Patent ID: 7192687

Claim:
A positive resist composition comprising a resin component (A) which is not protected with an acid dissociable, dissolution inhibiting group, an acid generator component (B) that generates acid on exposure, and a compound (C), which contains at least one acid dissociable, dissolution inhibiting group, and which under action of said acid generated from said component (B), undergoes dissociation of said dissolution inhibiting group, thus generating an organic carboxylic acid, wherein said component (A) comprises a structural unit (a1) derived from an (α-methyl)hydroxystyrene, represented by a general formula (1) shown below, and a structural unit (a2) represented by a general formula (2) shown below: (wherein, R represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group), (wherein, R represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group), wherein a solubility rate of said component (A) in a 2.38% by weight aqueous solution of TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide) is within a range from 100 to 1000 Å/second.