Resist composition and patterning process

A resist composition comprising a base polymer which is an acid labile group-free polymer, an organic solvent and a carboxylic acid salt or a sulfonamide salt,

• wherein the base polymer consists of at least one selected from the group consisting of
• recurring units (b) having a phenolic hydroxyl group as an adhesive group,
• recurring units (c) having an adhesive group selected from hydroxyl (other than phenolic hydroxyl), lactone ring, ether, ester, carbonyl and cyano groups,
• recurring units (d) selected from units of indene, benzofuran, benzothiophene, acenaphthylene, chromone, coumarin, and norbornadiene, or derivatives thereof, and
• recurring units (e) which are derived from styrene, vinylnaphthalene, vinylanthracene, vinylpyrene, methyleneindene, vinylpyridine, or vinylcarbazole, and
• wherein the carboxylic acid salt has the formula (A) and the sulfonamide salt has the formula (B):
• wherein R1 is hydrogen, a C1-C30 straight, branched or cyclic alkyl group, C2-C30 straight, branched or cyclic alkenyl group, C2-C30 straight, branched or cyclic alkynyl group, or C6-C20 aryl group, which may contain an ester, ether, sulfide, sulfoxide, carbonate, carbamate, sulfone, amino, amide, hydroxyl, thiol, nitro or halogen moiety, exclusive of iodinated aromatic groups,
• R2 is fluorine, a C1-C10 straight, branched or cyclic fluorinated alkyl group, or fluorinated phenyl group, which may contain a hydroxyl, ether, ester or alkoxy moiety,
• R3 is hydrogen, a C1-C10 straight, branched or cyclic alkyl group, C2-C10 straight, branched or cyclic alkenyl group, or C2-C10 straight or branched alkynyl group, or C6-C10 aryl group, which may contain a hydroxyl, ester, ether or alkoxy moiety,
• Mn+ is a metal ion selected from the group consisting of Ca2+, Sr2+, Ba2+, Ce3+, Al3+, Ga3+, Tl3+, Sc3+, and Y3+, and n indicative of the valence number of Mn+ is an integer of 2 or 3.

A resist composition comprising a base polymer which is an acid labile group free polymer, an organic solvent and a carboxylic acid salt or a sulfonamide salt,

• wherein the base polymer comprises recurring units of at least one type selected from recurring units having the formulae (f1) to (f3):
• wherein RA is each independently hydrogen or methyl,
• Z1 is a single bond, phenylene, —O—Z11—, or —C(═O)—Z12—Z11—, Z11 is a C1-C6 straight, branched or cyclic alkylene group or C2-C6 straight, branched or cyclic alkenylene group which may contain a carbonyl, ester, ether or hydroxyl moiety, or phenylene group, Z12 is —O—or —NH—,
• R21, R22, R23, R24, R25, R26, R27, and R28 are each independently a C1-C12 straight, branched or cyclic alkyl group which may contain a carbonyl, ester or ether moiety, or a C6-C12 aryl, C7-C20 aralkyl, or mercaptophenyl group,
• Z2 is a single bond, —Z21—C(═O)—O—, —Z21—O—, or —Z21—O—C(═O)—, Z21 is a C1-C12 straight, branched or cyclic alkylene group which may contain a carbonyl, ester or ether moiety,
• Z3 is a single bond, methylene, ethylene, phenylene, fluorinated phenylene, —O—Z31—, or —C(═O)—Z32—Z31—, Z31 is a C1-C6 straight, branched or cyclic alkylene group or C2-C6 straight, branched or cyclic alkenylene group which may contain a carbonyl, ester, ether or hydroxyl moiety, or a phenylene, fluorinated phenylene or trifluoromethyl-substituted phenylene group, Z32 is —O— or —NH—,
• A1 is hydrogen or trifluoromethyl, and M− is a non-nucleophilic counter ion, and
• wherein the carboxylic acid salt has the formula (A) and the sulfonamide salt has the formula (B):
• wherein R1 is hydrogen, a C1-C30 straight, branched or cyclic alkyl group, C2-C30 straight, branched or cyclic alkenyl group, C2-C30 straight, branched or cyclic alkynyl group, or C6-C20 aryl group, which may contain an ester, ether, sulfide, sulfoxide, carbonate, carbamate, sulfone, amino, amide, hydroxyl, thiol, nitro or halogen moiety, exclusive of iodinated aromatic groups,
• R2 is fluorine, a C1-C10 straight, branched or cyclic fluorinated alkyl group, or fluorinated phenyl group, which may contain a hydroxyl, ether, ester or alkoxy moiety,
• R3 is hydrogen, a C1-C10 straight, branched or cyclic alkyl group, C2-C10 straight, branched or cyclic alkenyl group, C2-C10 straight or branched alkynyl group, or C6-C10 aryl group, which may contain a hydroxyl, ester, ether or alkoxy moiety,
• Mn+ is a metal ion selected from the group consisting of Ca2+, Sr2+, Ba2+, Ce3+, Al3+, Ga3+, Tl3+, Sc3+, and Y3+, and n indicative of the valence number of Mn+ is an integer of 2 or 3.