A resist composition including a compound represented by formula (bd1), a total amount of the acid-generator component and the basic component being 20 to 70 parts by weight, relative to 100 parts by weight of the base material component. In the formula, Rx.sup.1 to Rx.sup.4 represents a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group, or two or more of Rx.sup.1 to Rx.sup.4 may be mutually bonded to form a ring structure; Ry.sup.1 and Ry.sup.2 represents a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group, or Ry.sup.1 and Ry.sup.2 may be mutually bonded to form a ring structure; Rz.sup.1 to Rz.sup.4 represents a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group, or two or more of Rz.sup.1 to Rz.sup.4 may be mutually bonded to form a ring structure; provided that at least one of Rx.sup.1 to Rx.sup.4, Ry.sup.1, Ry.sup.2 and Rz.sup.1 to Rz.sup.4 has an anionic group; and M.sup.m+ represents an m-valent organic cation). ##STR00001##

A photoresist composition includes a photoactive compound and a polymer. The polymer has a polymer backbone including one or more groups selected from: ##STR00001##
The polymer backbone includes at least one group selected from B, C-1, or C-2, wherein ALG is an acid labile group, and X is linking group.

A fluorocarboxylic acid-containing polymer comprising recurring units having formula (A1), but not acid labile group-containing recurring units is provided. A resist composition comprising the same offers a high sensitivity and is unsusceptible to nano-bridging or pattern collapse independent of whether it is of positive or negative tone. ##STR00001##

The present invention is a positive resist material containing: an acid generator being a sulfonium salt of a sulfonate ion bonded to a polymer main chain; and a quencher being a sulfonium salt shown by the following general formula (1). R.sup.1 represents a fluorine atom, phenyl group, phenyloxycarbonyl group, alkyl group, alkoxy group, alkenyl group, alkynyl group, or alkoxycarbonyl group. Hydrogen atoms of these groups are optionally substituted. R.sup.2 to R.sup.4 each independently represent a halogen atom or hydrocarbyl group. R.sup.2 and R.sup.3, or R.sup.2 and R.sup.4, are optionally bonded with each other to form a ring with a sulfur atom that is bonded thereto. Thus, the present invention provides: a positive resist material having higher sensitivity than conventional positive resist materials, and having little edge roughness (LWR) and dimensional variation (CDU) in an exposure pattern; and a patterning process using the positive resist material.

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A resist composition comprising a polymer is provided, the polymer comprising repeat units derived from a sulfonium or iodonium salt having a nitro-substituted benzene ring in a linker between a polymerizable unsaturated bond and a fluorosulfonic acid site. The resist composition has a high sensitivity and forms a pattern with improved LWR or CDU, independent of whether it is of positive or negative tone.

A method for producing an actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition having a viscosity of 10 mPa.Math.s or more, the method containing a step 1 of charging at least a resin of which polarity increases by an action of an acid, a photoacid generator, and a solvent as raw materials into a stirring tank, and a step 2 of stirring the raw materials in the stirring tank. A liquid temperature in the stirring tank is controlled to be equal to or lower than a 3.0° C. higher temperature than a liquid temperature at a start of the step 2 throughout the entire step 2, and the control of the liquid temperature in the stirring tank in the step 2 is performed by passing an inert gas through the stirring tank.

A chemically amplified positive-type photosensitive resin composition including an acid generator which generates acid upon exposure to an irradiated active ray or radiation, a resin whose solubility in alkali increases under the action of acid, and a nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocyclic compound that is a nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocyclic compound having a specific structure and having a Log S value of −6.00 or less.

A photoresist composition, comprising: a first polymer comprising: a first repeating unit comprising a hydroxyaryl group; a second repeating unit comprising a first acid-labile group; and a third repeating unit comprising a first base-soluble group having a pKa of 12 or less, and not comprising a hydroxyaryl group; wherein the first, second, and third repeating units of the first polymer are different from each other, and the first polymer is free of lactone groups; a second polymer comprising: a first repeating unit comprising a second acid-labile group, a second repeating unit comprising a lactone group, and a third repeating unit comprising a second base-soluble group having a pKa of 12 or less; wherein the first, second, and third repeating units of the second polymer are structurally different from each other; and a solvent, wherein the first polymer and the second polymer are different from each other.

Disclosed are a salt represented by formula (I), and a method for producing the salt, and a quencher and a resist composition comprising the same: ##STR00001## wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each represent a hydrocarbon group, and —CH.sub.2— included in the hydrocarbon group may be replaced by —O— or —CO—; R.sup.3, R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 each represent a halogen atom, an alkyl fluoride group or a hydrocarbon group, and —CH.sub.2— included in the hydrocarbon group may be replaced by —O— or —CO—; m3 represents an integer of 0 to 2, and when m3 is 2, two R.sup.3 may be the same or different from each other; and m4 and m5 represent an integer of 0 to 5, and when m4 and/or m5 is/are 2 or more, a plurality of R.sup.4 and/or a plurality of R.sup.5 may be the same or different from each other.

A resist composition including a resin component having a constitutional unit derived from a compound represented by General Formula (a01-1) and a constitutional unit derived from a compound represented by General Formula (a02-1), and an acid generator component composed of an anion moiety and a cation moiety. In General Formula (a01-1), W.sup.1 represents a polymerizable group-containing group, C.sup.t represents a tertiary carbon atom, R.sup.11 represents an unsaturated hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent, R.sup.12 and R.sup.13 represent a chain saturated hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent, and a carbon atom at an α-position of C.sup.t constitutes a carbon-carbon unsaturated bond. In General Formula (a02-1), W.sup.2 represents a polymerizable group-containing group, Wa.sup.2 represents an aromatic hydrocarbon group, and n2 represents an integer in a range of 1 to 3 ##STR00001##