Patent ID: 8241830

Claim:
A positive resist composition containing: (A) a compound capable of generating sulfonic acid, bis(alkylsulfonyl)amide, or tris(alkylsulfonyl)methine upon irradiation with actinic ray or radiation; and (B) a resin capable of increasing its solubility in an alkali developer by action of an acid, the resin comprising a repeating unit represented by formula (a), a repeating unit represented by formula (b) and a repeating unit having an acid-decomposable group represented by formula (c), wherein: R 1 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group; R 2 represents a hydrogen atom; Z represents a hydroxyl group, a halogen atom, a cyano group, a nitro group, an alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group, an aryl group, an alkoxyl group, an acyl group, or an acyloxy group; R 3 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group; A 1 represents a single bond or a divalent linking group; R 4 and R 5 each represents a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an alkyl group, or an alkoxyl group; R 6 , R 7 , R 8 and R 9 each represents a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an alkyl group, or an alkoxyl group, R 6 or R 7 , and R 8 or R 9 may be bonded to each other to form a cyclic structure; l represents from 0 to 4; m represents 0 or 1; n represents 0 or 1, provided that m+n represents 1 or 2; wherein the content of the repeating unit represented by formula (a) is from 30-75 mol % in all the repeating units of the resin of component (B): R 1 represents a hydrogen atom, a methyl group, a trifluoromethyl group, a cyano group, a chlorine atom, a hydroxymethyl group, or an alkoxymethyl group; L represents a single bond or a divalent linking group; X represents a group having a partial structure containing an alicyclic hydrocarbon represented by formula (pI): wherein R 11 represents a methyl group, an ethyl group, an n-propyl group, an isopropyl group, an n-butyl group, an isobutyl group, or a sec-butyl group; and Z in formula (pI) represents an atomic group necessary to form a monocyclic alicyclic hydrocarbon group together with a carbon atom.