and leuco compounds.
Specific examples of dyes among the dyes N include brilliant green, ethyl violet, methyl green, crystal violet, basic fuchsin, methyl violet 2B, quinaldine red, rose bengal, metanil yellow, thymolsulfophthalein, xylenol blue, methyl orange, paramethyl red, Congo red, benzopurpurin 4B, α-naphthyl red, Nile blue 2B, Nile blue A, methyl violet, malachite green, parafuchsin, Victoria Pure Blue-naphthalenesulfonate, Victoria Pure Blue BOH (manufactured by Hodogaya Chemical Co., Ltd.), Oil Blue #603 (manufactured by Orient Chemical Co., Ltd.), Oil Pink #312 (manufactured by Orient Chemical Co., Ltd.), Oil Red 5B (manufactured by Orient Chemical Co., Ltd.), and Oil Scarlet #308 (manufactured by Orient Chemical Co., Ltd.). Examples of the oil-soluble pigments include Orient Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.), Oil Red OG (Orient Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.), Oil Red RR (Orient Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.), Oil Green #502 (Orient Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.), Spiron Red BEH Special (Hodogaya Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.), m-cresol purple, cresol red, rhodamine B, rhodamine 6G, sulforhodamine B, auramine, 4-p-diethylaminophenyliminonaphthoquinone, 2-carboxyanilino-4-p-diethylaminophenyliminonaphthoquinone, 2-carboxystearylamino-4-p-N,N-bis(hydroxyethyl)amino-phenyliminonaphthoquinone, 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-p-diethylaminophenylimino-5-pyrazolone, and 1-β-naphthyl-4-p-diethylaminophenylimino-5-pyrazolone.

Specific examples of leuco compounds among the dyes N include p,p',p"-hexamethyltriaminotriphenylmethane (leuco crystal violet), Pergascript Blue SRB (manufactured by Ciba-Geigy), crystal violet lactone, malachite green lactone, benzoyl leuco methylene blue, 2-(N-phenyl-N-methylamino)-6-(N-p-tolyl-N-ethyl)aminofluoran, 2-anilino-3-methyl-6-(N-ethyl-p-toluidino)fluoran, 3,6-dimethoxyfluoran, 3-(N,N-diethylamino)-5-methyl-7-(N,N-dibenzylamino)fluoran, 3-(N-cyclohexyl-N-methylamino)- 6-methyl-7-anilinofluoran, 3-(N,N-diethylamino)-6-methyl-7-anilinofluoran, 3-(N,N-diethylamino)-6-methyl-7-xylidinofluoran, 3-(N,N-diethylamino)-6-methyl-7-chlorofluoran, 3-(N,N-diethylamino)-6-methoxy-7-aminofluoran, 3-(N,N-diethylamino)-7-(4-chloroanilino)fluoran, 3-(N,N-diethylamino)-7-chlorofluoran, 3-(N,N-diethylamino)- 3-(N,N-diethylamino)-7-benzylaminofluoran, 3-(N,N-diethylamino)-7,8-benzofluoran, 3-(N,N-dibutylamino)-6-methyl-7-anilinofluoran, 3-(N,N-dibutylamino)-6-methyl-7-xylidinofluoran, 3-piperidino-6-methyl-7-anilinofluoran, 3-pyrrolidino-6-methyl-7-anilinofluoran, 3,3-bis(1-ethyl-2-methylindol-3-yl)phthalide, 3,3-bis(1-n-butyl-2- 3-(4-diethylamino-2-ethoxyphenyl)-3-(1-ethyl-2-methylindol-3-yl)phthalide, 3,3-bis(p-dimethylaminophenyl)-6-dimethylaminophthalide, 3-(4-diethylamino-2-ethoxyphenyl)-3-(1-ethyl-2-methylindol-3-yl)phthalide, 3-(4-diethylaminophenyl)-3-(1-ethyl-2-methylindol-3-yl)phthalide, and 3',6'-bis(diphenylamino)spiroisobenzofuran-1(3H),9'-[9H]xanthen-3-one.

From the viewpoints of visibility of exposed and unexposed areas, pattern visibility after development, and resolution, dye N is preferably a dye whose maximum absorption wavelength changes in response to radicals, and more preferably a dye that develops color in response to radicals.
As dye N, leuco crystal violet, crystal violet lactone, brilliant green, or Victoria Pure Blue-naphthalenesulfonate is preferred.

The dye N may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.
From the viewpoints of visibility of exposed and unexposed areas, pattern visibility after development, and resolution, the content of dye N is preferably 0.1 mass % or more, more preferably 0.1 mass % to 10 mass %, even more preferably 0.1 mass % to 5 mass %, and particularly preferably 0.1 mass % to 1 mass %, relative to the total mass of the photosensitive layer.

The content of dye N means the content of dye when all of the dye N contained in the photosensitive layer is in a color-developing state. A method for quantifying the content of dye N will be described below using a dye that develops color by radicals as an example.
Two types of solutions are prepared by dissolving 0.001 g and 0.01 g of dye in 100 mL of methyl ethyl ketone. A photoradical polymerization initiator Irgacure OXE01 (product name, BASF Japan Co., Ltd.) is added to each of the obtained solutions, and radicals are generated by irradiating light of 365 nm, causing all dyes to develop color. Then, in an air atmosphere, the absorbance of each solution at a liquid temperature of 25° C. is measured using a spectrophotometer (UV3100, manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation) to create a calibration curve.
Next, the absorbance of the solution in which all the dye has been colored is measured in the same manner as above, except that 3 g of the photosensitive layer is dissolved in methyl ethyl ketone instead of the dye. The content of the dye contained in the photosensitive layer is calculated based on the absorbance of the obtained solution containing the photosensitive layer and the calibration curve.

-Thermal crosslinkable compound-
From the viewpoints of the strength of the resulting cured film and the adhesion of the resulting uncured film, the photosensitive layer preferably contains a thermally crosslinkable compound. In this specification, a thermally crosslinkable compound having a polymerizable group, which will be described later, is not treated as a polymerizable compound but as a thermally crosslinkable compound.
Examples of the thermally crosslinkable compound include methylol compounds and blocked isocyanate compounds. Among these, blocked isocyanate compounds are preferred from the viewpoints of the strength of the resulting cured film and the adhesion of the resulting uncured film.
Since the blocked isocyanate compound reacts with a hydroxy group and a carboxy group, for example, when the binder polymer and/or the polymerizable compound has at least one of a hydroxy group and a carboxy group, the hydrophilicity of the formed film tends to decrease, and the function tends to be enhanced when the film obtained by curing the photosensitive layer is used as a protective film.
The blocked isocyanate compound refers to a compound having a structure in which the isocyanate group of an isocyanate is protected (so-called masked) with a blocking agent.

The dissociation temperature of the blocked isocyanate compound is not particularly limited, but is preferably from 100°C to 160°C, and more preferably from 130°C to 150°C.
The dissociation temperature of a blocked isocyanate means "the temperature of an endothermic peak accompanying the deprotection reaction of a blocked isocyanate when measured by DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimetry) analysis using a differential scanning calorimeter."
As the differential scanning calorimeter, for example, a differential scanning calorimeter (model: DSC6200) manufactured by Seiko Instruments Inc. can be suitably used. However, the differential scanning calorimeter is not limited to this.

Examples of blocking agents having a dissociation temperature of 100° C. to 160° C. include active methylene compounds [malonic acid diesters (dimethyl malonate, diethyl malonate, di-n-butyl malonate, di-2-ethylhexyl malonate, etc.)] and oxime compounds (compounds having a structure represented by -C(═N-OH)- in the molecule, such as formaldoxime, acetaldoxime, acetoxime, methyl ethyl ketoxime, and cyclohexanone oxime).
Among these, the blocking agent having a dissociation temperature of 100° C. to 160° C. preferably contains an oxime compound, for example, from the viewpoint of storage stability.

The blocked isocyanate compound preferably has an isocyanurate structure from the viewpoints of, for example, improving the brittleness of the film and improving the adhesive strength to the transfer target.
A blocked isocyanate compound having an isocyanurate structure can be obtained, for example, by protecting hexamethylene diisocyanate by converting it into an isocyanurate.
Among blocked isocyanate compounds having an isocyanurate structure, a compound having an oxime structure in which an oxime compound is used as a blocking agent is preferred from the viewpoints that it is easier to set the dissociation temperature in a preferred range and to reduce development residues than a compound not having an oxime structure.

The blocked isocyanate compound may have a polymerizable group.
The polymerizable group is not particularly limited, and any known polymerizable group can be used, with a radically polymerizable group being preferred.
Examples of the polymerizable group include ethylenically unsaturated groups such as a (meth)acryloxy group, a (meth)acrylamide group, and a styryl group, as well as groups having an epoxy group such as a glycidyl group.
Among these, as the polymerizable group, an ethylenically unsaturated group is preferable, a (meth)acryloxy group is more preferable, and an acryloxy group is even more preferable.

As the blocked isocyanate compound, commercially available products can be used.
Examples of commercially available blocked isocyanate compounds include Karenz (registered trademark) AOI-BM, Karenz (registered trademark) MOI-BM, Karenz (registered trademark) MOI-BP, and the like (all manufactured by Showa Denko K.K.), and the blocked Duranate series (e.g., Duranate (registered trademark) TPA-B80E, Duranate (registered trademark) WT32-B75P, and the like, manufactured by Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corporation).
In addition, as the blocked isocyanate compound, a compound having the following structure can also be used.

The thermally crosslinkable compounds may be used alone or in combination of two or more.
When the photosensitive layer contains a thermally crosslinkable compound, the content of the thermally crosslinkable compound is preferably from 1% by mass to 50% by mass, and more preferably from 5% by mass to 30% by mass, based on the total mass of the photosensitive layer.

-Surfactants-
From the viewpoint of thickness uniformity, the photosensitive layer preferably contains a surfactant.
Examples of the surfactant include anionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, and amphoteric surfactants, with nonionic surfactants being preferred.

Examples of nonionic surfactants include polyoxyethylene higher alkyl ethers, polyoxyethylene higher alkyl phenyl ethers, higher fatty acid diesters of polyoxyethylene glycol, silicone-based nonionic surfactants, and fluorine-based nonionic surfactants.
The photosensitive layer preferably contains a fluorine-based nonionic surfactant in terms of better resolution. It is believed that the inclusion of a fluorine-based nonionic surfactant in the photosensitive layer suppresses the penetration of the etching solution into the photosensitive layer, thereby reducing side etching.
Commercially available fluorine-based nonionic surfactants include, for example, Megafac F-551-A, F-552 and F-554 (all manufactured by DIC Corporation).

As the surfactant, the surfactant described in paragraphs 0120 to 0125 of WO 2018/179640, the surfactant described in paragraph 0017 of Japanese Patent No. 4502784, and the surfactant described in paragraphs 0060 to 0071 of JP-A 2009-237362 can also be used.
As the surfactant, a nonionic surfactant, a fluorine-based surfactant or a silicone-based surfactant is preferred.

Commercially available fluorine-based surfactants include, for example, Megafac (product name) F-171, F-172, F-173, F-176, F-177, F-141, F-142, F-143, F-144, F-437, F-444, F-475, F-477, F-479, F-482, F-551-A, F-552, F-554, F-555-A, F-556, F-557, and F-558. , F-559, F-560, F-561, F-565, F-563, F-568, F-575, F-780, EXP, MFS-330, MFS-578, MFS-579, MFS-586 , MFS-587, R-41, R-41-LM, R-01, R-40, R-40-LM, RS-43, TF-1956, RS-90, R-94, RS-72-K, DS-21 (and above, DI Fluorad (product names) FC430, FC431, FC171 (all manufactured by Sumitomo 3M Limited), Surflon (product names) S-382, SC-101, SC-103, SC-104, SC-105, SC-1068, SC-381, SC-383, S-393, KH-40 (all manufactured by AGC Corporation), PolyFox (product names) PF636, PF656, PF6 320, PF6520, PF7002 (all manufactured by OMNOVA), Futergent (product name) 710FL, 710FM, 610FM, 601AD, 601ADH2, 602A, 215M, 245F, 251, 212M, 250, 209F, 222F, 208G, 710LA, 710FS, 730LM, 650AC, 681, 683 (all manufactured by NEOS Co., Ltd.), and the like.
In addition, the fluorosurfactant may be an acrylic compound that has a molecular structure with a functional group containing a fluorine atom, and when heat is applied, the functional group containing the fluorine atom is cleaved and the fluorine atom is volatilized. Examples of such a fluorosurfactant include the Megafac (product name) DS series manufactured by DIC Corporation (The Chemical Daily (February 22, 2016), Nikkei Business Daily (February 23, 2016)), for example, Megafac (product name) DS-21.

As the fluorine-based surfactant, it is also preferable to use a polymer of a fluorine atom-containing vinyl ether compound having a fluorinated alkyl group or a fluorinated alkylene ether group and a hydrophilic vinyl ether compound.
As the fluorine-based surfactant, a block polymer can also be used. As the fluorine-based surfactant, a fluorine-containing polymer compound containing a constitutional unit derived from a (meth)acrylate compound having a fluorine atom and a constitutional unit derived from a (meth)acrylate compound having two or more (preferably five or more) alkyleneoxy groups (preferably ethyleneoxy groups, propyleneoxy groups) can also be preferably used.
As the fluorine-based surfactant, a fluorine-containing polymer having an ethylenically unsaturated group in the side chain can also be used, such as Megafac (product name) RS-101, RS-102, RS-718K, and RS-72-K (all manufactured by DIC Corporation).
As the fluorosurfactant, for example, a compound having a linear perfluoroalkyl group having 7 or more carbon atoms may be used. However, from the viewpoint of improving environmental compatibility, it is preferable to use an alternative material to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) as the fluorosurfactant.

Nonionic surfactants include glycerol, trimethylolpropane, trimethylolethane and their ethoxylates and propoxylates (e.g., glycerol propoxylate, glycerol ethoxylate, etc.), polyoxyethylene lauryl ether, polyoxyethylene stearyl ether, polyoxyethylene oleyl ether, polyoxyethylene octylphenyl ether, polyoxyethylene nonylphenyl ether, polyethylene glycol dilaurate, polyethylene glycol distearate, sorbitan fatty acid ester, Pluronic (trade name) L10 , L31, L61, L62, 10R5, 17R2, 25R2 (all manufactured by BASF), Tetronic (trade name) 304, 701, 704, 901, 904, 150R1 (all manufactured by BASF), Solsperse (trade name) 20000 (all manufactured by Lubrizol Japan Co., Ltd.), NCW-101, NCW-1001, NCW-1002 (all manufactured by Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries Co., Ltd.), Paionin (trade name) D-6112, D-6112-W, D-6315 (all manufactured by Takemoto Oil Co., Ltd.), Olfine E1010, Surfynol 104, 400, 440 (all manufactured by Nissin Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.), and the like.

Examples of silicone surfactants include linear polymers formed from siloxane bonds, and modified siloxane polymers in which organic groups have been introduced into the side chains or ends.
Specific examples of silicone surfactants include DOWSIL (trade name) 8032 ADDITIVE, Toray Silicone DC3PA, Toray Silicone SH7PA, Toray Silicone DC11PA, Toray Silicone SH21PA, Toray Silicone SH28PA, Toray Silicone SH29PA, Toray Silicone SH30PA, and Toray Silicone SH8400 (all manufactured by Dow Corning Toray Co., Ltd.), as well as X-22-4952, X-22-4272, X-22-6266, KF-351A, K354L, KF-355A, and KF -945, KF-640, KF-642, KF-643, X-22-6191, X-22-4515, KF-6004, KP-341, KF-6001, KF-6002 (all manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.), F-4440, TSF-4300, TSF-4445, TSF-4460, TSF-4452 (all manufactured by Momentive Performance Materials), BYK307, BYK323, BYK330 (all manufactured by BYK-Chemie), and the like.

The photosensitive layer may contain one type of surfactant alone or two or more types of surfactants.
The content of the surfactant is preferably from 0.001% by mass to 10% by mass, and more preferably from 0.01% by mass to 3% by mass, based on the total mass of the photosensitive layer.

-Additives-
In addition to the above components, the photosensitive layer may contain known additives as necessary.
Examples of the additives include radical polymerization inhibitors, sensitizers, plasticizers, heterocyclic compounds, benzotriazoles, carboxybenzotriazoles, resins other than polymer A, and solvents. The photosensitive layer may contain one type of each additive alone, or two or more types.

The photosensitive layer may contain a radical polymerization inhibitor.
Examples of the radical polymerization inhibitor include the thermal polymerization inhibitors described in paragraph 0018 of Japanese Patent No. 4502784. Among them, phenothiazine, phenoxazine, or 4-methoxyphenol is preferable. Other radical polymerization inhibitors include naphthylamine, cuprous chloride, nitrosophenylhydroxyamine aluminum salt, diphenylnitrosamine, and the like. In order not to impair the sensitivity of the photosensitive layer, it is preferable to use nitrosophenylhydroxyamine aluminum salt as the radical polymerization inhibitor.

Examples of benzotriazoles include 1,2,3-benzotriazole, 1-chloro-1,2,3-benzotriazole, bis(N-2-ethylhexyl)aminomethylene-1,2,3-benzotriazole, bis(N-2-ethylhexyl)aminomethylene-1,2,3-tolyltriazole, and bis(N-2-hydroxyethyl)aminomethylene-1,2,3-benzotriazole.

Examples of carboxybenzotriazoles include 4-carboxy-1,2,3-benzotriazole, 5-carboxy-1,2,3-benzotriazole, N-(N,N-di-2-ethylhexyl)aminomethylenecarboxybenzotriazole, N-(N,N-di-2-hydroxyethyl)aminomethylenecarboxybenzotriazole, and N-(N,N-di-2-ethylhexyl)aminoethylenecarboxybenzotriazole. Examples of carboxybenzotriazoles that can be used include commercially available products such as CBT-1 (Johoku Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., trade name).

The total content of the radical polymerization inhibitor, benzotriazoles, and carboxybenzotriazoles is preferably 0.01% to 3% by mass, and more preferably 0.05% to 1% by mass, when the total mass of the photosensitive layer is taken as 100% by mass. A content of 0.01% by mass or more is preferable from the viewpoint of imparting storage stability to the photosensitive layer. On the other hand, a content of 3% by mass or less is preferable from the viewpoints of maintaining sensitivity and suppressing discoloration of the dye.

The photosensitive layer may contain a sensitizer.
The sensitizer is not particularly limited, and known sensitizers, dyes, and pigments can be used. Examples of the sensitizer include dialkylaminobenzophenone compounds, pyrazoline compounds, anthracene compounds, coumarin compounds, xanthone compounds, thioxanthone compounds, acridone compounds, oxazole compounds, benzoxazole compounds, thiazole compounds, benzothiazole compounds, triazole compounds (e.g., 1,2,4-triazole), stilbene compounds, triazine compounds, thiophene compounds, naphthalimide compounds, triarylamine compounds, and aminoacridine compounds.

The photosensitive layer may contain one type of sensitizer alone or two or more types of sensitizers.
When the photosensitive layer contains a sensitizer, the content of the sensitizer can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. From the viewpoints of improving the sensitivity to the light source and improving the curing rate by the balance between the polymerization rate and the chain transfer, the content of the sensitizer is preferably 0.01% by mass to 5% by mass, and more preferably 0.05% by mass to 1% by mass, based on the total mass of the photosensitive layer.

The photosensitive layer may contain at least one selected from the group consisting of plasticizers and heterocyclic compounds.
Examples of the plasticizer and heterocyclic compound include the compounds described in paragraphs 0097 to 0103 and 0111 to 0118 of WO 2018/179640.

The photosensitive layer may contain a solvent. When the photosensitive layer is formed from a photosensitive composition containing a solvent, the solvent may remain in the photosensitive layer.

The photosensitive layer may further contain known additives such as metal oxide particles, antioxidants, dispersants, acid multipliers, development accelerators, conductive fibers, thermal radical polymerization initiators, thermal acid generators, ultraviolet absorbers, thickeners, crosslinking agents, and organic or inorganic suspending agents.
Additives contained in the photosensitive layer are described in paragraphs [0165] to [0184] of JP2014-85643A, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

(physical properties, etc.)
The thickness (layer thickness) of the photosensitive layer is preferably 0.1 μm to 300 μm, more preferably 0.2 μm to 100 μm, even more preferably 0.5 μm to 50 μm, even more preferably 0.5 μm to 30 μm, particularly preferably 1 μm to 20 μm, and most preferably 2 μm to 10 μm. This can improve the developability of the photosensitive layer and the resolution.
The thickness of each layer of the photosensitive transfer member is measured by observing a cross section perpendicular to the main surface of the laminate or the photosensitive transfer member using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), measuring the thickness of each layer at 10 or more points based on the obtained observation image, and calculating the average value.

In order to obtain better adhesion, the transmittance of the photosensitive layer for light having a wavelength of 365 nm is preferably 10% or more, more preferably 30% or more, and even more preferably 50% or more. There is no particular upper limit, but a transmittance of 99.9% or less is preferable.

(Impurities, etc.)
The photosensitive layer may contain a certain amount of impurities.
Specific examples of impurities include sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, manganese, copper, aluminum, titanium, chromium, cobalt, nickel, zinc, tin, halogens, and ions thereof. Among them, halide ions, sodium ions, and potassium ions are easily mixed in as impurities, so it is preferable to set the contents to the following amounts.

The content of impurities in the photosensitive layer is preferably 80 ppm or less, more preferably 10 ppm or less, and even more preferably 2 ppm or less, by mass. The content of impurities in the photosensitive layer can be 1 ppb or more or 0.1 ppm or more, by mass.

Methods for keeping the amount of impurities within the above range include selecting raw materials for the photosensitive layer that contain a small amount of impurities, preventing impurities from being mixed in during the formation of the photosensitive layer, and removing them by washing. By such methods, the amount of impurities can be kept within the above range.

The amount of impurities can be quantified by known methods such as inductively coupled plasma (ICP) emission spectrometry, atomic absorption spectrometry, and ion chromatography.

It is preferable that the content of compounds such as benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, 1,3-butadiene, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, N,N-dimethylformamide, N,N-dimethylacetamide, and hexane in the photosensitive layer is low. The content of these compounds in the photosensitive layer is preferably 100 ppm or less, more preferably 20 ppm or less, and even more preferably 4 ppm or less, by mass. The lower limit can be 10 ppb or more, and can be 100 ppb or more, by mass. The content of these compounds can be suppressed in the same manner as the above-mentioned metal impurities. They can also be quantified by known measurement methods.

The water content in the photosensitive layer is preferably 0.01% by mass to 1.0% by mass, and more preferably 0.05% by mass to 0.5% by mass, in order to improve reliability and lamination properties.

(Residual Monomer)
The photosensitive layer may contain residual monomers corresponding to each of the structural units of the binder polymer described above.
From the viewpoints of patterning property and reliability, the content of the residual monomer is preferably 5,000 ppm by mass or less, more preferably 2,000 ppm by mass or less, and even more preferably 500 ppm by mass or less, based on the total mass of the binder polymer. Although there is no particular lower limit, it is preferably 1 ppm by mass or more, and more preferably 10 ppm by mass or more.
From the viewpoints of patterning property and reliability, the residual monomer of each constituent unit of the binder polymer is preferably 3,000 mass ppm or less, more preferably 600 mass ppm or less, and even more preferably 100 mass ppm or less, based on the total mass of the photosensitive layer. Although there is no particular lower limit, it is preferably 0.1 mass ppm or more, and more preferably 1 mass ppm or more.

The amount of residual monomers in the synthesis of a binder polymer by a polymer reaction is also preferably within the above range. For example, when the binder polymer is synthesized by reacting glycidyl acrylate with a carboxylic acid side chain, the content of glycidyl acrylate is preferably within the above range.
The amount of the residual monomer can be measured by a known method such as liquid chromatography or gas chromatography.

(Formation method)
The method for forming the photosensitive layer is not particularly limited as long as it is a method capable of forming a layer containing the above-mentioned components.
Examples of methods for forming the photosensitive layer include a method in which a photosensitive composition containing a binder polymer, a polymerizable compound, and a solvent is prepared, the photosensitive composition is applied to the surface of a support or the like, and the coating of the photosensitive composition is dried to form a film.

The photosensitive composition used to form the photosensitive layer may be, for example, a composition containing a binder polymer, a polymerizable compound, the above-mentioned optional components, and a solvent.
The photosensitive composition preferably contains a solvent in order to adjust the viscosity of the photosensitive composition and facilitate the formation of the photosensitive layer.

-solvent-
The solvent contained in the photosensitive composition is not particularly limited as long as it can dissolve or disperse the binder polymer, the polymerizable compound, and the above-mentioned optional components, and any known solvent can be used.
Examples of the solvent include alkylene glycol ether solvents, alkylene glycol ether acetate solvents, alcohol solvents (methanol, ethanol, etc.), ketone solvents (acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, etc.), aromatic hydrocarbon solvents (toluene, etc.), aprotic polar solvents (N,N-dimethylformamide, etc.), cyclic ether solvents (tetrahydrofuran, etc.), ester solvents, amide solvents, lactone solvents, and mixed solvents containing two or more of these.
When preparing a photosensitive transfer member having a support, a thermoplastic resin layer, an intermediate layer and a photosensitive layer, the photosensitive composition preferably contains at least one selected from the group consisting of alkylene glycol ether solvents and alkylene glycol ether acetate solvents.Among them, the mixed solvent containing at least one selected from the group consisting of alkylene glycol ether solvents and alkylene glycol ether acetate solvents and at least one selected from the group consisting of ketone solvents and cyclic ether solvents is more preferred, and the mixed solvent containing at least three of at least one selected from the group consisting of alkylene glycol ether solvents and alkylene glycol ether acetate solvents, ketone solvents, and cyclic ether solvents is even more preferred.

Examples of alkylene glycol ether solvents include ethylene glycol monoalkyl ethers, ethylene glycol dialkyl ethers, propylene glycol monoalkyl ethers, propylene glycol dialkyl ethers, diethylene glycol dialkyl ethers, dipropylene glycol monoalkyl ethers, and dipropylene glycol dialkyl ethers.
Examples of alkylene glycol ether acetate solvents include ethylene glycol monoalkyl ether acetate, propylene glycol monoalkyl ether acetate, diethylene glycol monoalkyl ether acetate, and dipropylene glycol monoalkyl ether acetate.
As the solvent, the solvents described in paragraphs 0092 to 0094 of WO 2018/179640 and the solvents described in paragraph 0014 of JP 2018-177889 A may be used, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The photosensitive composition may contain one type of solvent alone or two or more types of solvents.
The content of the solvent when applying the photosensitive composition is preferably 50 parts by mass to 1,900 parts by mass, and more preferably 100 parts by mass to 900 parts by mass, per 100 parts by mass of the total solid content in the photosensitive composition.

The method for preparing the photosensitive composition is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a method in which each component is dissolved in the above-mentioned solvent to prepare a solution in advance, and the obtained solutions are mixed in a predetermined ratio to prepare the photosensitive composition.
The photosensitive composition is preferably filtered through a filter having a pore size of 0.2 μm to 30 μm before forming the photosensitive layer.

The method for applying the photosensitive composition is not particularly limited, and may be any known method, such as slit coating, spin coating, curtain coating, and inkjet coating.
The photosensitive layer may also be formed by applying a photosensitive composition onto a cover film described below and drying it.

[Thermoplastic resin layer]
The laminate may have a thermoplastic resin layer.
The photosensitive transfer member may have a thermoplastic resin layer.
The photosensitive transfer member preferably has a thermoplastic resin layer between the support and the photosensitive layer, because the photosensitive transfer member has a thermoplastic resin layer between the support and the photosensitive layer, which improves the conformability to the substrate when the photosensitive transfer member is bonded to the substrate, suppresses the inclusion of air bubbles between the substrate and the photosensitive transfer member, and improves the adhesion to an adjacent layer (e.g., support).

(Alkali-soluble resin)
The thermoplastic resin layer contains an alkali-soluble resin as a thermoplastic resin.
In this specification, "alkali-soluble" means that the solubility in 100 g of a 1% by mass aqueous solution of sodium carbonate at 22°C is 0.1 g or more.
Examples of the alkali-soluble resin include acrylic resin, polystyrene resin, styrene-acrylic copolymer, polyurethane resin, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl formal, polyamide resin, polyester resin, polyamide resin, epoxy resin, polyacetal resin, polyhydroxystyrene resin, polyimide resin, polybenzoxazole resin, polysiloxane resin, polyethyleneimine, polyallylamine, and polyalkylene glycol.

As the alkali-soluble resin, from the viewpoints of developability and adhesion to adjacent layers, an acrylic resin is preferred.
Here, the acrylic resin means a resin having at least one type of structural unit selected from the group consisting of structural units derived from (meth)acrylic acid, structural units derived from (meth)acrylic acid esters, and structural units derived from (meth)acrylic acid amides.
As for the acrylic resin, the total content of the structural units derived from (meth)acrylic acid, the structural units derived from a (meth)acrylic acid ester, and the structural units derived from a (meth)acrylic acid amide is preferably 50 mass% or more relative to the total mass of the acrylic resin.
In particular, the total content of the structural units derived from (meth)acrylic acid and the structural units derived from (meth)acrylic acid esters is preferably 30% by mass to 100% by mass, and more preferably 50% by mass to 100% by mass, relative to the total mass of the acrylic resin.

The alkali-soluble resin is preferably a polymer having an acid group.
Examples of the acid group include a carboxy group, a sulfo group, a phosphoric acid group, and a phosphonic acid group, with the carboxy group being preferred.
From the viewpoint of developability, the alkali-soluble resin is preferably an alkali-soluble resin having an acid value of 60 mgKOH/g or more, and more preferably a carboxy group-containing acrylic resin having an acid value of 60 mgKOH/g or more.
The upper limit of the acid value of the alkali-soluble resin is not particularly limited, but is preferably 200 mgKOH/g or less, and more preferably 150 mgKOH/g or less.

The carboxyl group-containing acrylic resin having an acid value of 60 mgKOH/g or more is not particularly limited, and can be appropriately selected from known resins.
Examples of the alkali-soluble resin include a carboxyl group-containing acrylic resin having an acid value of 60 mgKOH/g or more among the polymers described in paragraph 0025 of JP-A-2011-95716, a carboxyl group-containing acrylic resin having an acid value of 60 mgKOH/g or more among the polymers described in paragraphs 0033 to 0052 of JP-A-2010-237589, and a carboxyl group-containing acrylic resin having an acid value of 60 mgKOH/g or more among the binder polymers described in paragraphs 0053 to 0068 of JP-A-2016-224162.
The copolymerization ratio of the structural unit having a carboxy group in the carboxy group-containing acrylic resin is preferably 5% by mass to 50% by mass, more preferably 10% by mass to 40% by mass, and even more preferably 12% by mass to 30% by mass, based on the total mass of the acrylic resin.
As the alkali-soluble resin, from the viewpoints of developability and adhesion to adjacent layers, an acrylic resin having a structural unit derived from (meth)acrylic acid is particularly preferred.

The alkali-soluble resin may have a reactive group. The reactive group may be any group capable of addition polymerization, and examples of the reactive group include ethylenically unsaturated groups; polycondensable groups such as hydroxyl groups and carboxyl groups; and polyaddition reactive groups such as epoxy groups and (blocked) isocyanate groups.

The weight average molecular weight (Mw) of the alkali-soluble resin is preferably 1,000 or more, more preferably 10,000 to 100,000, and even more preferably 20,000 to 50,000.

The thermoplastic resin layer may contain one type of alkali-soluble resin alone or two or more types of alkali-soluble resins.
From the viewpoints of developability and adhesion to adjacent layers, the content of the alkali-soluble resin is preferably 10% by mass to 99% by mass, more preferably 20% by mass to 90% by mass, even more preferably 40% by mass to 80% by mass, and particularly preferably 50% by mass to 70% by mass, based on the total mass of the thermoplastic resin layer.

(dye)
The thermoplastic resin layer preferably contains a dye (also simply referred to as "dye B") that has a maximum absorption wavelength of 450 nm or more in the wavelength range of 400 nm to 780 nm when colored and whose maximum absorption wavelength changes in response to an acid, a base, or a radical.
Preferred embodiments of dye B are the same as preferred embodiments of dye N, except for the points described below.

From the viewpoints of visibility of exposed and unexposed areas and resolution, dye B is preferably a dye whose maximum absorption wavelength changes in response to an acid or a radical, and more preferably a dye whose maximum absorption wavelength changes in response to an acid.
From the viewpoints of visibility and resolution of exposed and unexposed areas, it is preferable that the thermoplastic resin layer contains both a dye, as dye B, whose maximum absorption wavelength changes in response to acid, and a compound that generates an acid when exposed to light, as described below.

The dye B may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.
From the viewpoint of visibility of exposed and non-exposed areas, the content of dye B is preferably 0.2 mass % or more, more preferably 0.2 mass % to 6 mass %, even more preferably 0.2 mass % to 5 mass %, and particularly preferably 0.25 mass % to 3.0 mass %, relative to the total mass of the thermoplastic resin layer.

Here, the content of dye B means the content of dye when all of dye B contained in the thermoplastic resin layer is in a colored state. A method for quantifying the content of dye B will be described below using a dye that develops color by radicals as an example.
A solution was prepared by dissolving 0.001 g and 0.01 g of dye in 100 mL of methyl ethyl ketone. A photoradical polymerization initiator Irgacure OXE01 (product name, BASF Japan Co., Ltd.) was added to each of the obtained solutions, and radicals were generated by irradiating light of 365 nm, causing all of the dyes to develop color. Then, in an air atmosphere, the absorbance of each solution at a liquid temperature of 25° C. was measured using a spectrophotometer (UV3100, manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation) to create a calibration curve.
Next, the absorbance of the solution in which all the dye has been colored is measured in the same manner as above, except that 0.1 g of the thermoplastic resin layer is dissolved in methyl ethyl ketone instead of the dye. The amount of the dye contained in the thermoplastic resin layer is calculated based on the calibration curve from the absorbance of the solution containing the thermoplastic resin layer obtained.

(Compounds that generate acids, bases or radicals when exposed to light)
The thermoplastic resin layer may contain a compound that generates an acid, a base or a radical when exposed to light (also simply referred to as "compound C").
Compound C is preferably a compound that generates an acid, a base, or a radical upon exposure to actinic rays such as ultraviolet light and visible light.
Known photoacid generators, photobase generators, and photoradical polymerization initiators (photoradical generators) can be used as compound C. Among them, photoacid generators are preferred.

- Photoacid generator -
From the viewpoint of resolution, the thermoplastic resin layer preferably contains a photoacid generator.
Examples of the photoacid generator include the above-mentioned cationic photopolymerization initiators which may be contained in the photosensitive layer, and preferred embodiments are also the same except for the points described below.

From the viewpoints of sensitivity and resolution, the photoacid generator preferably contains at least one compound selected from the group consisting of an onium salt compound and an oxime sulfonate compound, and from the viewpoints of sensitivity, resolution and adhesion, it is more preferable that the photoacid generator contains an oxime sulfonate compound.
As the photoacid generator, a photoacid generator having the following structure is also preferred.

- Photoradical polymerization initiator -
The thermoplastic resin layer may contain a photoradical polymerization initiator (photoradical polymerization initiator).
As the photoradical polymerization initiator, the above-mentioned photoradical polymerization initiators which may be contained in the photosensitive layer can be mentioned, and the preferred embodiments are also the same.

- Photobase generator -
The thermoplastic resin layer may contain a photobase generator.
The photobase generator is not particularly limited as long as it is a known photobase generator, and examples thereof include 2-nitrobenzylcyclohexylcarbamate, triphenylmethanol, O-carbamoylhydroxylamide, O-carbamoyloxime, [[(2,6-dinitrobenzyl)oxy]carbonyl]cyclohexylamine, bis[[(2-nitrobenzyl)oxy]carbonyl]hexane 1,6-diamine, 4-(methylthiobenzoyl)-1-methyl-1-morpholinoethane, (4-morpholinobenzoyl)- Examples of suitable dimethylamino compounds include 1-benzyl-1-dimethylaminopropane, N-(2-nitrobenzyloxycarbonyl)pyrrolidine, hexaamminecobalt(III) tris(triphenylmethylborate), 2-benzyl-2-dimethylamino-1-(4-morpholinophenyl)butanone, 2,6-dimethyl-3,5-diacetyl-4-(2-nitrophenyl)-1,4-dihydropyridine, and 2,6-dimethyl-3,5-diacetyl-4-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)-1,4-dihydropyridine.

The thermoplastic resin layer may contain one type of compound C alone or two or more types of compound C.
The content of compound C is preferably 0.1% by mass to 10% by mass, and more preferably 0.5% by mass to 5% by mass, based on the total mass of the thermoplastic resin layer, from the viewpoints of visibility and resolution of exposed and non-exposed areas.

(Plasticizer)
The thermoplastic resin layer preferably contains a plasticizer from the viewpoints of resolution, adhesion to adjacent layers, and developability.
The plasticizer preferably has a smaller molecular weight (weight average molecular weight (Mw) in the case of an oligomer or polymer) than the alkali-soluble resin. The molecular weight (weight average molecular weight (Mw)) of the plasticizer is preferably 200 to 2,000.
The plasticizer is not particularly limited as long as it is a compound that is compatible with the alkali-soluble resin and exhibits plasticity, but from the viewpoint of imparting plasticity, the plasticizer preferably has an alkyleneoxy group in the molecule, more preferably a polyalkylene glycol compound. The alkyleneoxy group contained in the plasticizer more preferably has a polyethyleneoxy structure or a polypropyleneoxy structure.

From the viewpoints of resolution and storage stability, the plasticizer preferably contains a (meth)acrylate compound. From the viewpoints of compatibility, resolution, and adhesion to adjacent layers, it is more preferable that the alkali-soluble resin is an acrylic resin and the plasticizer contains a (meth)acrylate compound.
Examples of the (meth)acrylate compound used as the plasticizer include the (meth)acrylate compounds described above as the polymerizable compound contained in the photosensitive layer.
In the photosensitive transfer member, when the thermoplastic resin layer and the photosensitive layer are laminated in direct contact with each other, it is preferable that both the thermoplastic resin layer and the photosensitive layer contain the same (meth)acrylate compound, because the thermoplastic resin layer and the photosensitive layer each contain the same (meth)acrylate compound, which suppresses component diffusion between the layers and improves storage stability.

When the thermoplastic resin layer contains a (meth)acrylate compound as a plasticizer, it is preferable that the (meth)acrylate compound does not polymerize even in the exposed area after exposure, from the viewpoint of adhesion to adjacent layers.
In addition, the (meth)acrylate compound used as a plasticizer is preferably a polyfunctional (meth)acrylate compound having two or more (meth)acryloyl groups in one molecule, from the viewpoints of resolution, adhesion to adjacent layers, and developability.
Furthermore, as the (meth)acrylate compound used as the plasticizer, a (meth)acrylate compound having an acid group or a urethane (meth)acrylate compound is also preferred.

The thermoplastic resin layer may contain one type of plasticizer alone or two or more types of plasticizers.
From the viewpoints of resolution, adhesion to adjacent layers, and developability, the content of the plasticizer is preferably 1% by mass to 70% by mass, more preferably 10% by mass to 60% by mass, and particularly preferably 20% by mass to 50% by mass, relative to the total mass of the thermoplastic resin layer.

(Surfactant)
From the viewpoint of thickness uniformity, the thermoplastic resin layer preferably contains a surfactant.
As the surfactant, the surfactant which may be contained in the photosensitive layer described above can be used, and the preferred embodiments are also the same.

The thermoplastic resin layer may contain one type of surfactant alone or two or more types of surfactants.
The content of the surfactant is preferably from 0.001% by mass to 10% by mass, and more preferably from 0.01% by mass to 3% by mass, based on the total mass of the thermoplastic resin layer.

(Sensitizer)
The thermoplastic resin layer may contain a sensitizer.
The sensitizer is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include the sensitizers that may be contained in the photosensitive layer described above.

The thermoplastic resin layer may contain one type of sensitizer alone or two or more types of sensitizers.
The content of the sensitizer can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. From the viewpoints of improving the sensitivity to the light source and the visibility of the exposed and non-exposed areas, the content is preferably in the range of 0.01% by mass to 5% by mass, and more preferably in the range of 0.05% by mass to 1% by mass, relative to the total mass of the thermoplastic resin layer.

(Additives, etc.)
The thermoplastic resin layer may contain known additives, if necessary, in addition to the above components.
In addition, the thermoplastic resin layer is described in paragraphs 0189 to 0193 of JP 2014-85643 A, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

(physical properties, etc.)
The thickness of the thermoplastic resin layer is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1 μm or more, more preferably 2 μm or more, from the viewpoint of adhesion with adjacent layers. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but is preferably 20 μm or less, more preferably 10 μm or less, and even more preferably 5 μm or less, from the viewpoint of developability and resolution.

(Formation method)
The method for forming the thermoplastic resin layer is not particularly limited as long as it is a method capable of forming a layer containing the above-mentioned components.
Examples of methods for forming the thermoplastic resin layer include a method in which a thermoplastic resin composition containing the above-mentioned components and a solvent is prepared, the thermoplastic resin composition is applied to a surface of a support or the like, and the coating of the thermoplastic resin composition is dried to form a layer.
The thermoplastic resin composition preferably contains a solvent in order to adjust the viscosity of the thermoplastic resin composition and facilitate the formation of the thermoplastic resin layer.

-solvent-
The solvent contained in the thermoplastic resin composition is not particularly limited as long as it can dissolve or disperse the above-mentioned components contained in the thermoplastic resin layer.
As the solvent contained in the thermoplastic resin composition, the solvent which may be contained in the photosensitive composition described above can be mentioned, and the preferred embodiments are also the same.

The solvent contained in the thermoplastic resin composition may be one type alone or two or more types.
The content of the solvent when applying the thermoplastic resin composition is preferably 50 parts by mass to 1,900 parts by mass, and more preferably 100 parts by mass to 900 parts by mass, per 100 parts by mass of the total solid content in the thermoplastic resin composition.

The preparation of the thermoplastic resin composition and the formation of the thermoplastic resin layer may be carried out in accordance with the above-mentioned method for preparing the photosensitive composition and the method for forming the photosensitive layer.
For example, a solution is prepared in advance by dissolving each component contained in the thermoplastic resin layer in the above-mentioned solvent, and the obtained solutions are mixed in a predetermined ratio to prepare a thermoplastic resin composition, and then,
The obtained thermoplastic resin composition is applied to the surface of a support, and the coating of the thermoplastic resin composition is dried to form a thermoplastic resin layer.
In addition, after forming a photosensitive layer and an intermediate layer on a cover film described below, a thermoplastic resin layer may be formed on the surface of the intermediate layer.

[Middle class]
The laminate may have an intermediate layer between the thermoplastic resin layer and the photosensitive layer. The photosensitive transfer member preferably has an intermediate layer between the thermoplastic resin layer and the photosensitive layer. By having the intermediate layer, it is possible to suppress mixing of components when applying multiple layers and during storage after application.
The intermediate layer is preferably a water-soluble layer from the viewpoints of developability and suppressing mixing of components when applying a plurality of layers and during storage after application.
In this specification, the term "water-soluble" means that the solubility in 100 g of water having a pH of 7.0 and a liquid temperature of 22° C. is 0.1 g or more.

The intermediate layer may be an oxygen-blocking layer having an oxygen-blocking function, which is described as a "separation layer" in JP-A-5-72724. When the intermediate layer is an oxygen-blocking layer, the sensitivity during exposure is improved, the time load of the exposure machine is reduced, and productivity is improved, which is preferable.
The oxygen barrier layer used as the intermediate layer may be appropriately selected from known layers described in the above publications, etc. Among them, an oxygen barrier layer that exhibits low oxygen permeability and disperses or dissolves in water or an alkaline aqueous solution (a 1 mass % aqueous solution of sodium carbonate at 22° C.) is preferred.

The intermediate layer preferably contains a resin.
Examples of resins contained in the intermediate layer include polyvinyl alcohol-based resins, polyvinylpyrrolidone-based resins, cellulose-based resins, acrylamide-based resins, polyethylene oxide-based resins, gelatin, vinyl ether-based resins, polyamide resins, and copolymers thereof.
The resin contained in the intermediate layer is preferably a water-soluble resin.
In addition, from the viewpoint of suppressing mixing of components between multiple layers, it is preferable that the resin contained in the intermediate layer is a resin different from both the polymer A contained in the photosensitive layer and the thermoplastic resin (alkali-soluble resin) contained in the thermoplastic resin layer.

From the viewpoints of oxygen barrier properties and suppressing mixing of components when multiple layers are applied and during storage after application, the intermediate layer preferably contains polyvinyl alcohol, and more preferably contains both polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinylpyrrolidone.

The intermediate layer may contain one type of the above resin alone or two or more types of them.
The resin content in the intermediate layer is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoints of oxygen barrier properties and suppressing mixing of components when multiple layers are applied and during storage after application, the resin content is preferably 50% by mass to 100% by mass, more preferably 70% by mass to 100% by mass, even more preferably 80% by mass to 100% by mass, and particularly preferably 90% by mass to 100% by mass, relative to the total mass of the intermediate layer.
Furthermore, the intermediate layer may contain additives such as a surfactant, if necessary.

The thickness of the intermediate layer is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.1 μm to 5 μm, and more preferably 0.5 μm to 3 μm.
When the thickness of the intermediate layer is within the above range, the oxygen barrier properties are not reduced, mixing of components can be suppressed when multiple layers are applied and during storage after application, and an increase in the time required to remove the intermediate layer during development can be suppressed.

The method for forming the intermediate layer is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a method in which an intermediate layer composition containing the above-mentioned resin and any additives is prepared, applied to the surface of the thermoplastic resin layer or the photosensitive layer, and the coating of the intermediate layer composition is dried to form an intermediate layer.
The intermediate layer composition preferably contains a solvent in order to adjust the viscosity of the intermediate layer composition and to facilitate the formation of the intermediate layer.

The solvent contained in the intermediate layer composition is not particularly limited as long as it is capable of dissolving or dispersing the above resin, and is preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of water and water-miscible organic solvents, and more preferably water or a mixed solvent of water and a water-miscible organic solvent.
Examples of the water-miscible organic solvent include alcohols having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, acetone, ethylene glycol, and glycerin, with alcohols having 1 to 3 carbon atoms being preferred, and methanol or ethanol being more preferred.

[Cover film]
The laminate preferably has a cover film in contact with the surface of the photosensitive layer that does not face the support.
The photosensitive transfer member preferably has a cover film in contact with the surface of the photosensitive layer that does not face the support.
Hereinafter, in this specification, the surface of the photosensitive layer facing the support is also referred to as the "first surface", and the surface opposite to the first surface is also referred to as the "second surface".

Materials constituting the cover film include resin films and paper, with resin films being preferred from the standpoints of strength and flexibility.
Examples of the resin film include a polyethylene film, a polypropylene film, a polyethylene terephthalate film, a cellulose triacetate film, a polystyrene film, and a polycarbonate film. Among these, a polyethylene film, a polypropylene film, or a polyethylene terephthalate film is preferable.

The thickness (layer thickness) of the cover film is not particularly limited, but is preferably from 5 μm to 100 μm, more preferably from 10 μm to 50 μm, and particularly preferably from 10 μm to 20 μm.
The arithmetic mean roughness Ra value of the surface of the cover film in contact with the photosensitive layer (hereinafter also simply referred to as the "surface of the cover film") is preferably 0.3 μm or less, more preferably 0.1 μm or less, and particularly preferably 0.05 μm or less, from the viewpoint of superior resolution. It is believed that the uniformity of the layer thickness of the photosensitive layer and the resin pattern formed is improved by having the Ra value of the surface of the cover film in the above range.
The lower limit of the Ra value of the surface of the cover film is not particularly limited, but it is preferably 0.001 μm or more.

The photosensitive transfer member may include layers other than the layers described above (hereinafter, also referred to as "other layers"). Examples of the other layers include a contrast enhancement layer.
The contrast enhancement layer is described in paragraph 0134 of WO 2018/179640. The other layers are described in paragraphs 0194 to 0196 of JP 2014-85643 A. The contents of these publications are incorporated herein by reference.

From the viewpoint of better exerting the effects of the present disclosure, the total thickness of each layer in the photosensitive transfer member excluding the support and the cover film is preferably 20 μm or less, more preferably 10 μm or less, even more preferably 8 μm or less, and particularly preferably 2 μm or more and 8 μm or less.
In addition, from the viewpoint of better exerting the effects of the present disclosure, the total thickness of the photosensitive layer, intermediate layer, and thermoplastic resin layer in the photosensitive transfer member is preferably 20 μm or less, more preferably 10 μm or less, even more preferably 8 μm or less, and particularly preferably 2 μm or more and 8 μm or less.

(Relationship between Support, Photosensitive Layer and Cover Film)
The laminate having a photosensitive layer used in the present disclosure is
the breaking elongation of the cured film obtained by curing the photosensitive layer at 120° C. is 15% or more;
The arithmetic mean roughness Ra of the surface of the support facing the photosensitive layer is 50 nm or less;
The arithmetic mean roughness Ra of the surface of the cover film on the photosensitive layer side is preferably 150 nm or less.

In addition, the laminate having a photosensitive layer used in the present disclosure preferably satisfies the following formula (R1).
X×Y<1,500 Formula (R1)
In the above formula (R1), X represents the breaking elongation value (%) of the cured film obtained by curing the photosensitive layer at 120°C, and Y represents the arithmetic mean roughness Ra value (nm) of the surface of the support on the photosensitive layer side.
It is more preferable that X×Y is 750 or less.

It is preferred that the breaking elongation at 120°C of the cured film obtained by curing the photosensitive layer is at least two times larger than the breaking elongation at 23°C.
The breaking elongation is measured by a tensile test using a cured film obtained by exposing a 20 μm-thick photosensitive layer to 120 mJ/ ^cm2 using an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp and curing it, then further exposing it to 400 mJ/ ^cm2 using a high pressure mercury lamp and heating it at 145° C. for 30 minutes.

In addition, the laminate having a photosensitive layer used in the present disclosure preferably satisfies the following formula (R2).
Y≦Z formula (R2)
Here, in the above formula (R2), Y represents the arithmetic mean roughness Ra (nm) of the surface of the support on the photosensitive layer side, and Z represents the arithmetic mean roughness Ra (nm) of the surface of the cover film on the photosensitive layer side.

[Method of Manufacturing Photosensitive Transfer Member]
The method for producing the photosensitive transfer member (laminate having a photosensitive layer) used in the present disclosure is not particularly limited, and any known production method, for example, any known method for forming each layer, can be used.
Hereinafter, a method for producing a photosensitive transfer member used in the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 2. However, the photosensitive transfer member used in the present disclosure is not limited to the one having the configuration shown in Fig. 2.
Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a photosensitive transfer member used in the present disclosure. The photosensitive transfer member 100 shown in Fig. 2 has a configuration in which a support 10, a thermoplastic resin layer 12, an intermediate layer 14, a photosensitive layer 16, and a cover film 18 are laminated in this order.

Examples of a method for manufacturing the photosensitive transfer member 100 include a method including the steps of applying a thermoplastic resin composition to the surface of the support 10 and then drying the coating of the thermoplastic resin composition to form a thermoplastic resin layer 12, applying an intermediate layer composition to the surface of the thermoplastic resin layer 12 and then drying the coating of the intermediate layer composition to form an intermediate layer 14, and applying a photosensitive composition containing a binder polymer and a polymerizable compound to the surface of the intermediate layer 14 and then drying the coating of the photosensitive composition to form a photosensitive layer 16.
In the above manufacturing method, it is preferable to use a thermoplastic resin composition containing at least one selected from the group consisting of an alkylene glycol ether solvent and an alkylene glycol ether acetate solvent, an intermediate layer composition containing at least one selected from the group consisting of water and a water-miscible organic solvent, and a photosensitive composition containing a binder polymer, a polymerizable compound, and at least one selected from the group consisting of an alkylene glycol ether solvent and an alkylene glycol ether acetate solvent. This makes it possible to suppress mixing of the components contained in the thermoplastic resin layer 12 and the components contained in the intermediate layer 14 during the application of the intermediate layer composition to the surface of the thermoplastic resin layer 12 and/or the storage period of a laminate having a coating film of the intermediate layer composition, and also to suppress mixing of the components contained in the intermediate layer 14 and the components contained in the photosensitive layer 16 during the application of the photosensitive composition to the surface of the intermediate layer 14 and/or the storage period of a laminate having a coating film of the photosensitive composition.

A cover film 18 is pressure-bonded to the photosensitive layer 16 of the laminate produced by the above-mentioned production method, thereby producing a photosensitive transfer member 100 .
The method for producing the photosensitive transfer member used in the present disclosure preferably includes a step of providing a cover film 18 in contact with the second surface of the photosensitive layer 16, thereby producing a photosensitive transfer member 100 comprising a support 10, a thermoplastic resin layer 12, an intermediate layer 14, a photosensitive layer 16 and a cover film 18.
After the photosensitive transfer member 100 is manufactured by the above-mentioned manufacturing method, a photosensitive transfer member in a roll form may be manufactured and stored by winding up the photosensitive transfer member 100. The photosensitive transfer member in a roll form can be provided as it is for lamination with a substrate in a roll-to-roll system.

Furthermore, the photosensitive transfer material obtained by the cutting material manufacturing method according to the present disclosure can be suitably used in the manufacture of circuit wiring and display devices such as touch panels.

In addition, the photosensitive transfer member obtained by the cutting method according to the present disclosure can be suitably used in various applications requiring precise microfabrication by photolithography. After patterning the photosensitive layer, etching may be performed using the photosensitive layer as a coating, or electroforming may be performed mainly by electroplating. In addition, the cured film obtained by patterning may be used as a permanent film, for example, an interlayer insulating film, a wiring protective film, a wiring protective film having an index matching layer, etc. In addition, the photosensitive transfer member obtained by the cutting method according to the present disclosure can be suitably used for applications such as various wiring formation applications for semiconductor packages, printed circuit boards, and sensor boards, touch panels, electromagnetic wave shielding materials, conductive films such as film heaters, liquid crystal sealants, and the formation of structures in the micromachine or microelectronics fields.

In addition, the laminate of embodiment A may also preferably be in an embodiment in which the photosensitive layer is a colored resin layer containing a pigment.
In addition to the above, the colored resin layer is suitable for use in forming colored pixels or black matrices of color filters and the like used in liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and solid-state imaging devices (e.g., charge-coupled devices (CCDs) and complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOSs)).
In some cases, in order to protect the liquid crystal display window of recent electronic devices, a cover glass having a black frame-shaped light-shielding layer formed on the periphery of the back surface of a transparent glass substrate, etc. is attached to the liquid crystal display window. A colored resin layer can be used to form such a light-shielding layer.
The configuration of the colored resin layer other than the pigment is the same as that described above.

<Pigments>
The pigment used in the colored resin layer may be appropriately selected according to the desired hue, and may be selected from black pigments, white pigments, and pigments of chromatic colors other than black and white. Among them, when a black pattern is to be formed, a black pigment is preferably selected as the pigment.

As the black pigment, any known black pigment (organic pigment, inorganic pigment, etc.) may be appropriately selected as long as the effect of the present disclosure is not impaired. Among them, from the viewpoint of optical density, suitable black pigments include, for example, carbon black, titanium oxide, titanium carbide, iron oxide, titanium oxide, and graphite, with carbon black being particularly preferred. As the carbon black, from the viewpoint of surface resistance, carbon black at least a part of the surface of which is coated with a resin is preferred.

From the viewpoint of dispersion stability, the particle size of the black pigment is preferably 0.001 μm to 0.1 μm, more preferably 0.01 μm to 0.08 μm, in terms of number average particle size.
Here, the particle size refers to the diameter of a circle having the same area as the area of a pigment particle, which is calculated from a photographic image of the pigment particle taken with an electron microscope, and the number average particle size refers to the average value obtained by calculating the above particle sizes of 100 randomly selected particles and averaging the particle sizes of the 100 particles thus calculated.

As a pigment other than the black pigment, the white pigment described in paragraphs 0015 and 0114 of JP-A-2005-007765 can be used. Specifically, among the white pigments, the inorganic pigment is preferably titanium oxide, zinc oxide, lithopone, precipitated calcium carbonate, white carbon, aluminum oxide, aluminum hydroxide, or barium sulfate, more preferably titanium oxide or zinc oxide, and even more preferably titanium oxide. As the inorganic pigment, rutile or anatase titanium oxide is more preferable, and rutile titanium oxide is particularly preferable.
The surface of titanium oxide may be subjected to a silica treatment, an alumina treatment, a titania treatment, a zirconia treatment, or an organic treatment, or may be subjected to two or more of these treatments, which suppresses the catalytic activity of titanium oxide and improves heat resistance, fading resistance, etc.
From the viewpoint of reducing the thickness of the photosensitive layer after heating, the surface treatment of the titanium oxide is preferably at least one of alumina treatment and zirconia treatment, and particularly preferably both alumina treatment and zirconia treatment.

In addition, when the photosensitive layer is a colored resin layer, it is also preferable from the viewpoint of transferability that the photosensitive layer further contains a chromatic pigment other than a black pigment and a white pigment. When a chromatic pigment is contained, the particle size of the chromatic pigment is preferably 0.1 μm or less, and more preferably 0.08 μm or less, in terms of superior dispersibility.
Examples of chromatic pigments include Victoria Pure Blue BO (Color Index (hereinafter, C.I.) 42595), Auramine (C.I. 41000), Fat Black HB (C.I. 26150), Monolight Yellow GT (C.I. Pigment Yellow 12), Permanent Yellow GR (C.I. Pigment Yellow 17), Permanent Yellow HR (C.I. Pigment Yellow 83), Permanent Carmine FBB (C.I. Pigment Red 161), and Permanent Yellow GR (C.I. Pigment Yellow 17). 146), Hosterbalm Red ESB (C.I. Pigment Violet 19), Permanent Ruby FBH (C.I. Pigment Red 11), Fastel Pink B Supra (C.I. Pigment Red 81), Monastral Fast Blue (C.I. Pigment Blue 15), Monolight Fast Black B (C.I. Pigment Black 1) and Carbon, C.I. Pigment Red 97, C.I. Pigment Red 122, C.I. Pigment Red 149, C.I. Pigment Red 168, C.I. Pigment Red 177, C.I. Pigment Red 180, C.I. Pigment Red 192, C.I. Pigment Red 215, C.I. Examples of the pigments include C.I. Pigment Green 7, C.I. Pigment Blue 15:1, C.I. Pigment Blue 15:4, C.I. Pigment Blue 22, C.I. Pigment Blue 60, C.I. Pigment Blue 64, and C.I. Pigment Violet 23. Among them, C.I. Pigment Red 177 is preferable.

When the photosensitive layer contains a pigment, the pigment content is preferably more than 3% by mass and not more than 40% by mass, more preferably more than 3% by mass and not more than 35% by mass, even more preferably more than 5% by mass and not more than 35% by mass, and particularly preferably 10% by mass or more and not more than 35% by mass, relative to the total mass of the photosensitive layer.

When the photosensitive layer contains pigments other than black pigments (white pigments and chromatic pigments), the content of the pigments other than black pigments is preferably 30% by mass or less, more preferably 1% by mass to 20% by mass, and even more preferably 3% by mass to 15% by mass, relative to the black pigment.

When the photosensitive layer contains a black pigment and is formed of a photosensitive composition, the black pigment (preferably carbon black) is preferably introduced into the photosensitive composition in the form of a pigment dispersion.
The dispersion may be prepared by adding a mixture of a black pigment and a pigment dispersant to an organic solvent (or vehicle) and dispersing the mixture with a dispersing machine. The pigment dispersant may be selected according to the pigment and the solvent, and for example, a commercially available dispersant may be used. The vehicle refers to the medium portion in which the pigment is dispersed when the pigment dispersion is prepared, and is liquid, and includes a binder component that holds the black pigment in a dispersed state and a solvent component (organic solvent) that dissolves and dilutes the binder component.

There are no particular limitations on the dispersing machine, and examples thereof include known dispersing machines such as kneaders, roll mills, attritors, super mills, dissolvers, homomixers, and sand mills. Furthermore, fine pulverization may be performed by utilizing frictional force through mechanical grinding. For details on dispersing machines and fine pulverization, please refer to the descriptions in "Encyclopedia of Pigments" (written by Kunizo Asakura, 1st Edition, Asakura Shoten, 2000, pp. 438 and 310).

[Laminate of embodiment B]
The laminate of embodiment B will be described below by way of an example.
Each element constituting the laminate of embodiment B will be described below.
The support and cover film used in the laminate of embodiment B are similar to the support and cover film in the laminate of embodiment A, and preferred aspects are also similar.

[Photosensitive layer]
The photosensitive transfer member has a photosensitive layer.
After the photosensitive layer is transferred onto a receiving material, it is possible to form a pattern on the receiving material by carrying out exposure and development.
Components that may be contained in the photosensitive layer will be described in detail below.

(Binder Polymer)
The photosensitive layer preferably contains a binder polymer.
Examples of the binder polymer include (meth)acrylic resin, styrene resin, epoxy resin, amide resin, amide epoxy resin, alkyd resin, phenol resin, ester resin, urethane resin, epoxy acrylate resin obtained by reacting an epoxy resin with (meth)acrylic acid, and acid-modified epoxy acrylate resin obtained by reacting an epoxy acrylate resin with an acid anhydride.
The binder polymer is preferably an alkali-soluble resin.

One preferred embodiment of the binder polymer is a (meth)acrylic resin, which has excellent alkali developability and film formability.
In this specification, the (meth)acrylic resin means a resin having a structural unit derived from a (meth)acrylic compound. The content of the structural unit derived from the (meth)acrylic compound is preferably 50% by mass or more, more preferably 70% by mass or more, and even more preferably 90% by mass or more, based on the total structural units of the (meth)acrylic resin.
The (meth)acrylic resin may be composed only of structural units derived from a (meth)acrylic compound, or may have structural units derived from a polymerizable monomer other than a (meth)acrylic compound. That is, the upper limit of the content of structural units derived from a (meth)acrylic compound is 100% by mass or less based on the total structural units of the (meth)acrylic resin.

Examples of the (meth)acrylic compound include (meth)acrylic acid, (meth)acrylic acid esters, (meth)acrylamide, and (meth)acrylonitrile.
Examples of the (meth)acrylic acid ester include (meth)acrylic acid alkyl esters, (meth)acrylic acid tetrahydrofurfuryl ester, (meth)acrylic acid dimethylaminoethyl ester, (meth)acrylic acid diethylaminoethyl ester, (meth)acrylic acid glycidyl ester, (meth)acrylic acid benzyl ester, 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl (meth)acrylate, and 2,2,3,3-tetrafluoropropyl (meth)acrylate, and (meth)acrylic acid alkyl esters are preferred.
Examples of (meth)acrylamides include acrylamides such as diacetoneacrylamide.

Examples of the (meth)acrylic acid alkyl ester include (meth)acrylic acid alkyl esters having an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, such as methyl (meth)acrylate, ethyl (meth)acrylate, propyl (meth)acrylate, butyl (meth)acrylate, pentyl (meth)acrylate, hexyl (meth)acrylate, heptyl (meth)acrylate, octyl (meth)acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl (meth)acrylate, nonyl (meth)acrylate, decyl (meth)acrylate, undecyl (meth)acrylate, and dodecyl (meth)acrylate.
As the (meth)acrylic acid ester, a (meth)acrylic acid alkyl ester having an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms is preferred, and methyl (meth)acrylate or ethyl (meth)acrylate is more preferred.

The (meth)acrylic resin may have a structural unit other than the structural unit derived from the (meth)acrylic compound.
The polymerizable monomer that forms the structural unit is not particularly limited as long as it is a compound other than a (meth)acrylic compound that is copolymerizable with a (meth)acrylic compound, and examples thereof include styrene compounds that may have a substituent at the α-position or aromatic ring, such as styrene, vinyl toluene, and α-methylstyrene, vinyl alcohol esters such as acrylonitrile and vinyl-n-butyl ether, maleic acid monoesters such as maleic acid, maleic anhydride, monomethyl maleate, monoethyl maleate, and monoisopropyl maleate, fumaric acid, cinnamic acid, α-cyanocinnamic acid, itaconic acid, and crotonic acid.
These polymerizable monomers may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

In order to improve the alkali developability, the (meth)acrylic resin preferably has a structural unit having an acid group. Examples of the acid group include a carboxy group, a sulfo group, a phosphoric acid group, and a phosphonic acid group.
Among these, the (meth)acrylic resin more preferably has a structural unit having a carboxy group, and even more preferably has a structural unit derived from the above-mentioned (meth)acrylic acid.

The content of structural units having an acid group in the (meth)acrylic resin (preferably structural units derived from (meth)acrylic acid) is preferably 10% by mass or more relative to the total mass of the (meth)acrylic resin in terms of excellent developability. In addition, the upper limit is not particularly limited, but in terms of excellent alkali resistance, it is preferably 50% by mass or less, and more preferably 40% by mass or less.

Moreover, the (meth)acrylic resin more preferably has a structural unit derived from the above-mentioned alkyl (meth)acrylate ester.
The content of the structural units derived from the (meth)acrylic acid alkyl ester in the (meth)acrylic resin is preferably 50% by mass to 90% by mass, more preferably 60% by mass to 90% by mass, and even more preferably 65% by mass to 90% by mass, based on all structural units of the (meth)acrylic resin.

As the (meth)acrylic resin, a resin having both a structural unit derived from (meth)acrylic acid and a structural unit derived from an alkyl (meth)acrylate is preferred, and a resin composed only of a structural unit derived from (meth)acrylic acid and a structural unit derived from an alkyl (meth)acrylate is more preferred.
Furthermore, as the (meth)acrylic resin, an acrylic resin having a structural unit derived from methacrylic acid, a structural unit derived from methyl methacrylate, and a structural unit derived from ethyl acrylate is also preferred.

From the viewpoint of resolution, the (meth)acrylic resin preferably has at least one selected from the group consisting of a structural unit derived from methacrylic acid and a structural unit derived from an alkyl methacrylate ester, and preferably has both a structural unit derived from methacrylic acid and a structural unit derived from an alkyl methacrylate ester.
From the viewpoint of resolution, the total content of the structural units derived from methacrylic acid and the structural units derived from methacrylic acid alkyl ester in the (meth)acrylic resin is preferably 40% by mass or more, more preferably 60% by mass or more, based on the total structural units of the (meth)acrylic resin. The upper limit is not particularly limited, and may be 100% by mass or less, and is preferably 80% by mass or less.

From the viewpoint of resolution, it is also preferable that the (meth)acrylic resin has at least one selected from the group consisting of structural units derived from methacrylic acid and structural units derived from an alkyl methacrylate ester, and at least one selected from the group consisting of structural units derived from acrylic acid and structural units derived from an alkyl acrylate ester.
From the viewpoint of resolution, the total content of the structural units derived from methacrylic acid and the structural units derived from an alkyl methacrylate ester is preferably 60/40 to 80/20 in mass ratio relative to the total content of the structural units derived from acrylic acid and the structural units derived from an alkyl acrylate ester.

The (meth)acrylic resin preferably has an ester group at the end, in order to provide excellent developability of the photosensitive layer after transfer.
The terminal portion of the (meth)acrylic resin is composed of a portion derived from the polymerization initiator used in the synthesis. The (meth)acrylic resin having an ester group at the terminal can be synthesized by using a polymerization initiator that generates a radical having an ester group.

In addition, the binder polymer is preferably a binder polymer having an acid value of 60 mgKOH/g or more, for example, from the viewpoint of developability.
In addition, the binder polymer is more preferably a resin having a carboxy group with an acid value of 60 mgKOH/g or more (so-called carboxy group-containing resin), and further preferably a (meth)acrylic resin having a carboxy group with an acid value of 60 mgKOH/g or more (so-called carboxy group-containing (meth)acrylic resin), from the viewpoint of, for example, being thermally crosslinked with the crosslinking component by heating and easily forming a strong film.
When the binder polymer is a resin having a carboxy group, the three-dimensional crosslinking density can be increased by, for example, adding a thermally crosslinkable compound such as a blocked isocyanate compound to thermally crosslink the resin. In addition, when the carboxy group of the resin having a carboxy group is dehydrated and hydrophobized, the humidity and heat resistance can be improved.

The carboxyl group-containing (meth)acrylic resin having an acid value of 60 mgKOH/g or more is not particularly limited as long as it satisfies the above-mentioned acid value condition, and can be appropriately selected from known (meth)acrylic resins.
For example, of the polymers described in paragraph 0025 of JP-A-2011-095716, carboxyl group-containing acrylic resins having an acid value of 60 mgKOH/g or more, and of the polymers described in paragraphs 0033 to 0052 of JP-A-2010-237589, carboxyl group-containing acrylic resins having an acid value of 60 mgKOH/g or more can be preferably used.

Another preferred embodiment of the binder polymer is a styrene-acrylic copolymer. In this specification, the term "styrene-acrylic copolymer" refers to a resin having a structural unit derived from a styrene compound and a structural unit derived from a (meth)acrylic compound, and the total content of the structural unit derived from the styrene compound and the structural unit derived from the (meth)acrylic compound is preferably 30% by mass or more, more preferably 50% by mass or more, based on the total structural units of the copolymer.
The content of the structural units derived from the styrene compound is preferably 1% by mass or more, more preferably 5% by mass or more, and even more preferably 5 to 80% by mass, based on all the structural units of the copolymer.
The content of the structural units derived from the (meth)acrylic compound is preferably 5% by mass or more, more preferably 10% by mass or more, and even more preferably 20% by mass to 95% by mass, based on all structural units of the copolymer.

From the viewpoint of moisture permeability and strength of the resulting cured film, the binder polymer preferably has an aromatic ring structure, and more preferably has a constituent unit having an aromatic ring structure.
Examples of monomers that form structural units having an aromatic ring structure include styrene compounds such as styrene, tert-butoxystyrene, methylstyrene, and α-methylstyrene, as well as benzyl (meth)acrylate.
Of these, styrene compounds are preferred, and styrene is more preferred.
From the viewpoint of moisture permeability and strength of the resulting cured film, the binder polymer more preferably has a structural unit represented by the following formula (S) (a structural unit derived from styrene).

When the binder polymer has a constituent unit having an aromatic ring structure, the content of the constituent unit having an aromatic ring structure is, from the viewpoint of the moisture permeability and strength of the obtained cured film, preferably from 5% by mass to 90% by mass, more preferably from 10% by mass to 70% by mass, and further preferably from 20% by mass to 60% by mass, based on the total constituent units of the binder polymer.
Furthermore, the content of the structural unit having an aromatic ring structure in the binder polymer is, from the viewpoint of moisture permeability and strength of the resulting cured film, preferably from 5 mol % to 70 mol %, more preferably from 10 mol % to 60 mol %, and even more preferably from 20 mol % to 60 mol %, based on all structural units of the binder polymer.
Furthermore, the content of the structural unit represented by the above formula (S) in the binder polymer is, from the viewpoint of moisture permeability and strength of the obtained cured film, preferably from 5 mol % to 70 mol %, more preferably from 10 mol % to 60 mol %, even more preferably from 20 mol % to 60 mol %, and particularly preferably from 20 mol % to 50 mol %, based on all structural units of the binder polymer.
In this specification, when the content of the "structural unit" is specified by a molar ratio, the "structural unit" is synonymous with the "monomer unit". In addition, in this specification, the "monomer unit" may be modified after polymerization by a polymer reaction or the like. The same applies hereinafter.

From the viewpoints of suppressing development residues, strength of the resulting cured film, and adhesion of the resulting uncured film, it is preferable that the binder polymer has an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure. In other words, it is preferable that the binder polymer has a structural unit having an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure. In particular, it is more preferable that the binder polymer has a ring structure in which two or more aliphatic hydrocarbon rings are condensed.

Examples of the ring that constitutes the aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure in the structural unit having an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure include a tricyclodecane ring, a cyclohexane ring, a cyclopentane ring, a norbornane ring, and an isoborone ring.
Among these, from the viewpoints of suppression of development residues, strength of the resulting cured film, and adhesion of the resulting uncured film, a ring in which two or more aliphatic hydrocarbon rings are condensed is preferred, and a tetrahydrodicyclopentadiene ring (tricyclo[5.2.1.0 ^2,6 ]decane ring) is more preferred.
Examples of monomers that form a structural unit having an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure include dicyclopentanyl (meth)acrylate, cyclohexyl (meth)acrylate, and isobornyl (meth)acrylate.
[0113] Moreover, from the viewpoints of suppressing development residues, the strength of the resulting cured film, and the adhesion of the resulting uncured film, it is more preferable that the binder polymer has a constitutional unit represented by the following formula (Cy), and it is even more preferable that the binder polymer has a constitutional unit represented by the above formula (S) and a constitutional unit represented by the following formula (Cy).

In formula (Cy), R 1 ^M represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, and R 1 ^Cy represents a monovalent group having an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure.

R 3 ^M in formula (Cy) is preferably a methyl group.
From the viewpoints of suppression of development residues, strength of the resulting cured film, and adhesion of the resulting uncured film, R ^Cy in formula (Cy) is preferably a monovalent group having an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure having 5 to 20 carbon atoms, more preferably a monovalent group having an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure having 6 to 16 carbon atoms, and even more preferably a monovalent group having an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure having 8 to 14 carbon atoms.
The aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure in R ^Cy of formula (Cy) may be a monocyclic structure or a polycyclic structure.
In addition, from the viewpoints of suppression of development residues, strength of the resulting cured film, and adhesion of the resulting uncured film, the aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure in R ^Cy of formula (Cy) is preferably a cyclopentane ring structure, a cyclohexane ring structure, a tetrahydrodicyclopentadiene ring structure, a norbornane ring structure, or an isoborone ring structure, more preferably a cyclohexane ring structure or a tetrahydrodicyclopentadiene ring structure, and even more preferably a tetrahydrodicyclopentadiene ring structure.
Furthermore, from the viewpoints of suppressing development residues, the strength of the resulting cured film, and the adhesion of the resulting uncured film, the aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure in R ^Cy of formula (Cy) is preferably a ring structure in which two or more aliphatic hydrocarbon rings are condensed, and more preferably a ring in which two to four aliphatic hydrocarbon rings are condensed.
Furthermore, from the viewpoints of suppression of development residues, strength of the resulting cured film, and adhesion of the resulting uncured film, R ^Cy in formula (Cy) is preferably a group in which the oxygen atom of -C(=O)O- in formula (Cy) is directly bonded to an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure, i.e., an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring group, more preferably a cyclohexyl group or a dicyclopentanyl group, and even more preferably a dicyclopentanyl group.

The binder polymer may have one type of structural unit having an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure, or may have two or more types of structural units having an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure.
When the binder polymer has a structural unit having an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure, the content of the structural unit having an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure is, from the viewpoints of suppressing development residues, the strength of the resulting cured film, and the adhesion of the resulting uncured film, preferably from 5% by mass to 90% by mass, more preferably from 10% by mass to 80% by mass, and even more preferably from 20% by mass to 70% by mass, relative to all structural units of the binder polymer.
Furthermore, the content of the structural unit having an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure in the binder polymer is, from the viewpoints of suppressing development residues, the strength of the resulting cured film, and the adhesion of the resulting uncured film, preferably from 5 mol % to 70 mol %, more preferably from 10 mol % to 60 mol %, and even more preferably from 20 mol % to 50 mol %, based on the total structural units of the binder polymer.
[0113] Furthermore, the content of the structural unit represented by the above formula (Cy) in the binder polymer is, from the viewpoints of suppressing development residues, the strength of the resulting cured film, and the adhesion of the resulting uncured film, preferably from 5 mol% to 70 mol%, more preferably from 10 mol% to 60 mol%, and even more preferably from 20 mol% to 50 mol%, based on the total structural units of the binder polymer.

When the binder polymer has a structural unit having an aromatic ring structure and a structural unit having an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure, the total content of the structural units having an aromatic ring structure and the structural units having an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure is, from the viewpoints of suppressing development residues, the strength of the resulting cured film, and the adhesion of the resulting uncured film, preferably from 10% by mass to 90% by mass, more preferably from 20% by mass to 80% by mass, and even more preferably from 40% by mass to 75% by mass, based on all the structural units of the binder polymer.
Furthermore, the total content of the structural units having an aromatic ring structure and the structural units having an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure in the binder polymer is, from the viewpoints of suppressing development residues, the strength of the resulting cured film, and the adhesion of the resulting uncured film, preferably from 10 mol % to 80 mol %, more preferably from 20 mol % to 70 mol %, and even more preferably from 40 mol % to 60 mol %, based on the total structural units of the binder polymer.
[0113] Furthermore, the total content of the constitutional units represented by the above formula (S) and the constitutional units represented by the above formula (Cy) in the binder polymer is, from the viewpoints of suppression of development residues, strength of the resulting cured film, and adhesion of the resulting uncured film, preferably from 10 mol% to 80 mol%, more preferably from 20 mol% to 70 mol%, and even more preferably from 40 mol% to 60 mol%, relative to all constitutional units of the binder polymer.
Furthermore, from the viewpoints of suppressing development residues, the strength of the resulting cured film, and the adhesion of the resulting uncured film, it is preferable that the molar amount nS of the constitutional unit represented by the above formula (S) in the binder polymer and the molar amount nCy of the constitutional unit represented by the above formula (Cy) satisfy the relationship shown in the following formula (SCy), more preferably satisfies the following formula (SCy-1), and even more preferably satisfies the following formula (SCy-2).
0.2≦nS/(nS+nCy)≦0.8 Formula (SCy)
0.30≦nS/(nS+nCy)≦0.75 Formula (SCy-1)
0.40≦nS/(nS+nCy)≦0.70 Formula (SCy-2)

From the viewpoints of developability and adhesion to a substrate, the binder polymer preferably has a structural unit having an acid group.
Examples of the acid group include a carboxy group, a sulfo group, a phosphonic acid group, and a phosphoric acid group, with the carboxy group being preferred.
As the structural unit having an acid group, a structural unit derived from (meth)acrylic acid shown below is preferred, and a structural unit derived from methacrylic acid is more preferred.

The binder polymer may have one type of structural unit having an acid group alone, or may have two or more types of structural units having an acid group.
When the binder polymer has a structural unit having an acid group, the content of the structural unit having an acid group is, from the viewpoints of developability and adhesion to a substrate, preferably from 5 mass % to 50 mass %, more preferably from 5 mass % to 40 mass %, and even more preferably from 10 mass % to 30 mass %, based on the total structural units of the binder polymer.
Furthermore, the content of the structural unit having an acid group in the binder polymer is, from the viewpoints of developability and adhesion to a substrate, preferably from 5 mol % to 70 mol %, more preferably from 10 mol % to 50 mol %, and even more preferably from 20 mol % to 40 mol %, based on the total structural units of the binder polymer.
Furthermore, the content of the structural units derived from (meth)acrylic acid in the binder polymer is preferably 5 mol % to 70 mol %, more preferably 10 mol % to 50 mol %, and even more preferably 20 mol % to 40 mol %, based on the total structural units of the binder polymer, from the viewpoints of developability and adhesion to a substrate.

From the viewpoints of curability and strength of the resulting cured film, the binder polymer preferably has a reactive group, and more preferably has a structural unit having a reactive group.
The reactive group is preferably a radically polymerizable group, more preferably an ethylenically unsaturated group. In addition, when the binder polymer has an ethylenically unsaturated group, the binder polymer preferably has a structural unit having an ethylenically unsaturated group in a side chain.
In this specification, the term "main chain" refers to the relatively longest bond chain in the molecule of the polymer compound that constitutes the resin, and the term "side chain" refers to an atomic group branching off from the main chain.
The ethylenically unsaturated group is more preferably an allyl group or a (meth)acryloxy group.
Examples of structural units having a reactive group include, but are not limited to, those shown below.

The binder polymer may have one type of structural unit having a reactive group alone, or may have two or more types of structural units having a reactive group.
When the binder polymer has a structural unit having a reactive group, the content of the structural unit having a reactive group is, from the viewpoints of curability and the strength of the obtained cured film, preferably from 5 mass % to 70 mass %, more preferably from 10 mass % to 50 mass %, and even more preferably from 20 mass % to 40 mass %, based on the total structural units of the binder polymer.
Furthermore, the content of the structural unit having a reactive group in the binder polymer is, from the viewpoints of curability and strength of the resulting cured film, preferably from 5 mol % to 70 mol %, more preferably from 10 mol % to 60 mol %, and even more preferably from 20 mol % to 50 mol %, based on the total structural units of the binder polymer.

Examples of a method for introducing a reactive group into a binder polymer include a method in which a functional group such as a hydroxy group, a carboxy group, a primary amino group, a secondary amino group, an acetoacetyl group, or a sulfo group is reacted with a compound such as an epoxy compound, a blocked isocyanate compound, an isocyanate compound, a vinyl sulfone compound, an aldehyde compound, a methylol compound, or a carboxylic acid anhydride.
A preferred example of a method for introducing a reactive group into a binder polymer is to synthesize a polymer having a carboxy group by polymerization, and then react a part of the carboxy group of the obtained resin with glycidyl (meth)acrylate by a polymer reaction to introduce a (meth)acryloxy group into the polymer. By this method, a binder polymer having a (meth)acryloxy group in the side chain can be obtained.
The polymerization reaction is preferably carried out at a temperature of 70° C. to 100° C., and more preferably at a temperature of 80° C. to 90° C. As the polymerization initiator used in the polymerization reaction, an azo-based initiator is preferable, and for example, V-601 (trade name) or V-65 (trade name) manufactured by FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd. is more preferable. The polymer reaction is preferably carried out at a temperature of 80° C. to 110° C. In the polymer reaction, it is preferable to use a catalyst such as an ammonium salt.

From the viewpoints of developability, curability, and strength of the resulting cured film, the following resins are preferred as binder polymers. Note that the content ratios (a to d) of each of the structural units shown below and the weight average molecular weight Mw can be changed as appropriate depending on the purpose.

In the above resin, it is preferable that a is 20% by mass to 60% by mass, b is 10% by mass to 50% by mass, c is 5.0% by mass to 25% by mass, and d is 10% by mass to 50% by mass.

In the above resin, it is preferable that a is 20% by mass to 60% by mass, b is 10% by mass to 50% by mass, c is 5.0% by mass to 25% by mass, and d is 10% by mass to 50% by mass.

In the above resin, it is preferable that a is 30% to 65% by mass, b is 1.0% to 20% by mass, c is 5.0% to 25% by mass, and d is 10% to 50% by mass.

In the above compounds, it is preferable that a is 1.0% by mass to 20% by mass, b is 20% by mass to 60% by mass, c is 5.0% by mass to 25% by mass, and d is 10% by mass to 50% by mass.

The binder polymer may also contain a polymer having a structural unit having a carboxylic acid anhydride structure (hereinafter, also referred to as "polymer X").
The carboxylic acid anhydride structure may be either a chain carboxylic acid anhydride structure or a cyclic carboxylic acid anhydride structure, but is preferably a cyclic carboxylic acid anhydride structure.
The ring of the cyclic carboxylic acid anhydride structure is preferably a 5- to 7-membered ring, more preferably a 5- or 6-membered ring, and even more preferably a 5-membered ring.

The structural unit having a carboxylic acid anhydride structure is preferably a structural unit containing in its main chain a divalent group obtained by removing two hydrogen atoms from a compound represented by the following formula P-1, or a structural unit in which a monovalent group obtained by removing one hydrogen atom from a compound represented by the following formula P-1 is bonded to the main chain directly or via a divalent linking group.

In formula P-1, R ^A1a represents a substituent, n ^1a R ^A1a may be the same or different, Z ^1a represents a divalent group forming a ring containing -C(=O)-O-C(=O)-, and n ^1a represents an integer of 0 or more.

An example of the substituent represented by R ^A1a is an alkyl group.
Z ^1a is preferably an alkylene group having 2 to 4 carbon atoms, more preferably an alkylene group having 2 or 3 carbon atoms, and even more preferably an alkylene group having 2 carbon atoms.
n ^1a represents an integer of 0 or more. When Z ^1a represents an alkylene group having 2 to 4 carbon atoms, n ^1a is preferably an integer of 0 to 4, more preferably an integer of 0 to 2, and further preferably 0.
When n ^1a represents an integer of 2 or more, the multiple R ^A1a may be the same or different. In addition, the multiple R ^A1a may be bonded to each other to form a ring, but it is preferable that they are not bonded to each other to form a ring.

As a structural unit having a carboxylic acid anhydride structure, a structural unit derived from an unsaturated carboxylic acid anhydride is preferred, a structural unit derived from an unsaturated cyclic carboxylic acid anhydride is more preferred, a structural unit derived from an unsaturated aliphatic cyclic carboxylic acid anhydride is even more preferred, a structural unit derived from maleic anhydride or itaconic anhydride is particularly preferred, and a structural unit derived from maleic anhydride is most preferred.

Specific examples of structural units having a carboxylic acid anhydride structure are given below, but the structural units having a carboxylic acid anhydride structure are not limited to these specific examples. In the following structural units, Rx represents a hydrogen atom, a methyl group, a _CH2OH group, or a _CF3 group, and Me represents a methyl group.

The structural unit having a carboxylic acid anhydride structure in polymer X may be of one type alone or of two or more types.

The total content of structural units having a carboxylic acid anhydride structure is preferably 0 mol% to 60 mol%, more preferably 5 mol% to 40 mol%, and even more preferably 10 mol% to 35 mol%, relative to all structural units of polymer X.

The photosensitive layer may contain only one type of polymer X, or may contain two or more types.
When the photosensitive layer contains the polymer X, from the viewpoints of resolution and developability, the content of the polymer X is preferably 0.1% by mass to 30% by mass, more preferably 0.2% by mass to 20% by mass, even more preferably 0.5% by mass to 20% by mass, and still more preferably 1% by mass to 20% by mass, relative to the total mass of the photosensitive layer.

From the viewpoint of improving resolution and developability, the weight average molecular weight (Mw) of the binder polymer is preferably 5,000 or more, more preferably 10,000 or more, even more preferably 10,000 to 50,000, and particularly preferably 20,000 to 30,000.

The acid value of the binder polymer is preferably from 10 mgKOH/g to 200 mgKOH/g, more preferably from 60 mgKOH/g to 200 mgKOH/g, further preferably from 60 mgKOH/g to 150 mgKOH/g, and particularly preferably from 60 mgKOH/g to 110 mgKOH/g.
The acid value of the binder polymer is a value measured according to the method described in JIS K0070:1992.
The dispersity (weight average molecular weight/number average molecular weight) of the binder polymer is preferably from 1.0 to 6.0, more preferably from 1.0 to 5.0, even more preferably from 1.0 to 4.0, and particularly preferably from 1.0 to 3.0, from the viewpoint of developability.

The photosensitive layer may contain only one type of binder polymer, or may contain two or more types of binder polymers.
From the viewpoints of photosensitivity, resolution and developability, the content of the binder polymer is preferably 10% by mass to 90% by mass, more preferably 20% by mass to 80% by mass, and even more preferably 30% by mass to 70% by mass, based on the total mass of the photosensitive layer.

(Polymerizable compound)
The photosensitive layer may contain a polymerizable compound.
The polymerizable compound is a compound having a polymerizable group. Examples of the polymerizable group include a radical polymerizable group and a cationic polymerizable group, and the radical polymerizable group is preferable.

The polymerizable compound preferably contains a polymerizable compound having an ethylenically unsaturated group (hereinafter, also simply referred to as an "ethylenically unsaturated compound").
The ethylenically unsaturated group is preferably a (meth)acryloxy group.
The ethylenically unsaturated compound in this specification is a compound other than the above-mentioned binder polymer, and preferably has a molecular weight of less than 5,000.
Moreover, preferred embodiments of the ethylenically unsaturated compound used in the second embodiment include the preferred embodiments of the ethylenically unsaturated compound used in the first embodiment described above.

One preferred embodiment of the ethylenically unsaturated compound is a compound represented by the following formula (M) (also simply referred to as "compound M").
Q ² -R ¹ -Q ¹ formula (M)
In formula (M), Q ¹ and Q ² each independently represent a (meth)acryloyloxy group, and R ¹ represents a divalent linking group having a chain structure.

In terms of ease of synthesis, it is preferred that ^{Q 1} and Q ² in formula (M) are ^the same group.
In addition, Q ¹ and Q ² in formula (M) are preferably acryloyloxy groups in terms of reactivity.
In formula (M), R ¹ is preferably an alkylene group, an alkyleneoxyalkylene group (-L ¹ -O-L ¹ -) or a polyalkyleneoxyalkylene group (-(L ¹ -O) _p -L ¹ -), more preferably a hydrocarbon group having 2 to 20 carbon atoms or a polyalkyleneoxyalkylene group, still more preferably an alkylene group having 4 to 20 carbon atoms, and particularly preferably a linear alkylene group having 6 to 18 carbon atoms, from the viewpoints of suppression of development residues, rust prevention, and bending resistance of the resulting cured film.
The hydrocarbon group may have a chain structure at least in part, and the portion other than the chain structure is not particularly limited and may be, for example, a branched, cyclic, or linear alkylene group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, an arylene group, an ether bond, or a combination thereof. An alkylene group or a group combining two or more alkylene groups and one or more arylene groups is preferred, an alkylene group is more preferred, and a linear alkylene group is even more preferred.
The above ^L1s each independently represent an alkylene group, preferably an ethylene group, a propylene group, or a butylene group, and more preferably an ethylene group or a 1,2-propylene group.
p represents an integer of 2 or more, and is preferably an integer of 2 to 10.

Furthermore, the number of atoms in the shortest linking chain connecting ^Q1 and ^Q2 in compound M is preferably 3 to 50, more preferably 4 to 40, even more preferably 6 to 20, and particularly preferably 8 to 12, from the viewpoints of suppression of development residues, rust prevention, and bending resistance of the resulting cured film.
In this specification, "the number of atoms in the shortest linking chain connecting ^Q1 and ^Q2 " refers to the shortest number of atoms linking from an atom in ^{R1 linked to Q1 to} an atom in ^R1 linked to ^Q2 .

Specific examples of compound M include 1,3-butanediol di(meth)acrylate, tetramethylene glycol di(meth)acrylate, neopentyl glycol di(meth)acrylate, 1,6-hexanediol di(meth)acrylate, 1,7-heptanediol di(meth)acrylate, 1,8-octanediol di(meth)acrylate, 1,9-nonanediol di(meth)acrylate, 1,10-decanediol di(meth)acrylate, hydrogenated bisphenol A di(meth)acrylate, hydrogenated bisphenol F di(meth)acrylate, polyethylene glycol di(meth)acrylate, polypropylene glycol di(meth)acrylate, poly(ethylene glycol/propylene glycol) di(meth)acrylate, and polybutylene glycol di(meth)acrylate. The above ester monomers can also be used as a mixture.
Of the above compounds, from the viewpoints of suppression of development residues, rust prevention, and bending resistance of the resulting cured film, at least one compound selected from the group consisting of 1,6-hexanediol di(meth)acrylate, 1,9-nonanediol di(meth)acrylate, 1,10-decanediol di(meth)acrylate, and neopentyl glycol di(meth)acrylate is preferred, at least one compound selected from the group consisting of 1,6-hexanediol di(meth)acrylate, 1,9-nonanediol di(meth)acrylate, and 1,10-decanediol di(meth)acrylate is more preferred, and at least one compound selected from the group consisting of 1,9-nonanediol di(meth)acrylate and 1,10-decanediol di(meth)acrylate is even more preferred.

One of the preferred embodiments of the ethylenically unsaturated compound is a di- or higher functional ethylenically unsaturated compound.
In this specification, the term "di- or higher functional ethylenically unsaturated compound" means a compound having two or more ethylenically unsaturated groups in one molecule.
As the ethylenically unsaturated group in the ethylenically unsaturated compound, a (meth)acryloyl group is preferred.
As the ethylenically unsaturated compound, a (meth)acrylate compound is preferred.

The difunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected from known compounds.
Examples of the difunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound other than the compound M include tricyclodecane dimethanol di(meth)acrylate and 1,4-cyclohexanediol di(meth)acrylate.

Commercially available bifunctional ethylenically unsaturated compounds include tricyclodecane dimethanol diacrylate (trade name: NK Ester A-DCP, manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.), tricyclodecane dimenanol dimethacrylate (trade name: NK Ester DCP, manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.), 1,9-nonanediol diacrylate (trade name: NK Ester A-NOD-N, manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.), and 1,6-hexanediol diacrylate (trade name: NK Ester A-HD-N, manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.).

The tri- or higher functional ethylenically unsaturated compound is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected from known compounds.
Examples of the tri- or higher functional ethylenically unsaturated compound include dipentaerythritol (tri/tetra/penta/hexa)(meth)acrylate, pentaerythritol (tri/tetra)(meth)acrylate, trimethylolpropane tri(meth)acrylate, ditrimethylolpropane tetra(meth)acrylate, isocyanuric acid (meth)acrylate, and (meth)acrylate compounds having a glycerin tri(meth)acrylate skeleton.

Examples of ethylenically unsaturated compounds include caprolactone-modified (meth)acrylate compounds (such as KAYARAD (registered trademark) DPCA-20 manufactured by Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd. and A-9300-1CL manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.), alkylene oxide-modified (meth)acrylate compounds (such as KAYARAD (registered trademark) RP-1040 manufactured by Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd., ATM-35E and A-9300 manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd., and EBECRYL (registered trademark) 135 manufactured by Daicel-Allnex Co., Ltd.), and ethoxylated glycerin triacrylate (such as NK Ester A-GLY-9E manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.).

The ethylenically unsaturated compounds also include urethane (meth)acrylate compounds.
Examples of the urethane (meth)acrylate include urethane di(meth)acrylate, such as propylene oxide modified urethane di(meth)acrylate, and ethylene oxide and propylene oxide modified urethane di(meth)acrylate.
In addition, the urethane (meth)acrylate may be a trifunctional or higher urethane (meth)acrylate. The lower limit of the number of functional groups is more preferably 6 or more, and even more preferably 8 or more. The upper limit of the number of functional groups is preferably 20 or less. Examples of trifunctional or higher urethane (meth)acrylates include 8UX-015A (manufactured by Taisei Fine Chemical Co., Ltd.), UA-32P (manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.), U-15HA (manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.), UA-1100H (manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.), AH-600 (trade name) manufactured by Kyoeisha Chemical Co., Ltd., and UA-306H, UA-306T, UA-306I, UA-510H, and UX-5000 (all manufactured by Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd.).

One of the preferred embodiments of the ethylenically unsaturated compound is an ethylenically unsaturated compound having an acid group.
Acid groups include phosphate groups, sulfo groups, and carboxy groups.
Among these, the acid group is preferably a carboxy group.
Examples of the ethylenically unsaturated compound having an acid group include trifunctional to tetrafunctional ethylenically unsaturated compounds having an acid group [pentaerythritol tri- and tetraacrylate (PETA) skeleton having a carboxy group (acid value: 80 mg KOH/g to 120 mg KOH/g)], and pentafunctional to hexafunctional ethylenically unsaturated compounds having an acid group [dipentaerythritol penta- and hexaacrylate (DPHA) skeleton having a carboxy group (acid value: 25 mg KOH/g to 70 mg KOH/g)].
These tri- or higher functional ethylenically unsaturated compounds having an acid group may be used in combination with a difunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound having an acid group, if necessary.

The ethylenically unsaturated compound having an acid group is preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of di- or higher functional ethylenically unsaturated compounds having a carboxy group and carboxylic acid anhydrides thereof.
When the ethylenically unsaturated compound having an acid group is at least one selected from the group consisting of di- or higher functional ethylenically unsaturated compounds having a carboxy group and carboxylic acid anhydrides thereof, the developability and film strength are further improved.
The di- or higher functional ethylenically unsaturated compound having a carboxy group is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected from known compounds.
Examples of the difunctional or higher functional ethylenically unsaturated compound having a carboxy group include ARONIX (registered trademark) TO-2349 (manufactured by Toagosei Co., Ltd.), ARONIX (registered trademark) M-520 (manufactured by Toagosei Co., Ltd.), and ARONIX (registered trademark) M-510 (manufactured by Toagosei Co., Ltd.).

As the ethylenically unsaturated compound having an acid group, the polymerizable compound having an acid group described in paragraphs 0025 to 0030 of JP-A-2004-239942 is preferred, and the contents of this publication are incorporated herein by reference.

Examples of the ethylenically unsaturated compound include compounds obtained by reacting a polyhydric alcohol with an α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid, compounds obtained by reacting a glycidyl group-containing compound with an α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid, urethane monomers such as (meth)acrylate compounds having a urethane bond, phthalic acid compounds such as γ-chloro-β-hydroxypropyl-β'-(meth)acryloyloxyethyl-o-phthalate, β-hydroxyethyl-β'-(meth)acryloyloxyethyl-o-phthalate, and β-hydroxypropyl-β'-(meth)acryloyloxyethyl-o-phthalate, and (meth)acrylic acid alkyl esters.
These may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.

Examples of compounds obtained by reacting a polyhydric alcohol with an α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid include bisphenol A-based (meth)acrylate compounds such as 2,2-bis(4-((meth)acryloxypolyethoxy)phenyl)propane, 2,2-bis(4-((meth)acryloxypolypropoxy)phenyl)propane, and 2,2-bis(4-((meth)acryloxypolyethoxypolypropoxy)phenyl)propane; polyethylene glycol di(meth)acrylates having 2 to 14 ethylene oxide groups; polypropylene glycol di(meth)acrylates having 2 to 14 propylene oxide groups; polyethylene polypropylene glycol di(meth)acrylates having 2 to 14 ethylene oxide groups and 2 to 14 propylene oxide groups; trimethylolpropane di(meth)acrylate, trimethylolpropane tri(meth)acrylate, trimethylolpropane ethoxy tri(meth)acrylate, trimethylolpropane diethoxy tri(meth)acrylate, trimethylolpropane triethoxy tri(meth)acrylate, trimethylolpropane tetraethoxy tri(meth)acrylate, trimethylolpropane pentaethoxy tri(meth)acrylate, di(trimethylolpropane) tetraacrylate, tetramethylolmethane tri(meth)acrylate, tetramethylolmethane tetra(meth)acrylate, dipentaerythritol tetra(meth)acrylate, dipentaerythritol penta(meth)acrylate, and dipentaerythritol hexa(meth)acrylate.
Among these, ethylenically unsaturated compounds having a tetramethylolmethane structure or a trimethylolpropane structure are preferred, and tetramethylolmethane tri(meth)acrylate, tetramethylolmethane tetra(meth)acrylate, trimethylolpropane tri(meth)acrylate, or di(trimethylolpropane)tetraacrylate are more preferred.

Examples of ethylenically unsaturated compounds include caprolactone-modified ethylenically unsaturated compounds (e.g., KAYARAD (registered trademark) DPCA-20 manufactured by Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd., A-9300-1CL manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd., etc.), alkylene oxide-modified ethylenically unsaturated compounds (e.g., KAYARAD RP-1040 manufactured by Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd., ATM-35E and A-9300 manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd., EBECRYL (registered trademark) 135 manufactured by Daicel-Allnex Co., Ltd., etc.), and ethoxylated glycerin triacrylate (A-GLY-9E manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd., etc.).

As the ethylenically unsaturated compound, from the viewpoint of excellent developability, those containing an ester bond are also preferred.
The ethylenically unsaturated compound containing an ester bond is not particularly limited as long as it contains an ester bond in the molecule, but from the viewpoint of excellent curability and developability, an ethylenically unsaturated compound having a tetramethylolmethane structure or a trimethylolpropane structure is preferred, and tetramethylolmethane tri(meth)acrylate, tetramethylolmethane tetra(meth)acrylate, trimethylolpropane tri(meth)acrylate, or di(trimethylolpropane)tetraacrylate is more preferred.
From the viewpoint of providing reliability, the ethylenically unsaturated compound preferably contains an ethylenically unsaturated compound having an aliphatic group having 6 to 20 carbon atoms and the above-mentioned ethylenically unsaturated compound having a tetramethylolmethane structure or a trimethylolpropane structure.
Examples of ethylenically unsaturated compounds having an aliphatic structure having 6 or more carbon atoms include 1,9-nonanediol di(meth)acrylate, 1,10-decanediol di(meth)acrylate, and tricyclodecane dimethanol di(meth)acrylate.

One of the preferred embodiments of the ethylenically unsaturated compound is an ethylenically unsaturated compound having an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure (preferably a bifunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound).
The above-mentioned ethylenically unsaturated compound is preferably an ethylenically unsaturated compound having a ring structure in which two or more aliphatic hydrocarbon rings are condensed (preferably a structure selected from the group consisting of a tricyclodecane structure and a tricyclodecene structure), more preferably a bifunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound having a ring structure in which two or more aliphatic hydrocarbon rings are condensed, and even more preferably tricyclodecane dimethanol di(meth)acrylate.
As the aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure, from the viewpoints of the moisture permeability and bending resistance of the obtained cured film, and the adhesion of the obtained uncured film, a cyclopentane structure, a cyclohexane structure, a tricyclodecane structure, a tricyclodecene structure, a norbornane structure, or an isoborone structure is preferred.

The molecular weight of the ethylenically unsaturated compound is preferably from 200 to 3,000, more preferably from 250 to 2,600, further preferably from 280 to 2,200, and particularly preferably from 300 to 2,200.
Among the ethylenically unsaturated compounds contained in the photosensitive layer, the content ratio of ethylenically unsaturated compounds having a molecular weight of 300 or less is preferably 30 mass % or less, more preferably 25 mass % or less, and even more preferably 20 mass % or less, based on the content of all ethylenically unsaturated compounds contained in the photosensitive layer.

As one preferred embodiment of the photosensitive layer, the photosensitive layer preferably contains a difunctional or higher ethylenically unsaturated compound, more preferably contains a trifunctional or higher ethylenically unsaturated compound, and even more preferably contains a trifunctional or tetrafunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound.

In addition, as one of the preferred embodiments of the photosensitive layer, it is preferable that the photosensitive layer contains a bifunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound having an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure and a binder polymer having a structural unit having an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring.

In addition, as one of the preferred embodiments of the photosensitive layer, the photosensitive layer preferably contains a compound represented by formula (M) and an ethylenically unsaturated compound having an acid group, more preferably contains 1,9-nonanediol diacrylate, tricyclodecane dimethanol diacrylate, and a polyfunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound having a carboxylic acid group, and even more preferably contains 1,9-nonanediol diacrylate, tricyclodecane dimethanol diacrylate, and a succinic acid modified form of dipentaerythritol pentaacrylate.

In addition, as one of the preferred embodiments of the photosensitive layer, the photosensitive layer preferably contains a compound represented by formula (M), an ethylenically unsaturated compound having an acid group, and a thermally crosslinkable compound described below, and more preferably contains a compound represented by formula (M), an ethylenically unsaturated compound having an acid group, and a blocked isocyanate compound described below.

In addition, as one of the preferred embodiments of the photosensitive layer, from the viewpoints of suppressing development residues and rust prevention, the photosensitive layer preferably contains a difunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound (preferably a difunctional (meth)acrylate compound) and a tri- or higher functional ethylenically unsaturated compound (preferably a tri- or higher functional (meth)acrylate compound).
The mass ratio of the difunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound to the tri- or higher functional ethylenically unsaturated compound is preferably from 10:90 to 90:10, and more preferably from 30:70 to 70:30.
The content of the difunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound relative to the total amount of all the ethylenically unsaturated compounds is preferably from 20% by mass to 80% by mass, and more preferably from 30% by mass to 70% by mass.
The content of the difunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound in the photosensitive layer is preferably from 10% by mass to 60% by mass, and more preferably from 15% by mass to 40% by mass, based on the total mass of the photosensitive layer.

In one preferred embodiment of the photosensitive layer, the photosensitive layer preferably contains a compound M and a bifunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound having an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure from the viewpoint of rust prevention.
[0043] In addition, as one of the preferred embodiments of the photosensitive layer, from the viewpoints of substrate adhesion, development residue suppression, and rust prevention, the photosensitive layer preferably contains a compound M and an ethylenically unsaturated compound having an acid group, more preferably contains a compound M, a bifunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound having an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure, and an ethylenically unsaturated compound having an acid group, still more preferably contains a compound M, a bifunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound having an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure, a tri- or higher functional ethylenically unsaturated compound, and an ethylenically unsaturated compound having an acid group, and particularly preferably contains a compound M, a bifunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound having an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring structure, a tri- or higher functional ethylenically unsaturated compound, an ethylenically unsaturated compound having an acid group, and a urethane (meth)acrylate compound.
In addition, as one of the preferred embodiments of the photosensitive layer, from the viewpoints of substrate adhesion, development residue suppression, and rust prevention, the photosensitive layer preferably contains 1,9-nonanediol diacrylate and a polyfunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound having a carboxylic acid group, preferably contains 1,9-nonanediol diacrylate, tricyclodecane dimethanol diacrylate, and a polyfunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound having a carboxylic acid group, more preferably contains 1,9-nonanediol diacrylate, tricyclodecane dimethanol diacrylate, dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate, and an ethylenically unsaturated compound having a carboxylic acid group, and particularly preferably contains 1,9-nonanediol diacrylate, tricyclodecane dimethanol diacrylate, an ethylenically unsaturated compound having a carboxylic acid group, and a urethane acrylate compound.

The photosensitive layer may contain a monofunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound as the ethylenically unsaturated compound.
The content of the di- or higher functional ethylenically unsaturated compound in the ethylenically unsaturated compound is preferably 60% by mass to 100% by mass, more preferably 80% by mass to 100% by mass, and even more preferably 90% by mass to 100% by mass, based on the total content of all ethylenically unsaturated compounds contained in the photosensitive layer.

The ethylenically unsaturated compounds may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.
The content of the ethylenically unsaturated compound in the photosensitive layer is preferably 1% by mass to 70% by mass, more preferably 5% by mass to 70% by mass, still more preferably 5% by mass to 60% by mass, and particularly preferably 5% by mass to 50% by mass, based on the total mass of the photosensitive layer.

(Polymerization initiator)
The photosensitive layer preferably contains a polymerization initiator.
The polymerization initiator is preferably a photopolymerization initiator.
Preferred aspects of the polymerization initiator used in embodiment B include the preferred aspects of the polymerization initiator used in embodiment A described above.
The polymerization initiator may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.
The content of the polymerization initiator is preferably 0.1% by mass or more, more preferably 0.5% by mass or more, and even more preferably 1.0% by mass or more, based on the total mass of the photosensitive layer, and the upper limit is preferably 10% by mass or less, more preferably 5% by mass or less, based on the total mass of the photosensitive layer.

(Heterocyclic compounds)
The photosensitive layer may contain a heterocyclic compound.
The heterocycle contained in the heterocyclic compound may be either a monocyclic or polycyclic heterocycle.
Examples of the heteroatom contained in the heterocyclic compound include a nitrogen atom, an oxygen atom, and a sulfur atom. The heterocyclic compound preferably contains at least one atom selected from the group consisting of a nitrogen atom, an oxygen atom, and a sulfur atom, and more preferably contains a nitrogen atom.

Examples of heterocyclic compounds include triazole compounds, benzotriazole compounds, tetrazole compounds, thiadiazole compounds, triazine compounds, rhodanine compounds, thiazole compounds, benzothiazole compounds, benzimidazole compounds, benzoxazole compounds, and pyrimidine compounds.
Among the above, the heterocyclic compound is preferably at least one compound selected from the group consisting of triazole compounds, benzotriazole compounds, tetrazole compounds, thiadiazole compounds, triazine compounds, rhodanine compounds, thiazole compounds, benzimidazole compounds, and benzoxazole compounds, and more preferably at least one compound selected from the group consisting of triazole compounds, benzotriazole compounds, tetrazole compounds, thiadiazole compounds, thiazole compounds, benzothiazole compounds, benzimidazole compounds, and benzoxazole compounds.

Preferred specific examples of heterocyclic compounds are shown below. Examples of triazole compounds and benzotriazole compounds include the following compounds:

Examples of tetrazole compounds include the following compounds:

Examples of thiadiazole compounds include the following compounds:

Examples of triazine compounds include the following compounds:

Examples of rhodanine compounds include the following compounds:

Examples of thiazole compounds include the following compounds:

Examples of benzothiazole compounds include the following compounds:

Examples of benzimidazole compounds include the following compounds:

Examples of benzoxazole compounds include the following compounds:

The heterocyclic compounds may be used alone or in combination of two or more.
When the photosensitive layer contains a heterocyclic compound, the content of the heterocyclic compound is preferably 0.01% by mass to 20.0% by mass, more preferably 0.10% by mass to 10.0% by mass, still more preferably 0.30% by mass to 8.0% by mass, and particularly preferably 0.50% by mass to 5.0% by mass, relative to the total mass of the photosensitive layer.

(Aliphatic thiol compounds)
The photosensitive layer may contain an aliphatic thiol compound.
When the photosensitive layer contains an aliphatic thiol compound, the aliphatic thiol compound undergoes an ene-thiol reaction with the ethylenically unsaturated compound, thereby suppressing the cure shrinkage of the film formed and reducing stress.

The aliphatic thiol compound is preferably a monofunctional aliphatic thiol compound or a polyfunctional aliphatic thiol compound (that is, a di- or higher functional aliphatic thiol compound).
Among the above, as the aliphatic thiol compound, polyfunctional aliphatic thiol compounds are more preferable from the viewpoint of adhesion of the pattern to be formed (particularly adhesion after exposure).
In this specification, the term "polyfunctional aliphatic thiol compound" refers to an aliphatic compound having two or more thiol groups (also called "mercapto groups") in the molecule.

As the polyfunctional aliphatic thiol compound, a low molecular weight compound having a molecular weight of 100 or more is preferable. Specifically, the molecular weight of the polyfunctional aliphatic thiol compound is more preferably 100 to 1,500, and even more preferably 150 to 1,000.

The number of functional groups of the polyfunctional aliphatic thiol compound is preferably 2 to 10, more preferably 2 to 8, and even more preferably 2 to 6, from the viewpoint of adhesion of the pattern to be formed.

Examples of polyfunctional aliphatic thiol compounds include trimethylolpropane tris(3-mercaptobutyrate), 1,4-bis(3-mercaptobutyryloxy)butane, pentaerythritol tetrakis(3-mercaptobutyrate), 1,3,5-tris(3-mercaptobutyryloxyethyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6(1H,3H,5H)-trione, trimethylolethane tris(3-mercaptobutyrate), tris[(3-mercaptopropionyloxy)ethyl]isocyanurate, trimethylolpropane tris(3-mercaptopropionyloxy)ethyl ester), pentaerythritol tetrakis(3-mercaptopropionate), tetraethylene glycol bis(3-mercaptopropionate), dipentaerythritol hexakis(3-mercaptopropionate), ethylene glycol bisthiopropionate, 1,4-bis(3-mercaptobutyryloxy)butane, 1,2-ethanedithiol, 1,3-propanedithiol, 1,6-hexamethylenedithiol, 2,2'-(ethylenedithio)diethanethiol, meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid, and di(mercaptoethyl)ether.

Among the above, the polyfunctional aliphatic thiol compound is preferably at least one compound selected from the group consisting of trimethylolpropane tris(3-mercaptobutyrate), 1,4-bis(3-mercaptobutyryloxy)butane, and 1,3,5-tris(3-mercaptobutyryloxyethyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6(1H,3H,5H)-trione.

Examples of monofunctional aliphatic thiol compounds include 1-octanethiol, 1-dodecanethiol, β-mercaptopropionic acid, methyl-3-mercaptopropionate, 2-ethylhexyl-3-mercaptopropionate, n-octyl-3-mercaptopropionate, methoxybutyl-3-mercaptopropionate, and stearyl-3-mercaptopropionate.

The photosensitive layer may contain one kind of aliphatic thiol compound alone, or may contain two or more kinds of aliphatic thiol compounds.
When the photosensitive layer contains an aliphatic thiol compound, the content of the aliphatic thiol compound is preferably 5% by mass or more, more preferably 5% by mass to 50% by mass, still more preferably 5% by mass to 30% by mass, and particularly preferably 8% by mass to 20% by mass, relative to the total mass of the photosensitive layer.

(Thermal crosslinkable compound)
The photosensitive layer preferably contains a thermally crosslinkable compound from the viewpoints of the strength of the resulting cured film and the adhesion of the resulting uncured film.
As the thermally crosslinkable compound used in the photosensitive layer of embodiment B, the thermally crosslinkable compounds described above in the photosensitive layer of embodiment A are suitably used.
The thermally crosslinkable compound may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.
When the photosensitive layer contains a thermally crosslinkable compound, the content of the thermally crosslinkable compound is preferably from 1% by mass to 50% by mass, and more preferably from 5% by mass to 30% by mass, based on the total mass of the photosensitive layer.

(Surfactant)
The photosensitive layer may contain a surfactant.
As the surfactant used in the photosensitive layer of embodiment B, the surfactants described above in the photosensitive layer of embodiment A are suitably used.
The surfactants may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.
When the photosensitive layer contains a surfactant, the content of the surfactant is preferably 0.01% by mass to 3.0% by mass, more preferably 0.01% by mass to 1.0% by mass, and still more preferably 0.05% by mass to 0.80% by mass, relative to the total mass of the photosensitive layer.

(Radical Polymerization Inhibitor)
The photosensitive layer may contain a radical polymerization inhibitor.
As the radical polymerization inhibitor used in the photosensitive layer of embodiment B, the radical polymerization inhibitors described above in the photosensitive layer of embodiment A are suitably used.
The radical polymerization inhibitor may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.
When the photosensitive layer contains a radical polymerization inhibitor, the content of the radical polymerization inhibitor is preferably 0.01% by mass to 3% by mass, more preferably 0.05% by mass to 1% by mass, based on the total mass of the photosensitive layer. When the content is 0.01% by mass or more, the storage stability of the photosensitive layer is more excellent. On the other hand, when the content is 3% by mass or less, the maintenance of sensitivity and the suppression of decolorization of the dye are more excellent.

(Hydrogen Donor Compound)
The photosensitive layer may contain a hydrogen donating compound.
The hydrogen donor compound has the effect of further improving the sensitivity of the photopolymerization initiator to actinic rays and suppressing the polymerization inhibition of the polymerizable compound caused by oxygen.
Examples of hydrogen donor compounds include amines and amino acid compounds.

Examples of amines include compounds described in M. R. Sander et al., Journal of Polymer Society, Vol. 10, p. 3173 (1972), JP-B-44-020189, JP-A-51-082102, JP-A-52-134692, JP-A-59-138205, JP-A-60-084305, JP-A-62-018537, JP-A-64-033104, and Research Disclosure No. 33825. More specific examples include 4,4'-bis(diethylamino)benzophenone, tris(4-dimethylaminophenyl)methane (also known as leuco crystal violet), triethanolamine, p-dimethylaminobenzoic acid ethyl ester, p-formyldimethylaniline, and p-methylthiodimethylaniline.
Among these, from the viewpoints of sensitivity, curing speed, and curability, the amine is preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of 4,4'-bis(diethylamino)benzophenone and tris(4-dimethylaminophenyl)methane.

Examples of the amino acid compound include N-phenylglycine, N-methyl-N-phenylglycine, and N-ethyl-N-phenylglycine.
Among these, from the viewpoints of sensitivity, curing speed, and curability, N-phenylglycine is preferred as the amino acid compound.

Further examples of hydrogen donor compounds include organometallic compounds (such as tributyltin acetate) described in JP-B-48-042965, hydrogen donors described in JP-B-55-034414, and sulfur compounds (such as trithiane) described in JP-A-6-308727.

The hydrogen donor compounds may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.
When the photosensitive layer contains a hydrogen donor compound, the content of the hydrogen donor compound is preferably 0.01% by mass to 10.0% by mass, more preferably 0.01% by mass to 8.0% by mass, and even more preferably 0.03% by mass to 5.0% by mass, relative to the total mass of the photosensitive layer, from the viewpoint of improving the curing rate through a balance between the polymerization growth rate and the chain transfer.

(Impurities, etc.)
The photosensitive layer may contain a certain amount of impurities.
The impurities in the photosensitive layer of embodiment B are similar to the preferred embodiments of the impurities described above in the photosensitive layer of embodiment A.

(Residual Monomer)
The photosensitive layer may contain residual monomers corresponding to each of the structural units of the binder polymer described above.
The residual monomers corresponding to the respective structural units of the binder polymer in the photosensitive layer of embodiment B are similar to the preferred aspects of the residual monomers corresponding to the respective structural units of the binder polymer in the photosensitive layer of embodiment A described above.

(Other ingredients)
The photosensitive layer may contain components other than those already described (hereinafter, also referred to as "other components"). Examples of the other components include colorants, antioxidants, and particles (e.g., metal oxide particles). Examples of the other components include other additives described in paragraphs 0058 to 0071 of JP-A-2000-310706.

-particle-
The particles are preferably metal oxide particles.
The metals in the metal oxide particles include metalloids such as B, Si, Ge, As, Sb, and Te.
The average primary particle size of the particles is, for example, preferably from 1 nm to 200 nm, and more preferably from 3 nm to 80 nm, from the viewpoint of the transparency of the cured film.
The average primary particle size of the particles is calculated by measuring the particle sizes of 200 random particles using an electron microscope and arithmetically averaging the measurement results. When the shape of the particles is not spherical, the longest side is taken as the particle size.

When the photosensitive layer contains particles, it may contain only one type of particles having different metal species, sizes, etc., or may contain two or more types of particles.
The photosensitive layer does not contain particles, or if it contains particles, the particle content is preferably more than 0 mass % and 35 mass % or less, relative to the total mass of the photosensitive layer, more preferably the photosensitive layer does not contain particles or the particle content is more than 0 mass % and 10 mass % or less, relative to the total mass of the photosensitive layer, even more preferably the photosensitive layer does not contain particles or the particle content is more than 0 mass % and 5 mass % or less, relative to the total mass of the photosensitive layer, still more preferably the photosensitive layer does not contain particles or the particle content is more than 0 mass % and 1 mass % or less, relative to the total mass of the photosensitive layer, and it is particularly preferable that the photosensitive layer does not contain particles.

- Coloring agent -
The photosensitive layer may contain a colorant (pigment, dye, etc.), but preferably does not substantially contain a colorant, for example, from the viewpoint of transparency.
When the photosensitive layer contains a colorant, the content of the colorant is preferably less than 1% by mass, and more preferably less than 0.1% by mass, based on the total mass of the photosensitive layer.

-Antioxidants-
Examples of the antioxidant include 3-pyrazolidones such as 1-phenyl-3-pyrazolidone (also known as phenidone), 1-phenyl-4,4-dimethyl-3-pyrazolidone, and 1-phenyl-4-methyl-4-hydroxymethyl-3-pyrazolidone; polyhydroxybenzenes such as hydroquinone, catechol, pyrogallol, methylhydroquinone, and chlorohydroquinone; paramethylaminophenol, paraaminophenol, parahydroxyphenylglycine, and paraphenylenediamine.
Among these, from the viewpoints of storage stability and curing property, 3-pyrazolidones are preferred as the antioxidant, and 1-phenyl-3-pyrazolidone is more preferred.

When the photosensitive layer contains an antioxidant, the content of the antioxidant is preferably 0.001% by mass or more, more preferably 0.005% by mass or more, and even more preferably 0.01% by mass or more, based on the total mass of the photosensitive layer. There is no particular upper limit, but a content of 1% by mass or less is preferable.

(Thickness of photosensitive layer)
The thickness (layer thickness) of the photosensitive layer is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of developability and resolution, it is preferably 30 μm or less, more preferably 20 μm or less, even more preferably 15 μm or less, particularly preferably 10 μm or less, and most preferably 5.0 μm or less. As the lower limit, it is preferably 0.60 μm or more, more preferably 1.5 μm or more, from the viewpoint of excellent strength of the film obtained by curing the photosensitive layer.

(Refractive index of photosensitive layer)
The refractive index of the photosensitive layer is preferably from 1.47 to 1.56, and more preferably from 1.49 to 1.54.

(Color of the photosensitive layer)
The photosensitive layer is preferably achromatic. Specifically, in total reflection (incident angle 8°, light source: D-65 (2° visual field)), the L ^* value is preferably 10 to 90, the a ^* value is preferably -1.0 to 1.0, and the b ^* value is preferably -1.0 to 1.0 in the CIE1976 (L ^* , a ^* , b ^* ) color space.

The pattern obtained by curing the photosensitive layer (cured film of the photosensitive layer) is preferably achromatic.
Specifically, in total reflection (incident angle 8°, light source: D-65 (2° visual field)), in the CIE1976 (L ^* , a ^* , b ^* ) color space, the L ^* value of the pattern is preferably 10 to 90, the a ^* value of the pattern is preferably -1.0 to 1.0, and the b ^* value of the pattern is preferably -1.0 to 1.0.

(Moisture permeability of photosensitive layer)
The moisture permeability of the pattern obtained by curing the photosensitive layer (cured film of the photosensitive layer) at a layer thickness of 40 μm is, from the viewpoint of rust prevention, preferably 500 g/( ^m2 ·24 hr) or less, more preferably 300 g/( ^m2 ·24 hr) or less, and even more preferably 100 g/( ^m2 ·24 hr) or less.
The moisture permeability is measured for a cured film obtained by exposing the photosensitive layer to i-rays at an exposure dose of 300 mJ/cm ² and then post-baking the photosensitive layer at 145° C. for 30 minutes to cure the photosensitive layer.

[Refractive index adjusting layer]
The laminate preferably has a refractive index adjusting layer.
The refractive index adjusting layer may be a known refractive index adjusting layer. Examples of materials contained in the refractive index adjusting layer include binder polymers, polymerizable compounds, metal salts, and particles.
The method for controlling the refractive index of the refractive index adjusting layer is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a method of using a resin having a predetermined refractive index alone, a method of using a resin and particles, and a method of using a complex of a metal salt and a resin.

Examples of binder polymers and polymerizable unsaturated compounds include the binder polymers and polymerizable unsaturated compounds described in the "Photosensitive Layer" section above.

Examples of the particles include metal oxide particles and metal particles.
The type of metal oxide particles is not particularly limited, and known metal oxide particles can be used. Metals in the metal oxide particles include semimetals such as B, Si, Ge, As, Sb, and Te.

The average primary particle size of the particles is, for example, preferably from 1 nm to 200 nm, and more preferably from 3 nm to 80 nm, from the viewpoint of the transparency of the cured film.
The average primary particle size of the particles is calculated by measuring the particle sizes of 200 random particles using an electron microscope and arithmetically averaging the measurement results. When the shape of the particles is not spherical, the longest side is taken as the particle size.

Specifically, the metal oxide particles are preferably at least _one selected from the group consisting of zirconium oxide particles ( _ZrO2 particles), _Nb2O5 particles, titanium oxide particles ( _TiO2 particles), silicon dioxide particles ( _SiO2 particles), and composite particles thereof.
Among these, the metal oxide particles are more preferably at least one type selected from the group consisting of zirconium oxide particles and titanium oxide particles, for example, from the viewpoint of ease of adjusting the refractive index.

Commercially available metal oxide particles include calcined zirconium oxide particles (manufactured by CIK Nanotech Co., Ltd., product name: ZRPGM15WT%-F04), calcined zirconium oxide particles (manufactured by CIK Nanotech Co., Ltd., product name: ZRPGM15WT%-F74), calcined zirconium oxide particles (manufactured by CIK Nanotech Co., Ltd., product name: ZRPGM15WT%-F75), calcined zirconium oxide particles (manufactured by CIK Nanotech Co., Ltd., product name: ZRPGM15WT%-F76), zirconium oxide particles (Nanouse OZ-S30M, manufactured by Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd.), and zirconium oxide particles (Nanouse OZ-S30K, manufactured by Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd.).

The particles may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.
The content of the particles in the refractive index adjusting layer is preferably 1% by mass to 95% by mass, more preferably 20% by mass to 90% by mass, and further preferably 40% by mass to 85% by mass, based on the total mass of the refractive index adjusting layer.
When titanium oxide is used as the metal oxide particles, the content of the titanium oxide particles is preferably 1% by mass to 95% by mass, more preferably 20% by mass to 90% by mass, and even more preferably 40% by mass to 85% by mass, relative to the total mass of the refractive index adjusting layer.

The refractive index of the refractive index adjusting layer is preferably higher than the refractive index of the photosensitive layer.
The refractive index of the refractive index adjusting layer is preferably 1.50 or more, more preferably 1.55 or more, even more preferably 1.60 or more, and particularly preferably 1.65 or more. The upper limit of the refractive index of the refractive index adjusting layer is preferably 2.10 or less, more preferably 1.85 or less, and particularly preferably 1.78 or less.

The thickness of the refractive index adjusting layer is preferably 50 nm to 500 nm, more preferably 55 nm to 110 nm, and even more preferably 60 nm to 100 nm.

[Relationship between Support, Photosensitive Layer and Cover Film]
In embodiment B as well, it is preferable that the relationships among the support, the photosensitive layer, and the cover film described in embodiment A are satisfied.

(Method of Manufacturing Photosensitive Transfer Member of Embodiment B)
The method for producing the photosensitive transfer member (laminate having a photosensitive layer) of embodiment B is not particularly limited, and any known method can be used.
The method for forming the photosensitive composition and the photosensitive layer in embodiment B is the same as the method for forming the photosensitive composition and the photosensitive layer described above in embodiment A, and preferred aspects are also the same.
The support and cover film are also produced in the same manner as in embodiment A, and the preferred embodiments are also the same.

--Composition for forming refractive index adjusting layer and method for forming refractive index adjusting layer--
The composition for forming the refractive index adjusting layer preferably contains various components forming the refractive index adjusting layer described above and a solvent. Note that, in the composition for forming the refractive index adjusting layer, the preferred range of the content of each component relative to the total solid content of the composition is the same as the preferred range of the content of each component relative to the total mass of the refractive index adjusting layer described above.
The solvent is not particularly limited as long as it is capable of dissolving or dispersing the components contained in the refractive index adjusting layer, and at least one selected from the group consisting of water and water-miscible organic solvents is preferred, and water or a mixed solvent of water and a water-miscible organic solvent is more preferred.
Examples of the water-miscible organic solvent include alcohols having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, acetone, ethylene glycol, and glycerin, with alcohols having 1 to 3 carbon atoms being preferred, and methanol or ethanol being more preferred.
The solvent may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.
The content of the solvent is preferably 50 parts by mass to 2,500 parts by mass, more preferably 50 parts by mass to 1,900 parts by mass, and even more preferably 100 parts by mass to 900 parts by mass, relative to 100 parts by mass of the total solid content of the composition.

The method for forming the refractive index adjusting layer is not particularly limited as long as it is a method capable of forming a layer containing the above-mentioned components, and examples include known coating methods (slit coating, spin coating, curtain coating, inkjet coating, etc.).

Moreover, the photosensitive transfer member of embodiment B can be produced by laminating a cover film to the refractive index adjusting layer.
The method for bonding the cover film to the refractive index adjusting layer is not particularly limited, and may be any known method.
Examples of a device for laminating the cover film to the refractive index adjusting layer include known laminators such as a vacuum laminator and an autocut laminator.
The laminator is preferably equipped with any heatable roller, such as a rubber roller, and is capable of applying pressure and heat.

[Laminate]
A first embodiment of the laminate according to the present disclosure is a laminate having a photosensitive layer, the laminate having at least a cut surface formed by cutting, and the number of cracks per 10 cut surface portions having a cut surface width of 50 μm is 3 or less.
A second embodiment of the laminate according to the present disclosure is a laminate having a photosensitive layer, the laminate having at least a cut surface formed by cutting, and the number of dent failures in the laminate is 60/ ^m2 or less.

In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the term "laminate according to the present disclosure" refers to both the first embodiment and the second embodiment. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the term "photosensitive layer" refers to both the photosensitive layer of the first embodiment and the photosensitive layer of the second embodiment.

Preferred aspects of the laminate having the above-mentioned photosensitive layer in the laminate of the present disclosure are the same as the preferred aspects of the laminate having a photosensitive layer used in the manufacturing method of the cut material of the present disclosure described above, except as described below.

In a first embodiment of the laminate according to the present disclosure, the number of cracks per 10 cut surface portions having a cut surface width of 50 μm is 3 or less, and from the viewpoint of suppressing defects, the number is preferably 2 or less, more preferably 1 or less, even more preferably 0.5 or less, and particularly preferably 0.1 or less.
In a second embodiment of the laminate according to the present disclosure, the number of cracks per 10 cut surface portions having a cut surface width of 50 μm is, from the viewpoint of suppressing defects, preferably 3 or less, more preferably 2 or less, even more preferably 1 or less, particularly preferably 0.5 or less, and most preferably 0.1 or less.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a crack occurring at the cut surface of the laminate.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of an edge of a cut surface of a laminate having a support 10, a photosensitive layer 16, and a cover film 18, and a crack CR in part of the support 10 can be seen in the cut surface of FIG.

In the present disclosure, the number of cracks is measured as follows.
Ten arbitrary points on the cut surface of the cut laminate are sampled, and the cut surface is observed at a cut surface width of 50 μm using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The conditions were an acceleration voltage of 3 kV and an observation magnification of 1,700 times. Among the 10 points, any layer of the support, photosensitive layer, or cover film that has a crack, regardless of the number of cracks, is counted as one, and the number of cracks (number of cracks) in the 10 cut surface portions with a cut surface width of 50 μm is used for evaluation.

In a second embodiment of the laminate according to the present disclosure, the number of dent failures in the laminate is 60 dent failures/m2 or ^less , and from the viewpoint of defect suppression, the number is preferably 45 dent failures/ ^m2 or less, more preferably 30 dent failures/m2 or ^less , and particularly preferably 10 dent failures/ ^m2 or less.
In a first embodiment of the laminate according to the present disclosure, the number of dent failures in the laminate is, from the viewpoint of defect suppression, preferably 60 dent failures/ ^m2 or less, more preferably 45 dent failures/ ^m2 or less, even more preferably 30 dent failures/ ^m2 or less, and particularly preferably 10 dent failures/ ^m2 or less.

The measurement of the number of dent failures in a laminate in this disclosure shall be performed as follows.
The surface of the laminate is visually observed over an area of 6 ^m2 or more, the number of dents is counted, and the number of dent failures per ^m2 is calculated.

The following examples further illustrate the embodiments of the present invention. The materials, amounts used, ratios, processing contents, and processing procedures shown in the following examples can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the embodiments of the present invention is not limited to the specific examples shown below. Unless otherwise specified, "parts" and "%" are based on mass.

(Examples 1 to 12 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2)
<Preparation of Photosensitive Transfer Member>
- Formation of photosensitive layer -
As a support, a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film having a thickness shown in Table 2 was prepared.
Photosensitive composition A-1 described in Table 1 was applied onto the surface of the support using a slit nozzle so that the coating width was 1.0 m and the layer thickness after drying was the thickness described in Table 2. The coating film of photosensitive composition A-1 was dried at 80° C. for 40 seconds to form a photosensitive layer.

In Table 1, "Mm/Mb" represents the ratio Mm/Mb of the polymerizable compound content Mm to the binder polymer content Mb in the photosensitive layer, and "acrylic compound content" represents the acrylic compound content relative to the total mass of (meth)acrylic compounds contained in the photosensitive layer, expressed in mass %.

Details of the abbreviations in Table 1 are shown below.
BPE-500: ethoxylated (10 molar equivalents) bisphenol A dimethacrylate (manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.)

SR-502: Ethoxylated (9 molar equivalents) trimethylolpropane triacrylate (Arkema)
A-9300-CL1: ε-caprolactone-modified tris-(2-acryloxyethyl) isocyanurate (manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.)
B-CIM: 2,2'-bis(2-chlorophenyl)-4,4',5,5'-tetraphenyl-1,2'-bisimidazole (polymerization initiator, manufactured by Kurogane Kasei Co., Ltd.)
SB-PI 701: 4,4'-bis(diethylamino)benzophenone (sensitizer, manufactured by Sanyo Trading Co., Ltd.)
CBT-1: Carboxybenzotriazole (rust inhibitor, manufactured by Johoku Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.)

- Applying the cover film -
A PET film or polypropylene (PP) film having a thickness shown in Table 2 was pressure-bonded as a cover film to the surface of the formed photosensitive layer to prepare a photosensitive transfer member A for each example.
The obtained photosensitive transfer member A was wound up to prepare a roll of photosensitive transfer member A having a width of 1,580 mm and a tape length of 4,000 m.

<Dent failure evaluation>
The large roll of photosensitive transfer material A was cut using a disk-shaped rotary slitter having an upper blade 102 and a lower blade 104 with cross sections shown in FIG. 1 and Table 2. The parameters of the upper blade 102 used were R1, chamfer angle θ1, and cutting edge angle θ2 shown in Table 2, and the parameters of the lower blade 104 used were fixed at R2 of 2 μm and cutting edge angle θ3 of 90°. Furthermore, the penetration depth T of the upper blade 102 into the lower blade 104 during cutting was 0.5 mm. Furthermore, the radius of the disk-shaped upper blade 102 and lower blade 104 was about 100 mm, and the cutting speed was 100 m/min. The cut photosensitive transfer material A was rewound into a small roll.
Using the rotary slitter, a large roll of photosensitive transfer material A having a width of 1,580 mm and a tape length of 4,000 m was cut into small rolls of photosensitive transfer material A having a width of 500 mm and a length of 100 m. 2 m of the cut small roll of photosensitive transfer material A was pulled out, and the number of dents was visually checked.
The small rolls used in the above evaluation were small rolls cut from the large roll, with three small rolls cut from the width direction of the large roll and two small rolls cut from the length direction of the large roll, for a total of six rolls. These were examined and the maximum number was evaluated according to the following evaluation criteria.
A: 0 to 10 dents B: 11 to 30 dents C: 31 to 60 dents D: 61 or more dents

<Crack number evaluation>
A large roll of photosensitive transfer material A with a width of 1,580 mm and a tape length of 4,000 m was cut into a small roll of photosensitive transfer material A with a width of 500 mm and a length of 100 m by a rotary slitter. 2 m of the cut small roll of photosensitive transfer material A was pulled out, and 5 arbitrary locations on both sides, a total of 10 locations, were sampled, and the cut surfaces were observed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The conditions were an acceleration voltage of 3 kV and an observation magnification of 1,700 times. Among the 10 locations, any layer of the support, photosensitive layer, or cover film that had a crack was counted as 1, regardless of the number, and the number of cracks that occurred among the 10 locations was evaluated.

The substrates used as the supports or cover films shown in Table 2 are as follows.
PET film (thickness 16 μm): Lumirror 16QS62 manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.
PET film (thickness 20 μm): A PET film having a thickness of 20 μm was prepared according to the description in paragraphs 0119 to 0127 of WO 2017/208849.
PET film (thickness 14 μm): A PET film having a thickness of 14 μm was prepared according to the description in paragraphs 0119 to 0127 of WO 2017/208849.
PP film (thickness 12 μm): Toray Industries, Inc., Torayfan 12KW37

As shown in Table 2 above, the manufacturing methods of the cut products of Examples 1 to 12 can reduce dent failures in the resulting cut products compared to the manufacturing method of the cut products of the comparative example.

(Examples 13 to 28)
<Preparation of Photosensitive Composition>
Photosensitive compositions AA-1 to AA-10 were prepared so as to have the compositions shown in the following Table 3. The numerical values in the component columns of Table 3 indicate parts by mass.

Details of the compounds other than those mentioned above in Table 3 are shown below.
Compound B and Compound C: The following compounds

<Preparation of 36.3% by mass solids solution of alkali-soluble resin P-1>
A 36.3% by mass solids solution (solvent: propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate) of polymer P-1 having the following structure was used. In P-1, the numbers to the lower right of each structural unit indicate the content (mol %) of each structural unit.
A 36.3 wt % solids solution of P-1 was prepared by the polymerization and addition steps described below.

-Polymerization process-
Into a 2,000 mL flask, propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate (manufactured by Sanwa Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., product name PGM-Ac) (60 g) and propylene glycol monomethyl ether (manufactured by Sanwa Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., product name PGM) (240 g) were introduced. The obtained liquid was heated to 90° C. while being stirred at a stirring speed of 250 rpm (revolutions per minute).
In preparing the dropping liquid (1), 107.1 g of methacrylic acid (manufactured by Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd., product name: Acryester M), 5.46 g of methyl methacrylate (manufactured by Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co., Ltd., product name: MMA), and 231.42 g of cyclohexyl methacrylate (manufactured by Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co., Ltd., product name: CHMA) were mixed and diluted with 60 g of PGM-Ac to obtain the dropping liquid (1).
The dropping liquid (2) was prepared by dissolving dimethyl 2,2'-azobis(2-methylpropionate) (manufactured by Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd., product name V-601) (9.637 g) in PGM-Ac (136.56 g).
Droplet (1) and Droplet (2) were simultaneously dropped into the above-mentioned 2,000 mL flask (specifically, the 2,000 mL flask containing the liquid heated to 90° C.) over a period of 3 hours.
Next, the container for the dropping liquid (1) was washed with PGM-Ac (12 g), and the washing liquid was dropped into the 2,000 mL flask. Next, the container for the dropping liquid (2) was washed with PGM-Ac (6 g), and the washing liquid was dropped into the 2,000 mL flask. During these drops, the reaction liquid in the 2,000 mL flask was kept at 90° C. and stirred at a stirring speed of 250 rpm. Furthermore, as a post-reaction, stirring was performed at 90° C. for 1 hour.
To the reaction solution after the post-reaction, V-601 (2.401 g) was added as the first additional addition of the initiator. Furthermore, the container of V-601 was washed with PGM-Ac (6 g), and the washings were introduced into the reaction solution. Then, the mixture was stirred at 90° C. for 1 hour.
Next, V-601 (2.401 g) was added to the reaction solution as the second additional addition of the initiator. Furthermore, the container for V-601 was washed with PGM-Ac (6 g), and the washings were introduced into the reaction solution. Thereafter, the mixture was stirred at 90° C. for 1 hour.
Next, V-601 (2.401 g) was added to the reaction solution as the third additional addition of the initiator. Furthermore, the container for V-601 was washed with PGM-Ac (6 g), and the washings were introduced into the reaction solution. Thereafter, the mixture was stirred at 90° C. for 3 hours.

-Additional process-
After stirring at 90°C for 3 hours, PGM-Ac (178.66 g) was introduced into the reaction solution. Next, tetraethylammonium bromide (manufactured by FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) (1.8 g) and hydroquinone monomethyl ether (manufactured by FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) (0.8 g) were added to the reaction solution. Furthermore, each container was washed with PGM-Ac (6 g), and the washing liquid was introduced into the reaction solution. Then, the temperature of the reaction solution was raised to 100°C.
Next, glycidyl methacrylate (product name: Blenmer G, manufactured by NOF Corporation) (76.03 g) was dropped into the reaction solution over 1 hour. The Blenmer G container was washed with PGM-Ac (6 g), and the washings were introduced into the reaction solution. Thereafter, the mixture was stirred at 100° C. for 6 hours as an addition reaction.
Next, the reaction solution was cooled and filtered through a mesh filter (100 mesh) for removing dust to obtain a solution (1,158 g) of polymer D (solid content concentration: 36.3% by mass). The weight average molecular weight of the obtained polymer P-1 was 27,000, the number average molecular weight was 15,000, and the acid value was 95 mgKOH/g.

P-1 (hereinafter, the molar ratio of the constituent repeating units in the formula was 51.5:2:26.5:20, starting from the leftmost constituent repeating unit.)

<Preparation of 36.3% by mass solids solution of alkali-soluble resin P-2>
82.4 g of propylene glycol monomethyl ether was charged into a flask and heated to 90° C. under a nitrogen stream. To this liquid, a solution of 38.4 g of styrene, 30.1 g of dicyclopentanyl methacrylate, and 34.0 g of methacrylic acid dissolved in 20 g of propylene glycol monomethyl ether, and a solution of 5.4 g of polymerization initiator V-601 (manufactured by Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) dissolved in 43.6 g of propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate were simultaneously dropped over 3 hours. After the dropwise addition was completed, 0.75 g of V-601 was added three times at 1-hour intervals. Then, the reaction was continued for another 3 hours. Then, the mixture was diluted with 58.4 g of propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate and 11.7 g of propylene glycol monomethyl ether. Under an air stream, the reaction liquid was heated to 100° C., and 0.53 g of tetraethylammonium bromide and 0.26 g of p-methoxyphenol were added. 25.5 g of glycidyl methacrylate (Blenmer GH manufactured by NOF Corp.) was added dropwise thereto over 20 minutes. This was reacted at 100° C. for 7 hours to obtain a solution of polymer P-2. The solid content concentration of the obtained solution was 36.5%. The weight average molecular weight in terms of standard polystyrene in GPC was 17,000, the dispersity was 2.4, and the acid value of the polymer was 94.5 mg KOH/g. The amount of residual monomer measured using gas chromatography was less than 0.1% by mass relative to the polymer solid content for each monomer.

P-2 (hereinafter, the molar ratio of the constituent repeating units in the formula was 41.0:15.2:23.9:19.9, from the leftmost constituent repeating unit.)

<Preparation of 36.2% by mass solids solution of alkali-soluble resin P-3>
113.5 g of propylene glycol monomethyl ether was charged into a flask and heated to 90° C. under a nitrogen stream. To this liquid, a solution in which 172 g of styrene, 4.7 g of methyl methacrylate, and 112.1 g of methacrylic acid were dissolved in 30 g of propylene glycol monomethyl ether, and a solution in which 27.6 g of polymerization initiator V-601 (manufactured by Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) was dissolved in 57.7 g of propylene glycol monomethyl ether were simultaneously dropped over 3 hours. After the dropwise addition was completed, 2.5 g of V-601 was added three times at 1-hour intervals. Then, the reaction was continued for another 3 hours. Then, the mixture was diluted with 160.7 g of propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate and 233.3 g of propylene glycol monomethyl ether. Under an air stream, the reaction liquid was heated to 100° C., and 1.8 g of tetraethylammonium bromide and 0.86 g of p-methoxyphenol were added. To this, 71.9 g of glycidyl methacrylate (Blenmer G, manufactured by NOF Corporation) was added dropwise over 20 minutes. This was reacted at 100°C for 7 hours to obtain a solution of resin P-3. The solid content concentration of the obtained solution was 36.2%. The weight average molecular weight in terms of standard polystyrene in GPC was 18,000, the dispersity was 2.3, and the acid value of the polymer was 124 mgKOH/g. The amount of residual monomer measured using gas chromatography was less than 0.1% by mass relative to the polymer solid content for each monomer.

P-3 (hereinafter, the molar ratio of the constituent repeating units in the formula was 55.1:26.5:1.6:16.8, from the leftmost constituent repeating unit.)

<Preparation of 36.2% by mass solids solution of alkali-soluble resin P-4>
In the synthesis of P-3, the type and amount of the monomer were changed to prepare a 36.2% by mass solids solution of P-4 (solvent: propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate). The weight average molecular weight of the obtained polymer P-4 was 18,000, the dispersity was 2.3, and the acid value was 114 mgKOH/g.

P-4 (hereinafter, the molar ratio of the constituent repeating units in the formula was 55.1:24.6:1.6:17.0:1.7, from the leftmost constituent repeating unit.)

<Preparation of Refractive Index Adjusting Layer Forming Composition>
Next, compositions B-1 to B-4 for forming a refractive index adjusting layer were prepared according to the formulations shown in the following Table 4. The numerical values in Table 4 represent "parts by mass."

Polymer A in Table 4 was synthesized as follows.
1-Methoxypropanol (manufactured by Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) (270.0 g) was introduced into a 1 L three-neck flask, and the temperature was raised to 70 ° C. under a nitrogen stream while stirring. Meanwhile, allyl methacrylate (45.6 g) (manufactured by Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries Co., Ltd.) and methacrylic acid (14.4 g) (manufactured by Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries Co., Ltd.) were dissolved in 1-methoxypropanol (manufactured by Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) (270.0 g), and 3.94 g of V-65 (manufactured by Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries Co., Ltd.) was further dissolved to prepare a dropping solution, and the dropping solution was dropped into the flask over 2.5 hours. The reaction was carried out while maintaining the stirring state for 2.0 hours.
After that, the temperature was returned to room temperature, and the mixture was dropped into stirred ion-exchanged water (2.7 L) to perform reprecipitation, and a suspension was obtained. The suspension was filtered by introducing it into a Nutsche with filter paper, and the filtrate was further washed with ion-exchanged water to obtain a wet powder. The mixture was subjected to air drying at 45°C, and it was confirmed that the weight was constant, and polymer A was obtained as a powder with a yield of 70%.
The resulting polymer A had a methacrylic acid/allyl methacrylate ratio of 76/24% by mass and a weight average molecular weight Mw of 38,000.

<Preparation of Transfer Films 1 to 16 (Photosensitive Transfer Members)>
A photosensitive layer was formed by coating any one of the photosensitive composition materials AA-1 to AA-10 shown in Table 5 on a temporary support of a polyethylene terephthalate film having a thickness of 16 μm (Lumirror 16KS40, manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.) using a slit nozzle in such a manner that the coating amount was adjusted to a coating amount such that the film thickness after drying would be as shown in Table 5.
After the solvent was evaporated in a drying zone at 100° C., at least one of the materials B-1 to B-4 for forming the refractive index adjustment layer shown in Table 5 was applied onto the photosensitive layer using a slit nozzle in the combination of Table 3, with the coating amount adjusted to an amount that would result in a film thickness after drying shown in Table 5, and then the layer was dried at a drying temperature of 80° C. to form a refractive index adjustment layer. A protective film (Lumirror 16KS40, manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.) was pressure-bonded onto the refractive index adjustment layer to prepare transfer films 1 to 16.

<Evaluation>
The number of dents and cracks were similarly evaluated for transfer films 1 to 16. The evaluation results are shown in Table 6 below.

As shown in Table 6 above, the manufacturing methods of the cut products of Examples 13 to 28 can suppress dent failures and crack failures in the resulting cut products.

The disclosures of Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-024650, filed on February 17, 2020, Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-172675, filed on October 13, 2020, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-207961, filed on December 15, 2020, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. In addition, all documents, patent applications, and technical standards described herein are incorporated herein by reference to the same extent as if each individual document, patent application, and technical standard was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

Claims (10)

The method includes a step of sandwiching and cutting a laminate having a photosensitive layer between an upper blade and a lower blade,
A clearance between the cutting edge of the upper blade and the cutting edge of the lower blade is 5 μm or less;
The lower blade side of the upper blade and the upper blade side of the lower blade are chamfered,
In a cross section of the upper blade and the lower blade perpendicular to the feed direction of the laminate, the length of the chamfered portion of the upper blade in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the laminate is defined as a chamfered length R1 of the upper blade, and the length of the chamfered portion of the lower blade in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the laminate is defined as a chamfered length R2 of the lower blade.
The clearance is the sum of the chamfer length R1 of the upper blade and the chamfer length R2 of the lower blade.
A method for producing cut pieces. The method for manufacturing cut products according to claim 1, wherein the chamfer angle θ1, which is the inclination angle of the lower blade side at the cutting edge of the upper blade, is 3° or less in a cross section of the upper blade perpendicular to the feed direction of the stack. The method for manufacturing a cut product according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cutting edge angle θ2 of the upper blade is 33° or less in a cross section perpendicular to the feed direction of the stack of the upper blade. The method for manufacturing cut products according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the total thickness of the laminate is 50 μm or less. The method for manufacturing cut products according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the thickness of the photosensitive layer is 1 μm to 20 μm. The method for manufacturing cut products according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the laminate has a support, the photosensitive layer, and a cover film. The method for producing cut products according to claim 6, wherein the thickness of the support and the cover film are each independently 10 μm to 20 μm. The method for manufacturing cut products according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the arithmetic mean roughness Ra value of the surface of the support facing the photosensitive layer is 0.05 μm or less. The method for manufacturing cut products according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the arithmetic mean roughness Ra value of the surface of the cover film facing the photosensitive layer is 0.1 μm or less. The method for producing cut products according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising, after the cutting step, a step of winding up at least a part of the cut products of the laminate obtained.