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 salt capable of producing a resist pattern with excellent line edge roughness is represented by formula (I): ##STR00001##
wherein, R.sup.1 represents —(X.sup.1—O).sub.o—R.sup.5, and o represents an integer of 0 to 6, R.sup.5 represents a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, X.sup.1 represents a divalent hydrocarbon group having 2 to 12 carbon atoms, R.sup.2 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms or the like, I represents an integer of 0 to 3, and when I is 2 or more, a plurality of R.sup.2 may be the same or different from each other, R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 each represent a hydrogen atom or the like, m and n each represent 1 or 2, X.sup.0 represents a single bond, —CH.sub.2—, —O— or —S—, and R.sup.6 and R.sup.7 each represent an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms which has a fluorine atom or the like.

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.

Disclosed are a compound represented by formula (I), a resin including a structural unit derived from the compound, and a resist composition: ##STR00001## wherein R.sup.1 represents an alkyl group which may have a halogen atom, a hydrogen atom or a halogen atom; A.sup.1 represents a single bond or *-A.sup.2-CO—O—; A.sup.2 and A.sup.3 represent an alkanediyl group; W represents a divalent monocyclic saturated alicyclic hydrocarbon group; R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 each represent a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group which may have a fluorine atom, etc., R.sup.4 represents a hydrogen atom, —CH.sub.2— in the group may be replaced by —O—, —S—, etc., R.sup.2 and R.sup.3, or R.sup.2, R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 may be bonded each other to form a ring which may have a fluorine atom or an alkyl group.

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 containing: (A) a resin containing a repeating unit having an acid-labile group; (B) a photo-acid generator shown by a general formula (B-1); and (C) a solvent, where W.sub.1 represents a cyclic divalent hydrocarbon group having 4 to 12 carbon atoms and containing a heteroatom; W.sub.2 represents a cyclic monovalent hydrocarbon group having 4 to 14 carbon atoms and not containing a heteroatom; Rf represents a divalent organic group shown by the following general formula; and M.sup.+ represents an onium cation. This provides a resist composition and a patterning process that uses the resist composition that show a particularly favorable mask dimension dependency (mask error factor: MEF), LWR, and critical dimension uniformity (CDU) particularly in photolithography where a high-energy beam such as an ArF excimer laser beam is used as a light source. ##STR00001##

A resist composition including a compound (D0) represented by general formula (d0) and a polymeric compound (A10) having a structural unit (a0) derived from a compound represented by general formula (a0-1) shown below (in formula (d0), n represents an integer of 2 or more; in formula (a0-1), W.sup.1 represents a polymerizable group-containing group; C.sup.t represents a tertiary carbon atom, and the α-position of C.sup.t is a carbon atom which constitutes a carbon-carbon unsaturated bond; R.sup.11 represents an aromatic hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent, or a chain hydrocarbon group; R.sup.12 and R.sup.13 each independently represents a chain hydrocarbon group, or R.sup.12 and R.sup.13 are mutually bonded to form a cyclic group ##STR00001##

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##

Disclosed are a photoacid generator, a photoresist composition including the same, and a method of preparing the photoacid generator. The photoacid generator may include a compound represented by Formula 1: ##STR00001##
wherein, in Formula 1, CY, A1, A2, and B are respectively described in the specification.