Positive resist composition of chemical amplification type, resist coated material, method of forming resist pattern, and process for producing semiconductor device

#The present invention relates to a chemical amplification type positive resist composition which can yield a high-resolution resist pattern capable of coping with fine patterns required to the manufacture of semiconductor devices by a via-first dual damascene method.

#In accordance with recent developments of higher integration of semiconductor devices, mass production of LSI with a design rule of about 0.20 μm has already started and mass production of LSIs with a design rule of about 0.15 μm will be realized in the near future.

#In addition, a chemical amplification type positive resist composition is superior in resolution and sensitivity to a conventional non-chemical amplification type positive resist composition using a novolak resin as a base resin and a naphthoquinonediazide sulfonate ester as a photosensitive agent. Therefore, the conventional non-chemical amplification type positive resist composition has recently been replaced by the chemical amplification type positive resist composition.

#The present invention will now be described in detail by way of Examples. Various physical properties in the following Examples were determined in the following procedures.

#(1) Retention rate of acid-dissociable dissolution inhibiting group

#10 Parts by weight of the component (A) is dissolved in 90 parts by weight of propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate to prepare a solution having a concentration of 10% by weight. To the resulting solution, 10 parts by weight of hydrochloric acid having a concentration of 10% by weight is added to prepare a uniform solution, which is stirred at 23° C. for 10 minutes, thereby to dissociate an acid-dissociable dissolution inhibiting group. The substitution rate of the acid-dissociable dissolution inhibiting group before and after the acid treatment is measured by a 13C-NMR method. The retention rate (of the acid-dissociable dissolution inhibiting group) is determined from the measured value by the equation described hereinabove.