High purity phenyl silicone ladder polymer, and a method for producing such polymer, suitable for use as the protective film, the interlayer insulating film, etc. in the fabrication of semiconductor elements, which polymer contains therein 1 ppm or below of each of sodium, potassium, iron, copper, lead and chlorine, and 1 ppb or below of each of uranium and thorium, and which is represented by the following general formula (I): ##STR1## (where: R.sub.1 to R.sub.4 denote respectively hydrogen or a lower alkyl group; n is an integer of from 8 to 1,000); or the following general formula (II): ##STR2## (where: n is an integer of from 8 to 1,600).