A pattern forming method includes: applying an actinic ray-sensitive or radiation- sensitive resin composition onto a substrate to form a resist film; forming an upper layer film on the resist film, using a composition for forming an upper layer film; exposing the resist film having the upper layer film formed thereon; and developing the exposed resist film using a developer including an organic solvent to form a pattern. The composition for forming an upper layer film contains a resin having a repeating unit (a) with a ClogP value of 2.85 or more and a compound (b) with a ClogP of 1.30 or less, and the receding contact angle of the upper layer film with water is 70 degrees or more, a resist pattern formed by the pattern forming method, and a method for manufacturing an electronic device, including the pattern forming method.

A positive resist composition comprising a base polymer comprising recurring units having a carboxyl group whose hydrogen is substituted by a pyridine ring-containing tertiary hydrocarbyl group.

A radiation-sensitive resin composition includes: a resin containing a structural unit A represented by formula (1); at least one radiation-sensitive acid generator selected from the group consisting of a radiation-sensitive acid generator represented by formula (2-1) and a radiation-sensitive acid generator represented formula (2-2); and a solvent. At least one R.sup.3 is an acid-dissociable group; and R.sup.41 is a hydrogen atom or a protective group to be deprotected by action of an acid. At least one of R.sup.f1 and R.sup.f2 is a fluorine atom or a fluoroalkyl group; R.sup.5a is a monovalent organic group having a cyclic structure; X.sub.1.sup.+ is a monovalent onium cation; R.sup.5b is a monovalent organic group, and X.sub.2.sup.+ is a monovalent onium cation whose atom having a positive charge is not an atom forming a cyclic structure. ##STR00001##

A radiation-sensitive resin composition includes a polymer and a compound. The compound includes a first structural unit including an aromatic carbon ring to which no less than two hydroxy groups bond, and a second structural unit including an acid-labile group which is dissociable by an action of an acid to give a carboxy group. The compound is represented by formula (1). R.sup.1 represents a monovalent organic group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms; and X.sup.+ represents a monovalent radiation-sensitive onium cation. A weight average molecular weight of the polymer is no greater than 10,000.

R.sup.1—COO.sup.−X.sup.+  (1)

A negative photosensitive resin composition containing an epoxy group-containing resin and a cationic polymerization initiator which includes a sulfonium salt represented by General Formula (I0). In Formula (I0), R1 and R2 represent an aryl group, a heterocyclic hydrocarbon group, or an alkyl group. R3 to R5 are an alkyl group, a hydroxy group, an alkoxy group, an alkylcarbonyl group, an arylcarbonyl group, an acyloxy group, an arylthio group, an alkylthio group, an aryl group, a heterocyclic hydrocarbon group, an aryloxy group, a hydroxy(poly)alkyleneoxy group, or a halogen atom. k is an integer of 0 to 4, m is an integer of 0 to 3, and n is an integer of 1 to 4. A is a group represented by —S—, —O—, —SO—, —SO.sub.2—, or —CO—. X.sup.− represents a monovalent polyatomic anion

##STR00001##

A method for manufacturing a chemically amplified photosensitive composition capable of reducing a foreign matter derived from a sulfur-containing compound. The method includes an acid generating agent which generates an acid by irradiation with an active ray or radiation, a sulfur-containing compound which is a solid at room temperature, a first solvent having a Hansen solubility parameter in which a polar term δp is 10 (MPa.sup.0.5) or more, and a second solvent which is different than the first solvent, the method including preparing a solution of the sulfur-containing compound by dissolving the sulfur-containing compound in the first solvent, and blending the solution of the sulfur-containing compound, the acid generating agent, and the second solvent.

The present invention provides an actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition containing a resin (A) which contains a repeating unit (a1) having a specific ring structure, a compound (B) which generates an acid by an irradiation with an actinic ray or a radiation, and a specific compound (C) which is decomposed by an irradiation with an actinic ray or a radiation so that an acid-trapping property is lowered; an actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive film formed of the actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition; a pattern forming method using the actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition; and a method for manufacturing an electronic device.

Disclosed are a salt represented by formula (I), an acid generator, and a resist composition:

##STR00001##

wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 each represent a hydroxy group, *—O—R.sup.10, *—O-L.sup.10-CO—O—R.sup.10, etc.; L.sup.10 represents an alkanediyl group; R.sup.10 represents an acid-labile group; R.sup.4 to R.sup.9 each represent a halogen atom, a haloalkyl group, etc.; A.sup.1, A.sup.2 and A.sup.3 each represent a hydrocarbon group, etc.; m1 and m7 represent an integer of 0 to 5, m2 to m6, m8 and m9 represent an integer of 0 to 4, 0≤m1+m7≤5, 0≤m2+m8≤4, 0≤m3+m9≤4, and at least one of m1, m2 and m3 represents an integer of 1 or more; X.sup.4 represents a single bond, —CH.sub.2—, etc.; and Al.sup.− represents an organic anion.

Embodiments in accordance with the present invention encompass compositions encompassing a latent catalyst and a thermal or photoactivator along with one or more monomers which undergo ring open metathesis polymerization (ROMP) when said composition is heated to a temperature from 50° C. to 100° C. or higher to form a substantially transparent film. Alternatively the compositions of this invention also undergo polymerization when subjected to suitable radiation. The monomers employed therein have a range of refractive index from 1.4 to 1.6 and thus these compositions can be tailored to form transparent films of varied refractive indices. The compositions of this invention further comprises inorganic nanoparticles which form transparent films and further increases the refractive indices of the compositions. Accordingly, compositions of this invention are useful in various opto-electronic applications, including as coatings, encapsulants, fillers, leveling agents, among others.

A photosensitive resin composition is also provided that includes a polymer precursor selected from a polyimide precursor and a polybenzoxazole precursor; a photo-radical polymerization initiator; and a solvent, in which an acid value of an acid group contained in the polymer precursor and having a neutralization point in a pH range of 7.0 to 12.0 is in a range of 2.5 to 34.0 mgKOH/g, and either the polymer precursor contains a radically polymerizable group or the photosensitive resin composition includes a radically polymerizable compound other than the polymer precursor.