A negative resist system composed of a phenolic resin, an azide, a crosslinker and a pigment dispersion has been developed for black matrix formation of color filters (CF). The novel pigmented photoresist (PPR), which consists of poly(4-hydroxystyrene), hexamethoxymethyl melamine, 4, 4′-diazidostilbene-2, 2′-disulfonic-N, N-diethyleneoxyethylamide and a dispersion of carbon black combines superior opacity (OD=3.5μm-1), adequate resistance to solvents, acids and alkalis, good thermal stability, and film uniformity with excellent lithographic performance, such as high sensitivity (120mJ/cm2), high resolution (≤_10μm) and wide process margins. The investigation of the dissolution behavior of the film via backside exposure and the reaction ratio of the azide indicates that the pattern formation mechanism occurs mainly via insolublilization of the resist surface in the exposed areas and subsequent etching of the resist layer by the alkaline developer.