The invention relates to the use of a mixture of film forming water-insoluble and alkali-soluble novolak resin and thermally stable, alkali-soluble and water-insoluble polyalkylated resin in photosensitive compositions where the polyalkylated resin is a reaction product of a carboxylic acid and at least one substituted phenyl carbinol. The present invention also relates to a method for producing a semiconductor device by coating, imaging and developing the photosensitive composition containing a mixture of novolak resin and the polyalkylated resin of this invention.