Resist underlayer film-forming composition including cyclic carbonyl compound

A resist underlayer film-forming composition comprising a solvent and a reaction product between a C6-C60 aromatic compound and a carbonyl group of a C3-C60 cyclic carbonyl compound,

• the cyclic carbonyl compound containing not less than 5% by mass of heteroatom,
• the reaction product being such that one carbon atom in the cyclic carbonyl compound connects two molecules of the aromatic compound,
• wherein the cyclic carbonyl compound is represented by the following formula (1):
• where:
• X is O, NH or CH2, and
• the ring Y is a 3- to 8-membered ring optionally interrupted with a heteroatom and optionally substituted with a C1-C20 alkyl group optionally substituted with a hydroxyl group, a carbonyl group and optionally interrupted with an oxygen atom or a sulfur atom, a hydroxyl group, an oxo group, a carboxyl group, a cyano group, a nitro group, a sulfo group, a C1-C6 acyl group, a C1-C6 alkoxy group, a C1-C6 alkoxycarbonyl group, an amino group, a glycidyl group, a C6-C20 aryl group, a C2-C10 alkenyl group, or a C2-C10 alkynyl group, or is a coupled ring or condensed ring of such 3- to 8-membered rings.