Sulfonium salt, photoacid generator, curable composition, and resist composition

A sulfonium salt represented by general formula (1) described below,

• [in formula (1), R1 and R2 each independently represent an aryl group having 6 to 14 carbon atoms, and some of hydrogen atoms in the aryl group may be substituted with a substituent (t);
• the substituent (t) represents an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms or an aryl group having 6 to 10 carbon atoms, the substituent (t) may be bonded together directly via a single bond, or through a group represented by —SO—, —SO2—, or —CO, with R1 and R2;
• A1 and A2 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, a branched alkyl group having 3 to 7 carbon atoms, a branched alkoxy group having 3 to 7 carbon atoms, a tertiary silyl group having 3 to 9 carbon atoms, or a tertiary siloxy group having 3 to 9 carbon atoms, provided that both of A1 and A2 do not represent a hydrogen atom;
• T1 and T2 each independently represent an alkyl group having 1 to 7 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group having 1 to 7 carbon atoms, a silyl group having 3 to 9 carbon atoms, or a siloxy group having 3 to 9 carbon atoms;
• m1 and m2 each represent the number of occurrences of each of T1 and T2, m1 represents an integer of 0 to 3, m2 represents an integer of 0 to 4;
• L represents —O—, —S—, —SO—, —SO2—, or —CO;
• S represents sulfur atom, O represents oxygen atom, C represents carbon atom;
• and X− represents a monovalent polyatomic anion].