Patent ID: 8703401

Claim:
A pattern-forming method comprising: providing a negative developer including an organic solvent and a nitrogen-containing compound; forming a resist film on a substrate using a photoresist composition including (A) a polymer and (B) a radiation-sensitive acid generator, the polymer (A) including a structural unit (I) including an acid-labile group that dissociates to generate a polar group due to an acid, solubility of the polymer (A) in the negative developer decreasing upon dissociation of the acid-labile group, the polymer (A) being produced by polymerizing a monomer having an ethylenically unsaturated bond; exposing the resist film to dissociate the acid-labile group and to generate the polar group in the polymer (A) in an exposed area of the resist film; and developing the resist film using the negative developer, wherein the nitrogen-containing compound interacts with the polar group to further decrease the solubility of the polymer (A) in an exposed area of the resist film in the negative developer.