Patent ID: 8741548

Claim:
A process for forming a pattern comprising the steps of: applying a first positive resist composition comprising a polymer as a base resin comprising recurring units having acid labile groups and recurring units having adhesive groups of hydroxy and/or lactone ring, an acid generator, and an organic solvent onto a substrate to form a first resist coating, heat treating the first resist coating, exposing to ArF excimer laser radiation, heat treating the exposed coating, developing the coating with a developer to form a first resist pattern, causing the first resist pattern to crosslink and cure by irradiation of high-energy radiation selected from the group consisting of Xe 2 excimer light of 172 nm wavelength, F 2 excimer light of 157 nm wavelength, Kr 2 excimer light of 146 nm wavelength, and Ar e excimer light of 126 nm wavelength and heating at 100 to 300° C. for 10 to 300 seconds, applying a second positive resist composition comprising a polymer onto the first resist pattern-bearing substrate to form a second resist coating, heat treating the second resist coating, exposing to high-energy radiation, heat treating the exposed coating, developing the second coating with a developer to form a second resist pattern; wherein the first positive resist composition comprises a polymer, an organic solvent, and an acid generator, said polymer comprising one or both of recurring units (a-1) and (a-2) of the general formula (1), and recurring units of the general formula (b): wherein R 1 and R 6 are each independently hydrogen, methyl or hydroxymethyl, R 2 and R 7 are each independently a single bond or a straight, branched or cyclic alkylene group of 1 to 6 carbon atoms which may have an ether or ester group, and which has a primary or secondary carbon atom through which it is attached to the ester (COO) group, R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , and R 11 are each independently hydrogen or a straight, branched or cyclic alkyl group of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, R 12 is hydrogen, methyl or hydroxymethyl, R 13 is an acid labile group, a1, a2, and b are numbers in the range: 0≦a1<1.0, 0≦a2<1.0, 0<a1+a2<1.0, 0<b≦0.8, and 0.1 a1+a2+b≦1.0.