Positive resist composition

1. A positive resist composition comprising the components of:

(A) a compound capable of generating an acid upon irradiation with one of an actinic ray and a radiation;

(B) a resin that is insoluble or slightly soluble in alkalis, but becomes alkali-soluble under an action of an acid;

(C) a basic compound;

(D) a non-polymeric compound comprising at least three alcoholic hydroxyl groups or at least three substituted alcoholic hydroxyl groups, comprising at least one cyclic structure, and comprising at least one ethereal oxygen-containing tetrahydrofuran or tetrahydropyran ring, and

(E) a surfactant comprising at least one of a fluorine atom and a silicon atom,

wherein the component (B) is a resin comprising an alicyclic hydrocarbon group that is monocyclic or polycyclic or a resin having a structure wherein at least one fluorine atom is substituted in at least one of a main chain and a side chain of a polymer, and being capable of decomposing by an action of an acid to increase in solubility in an alkaline developer; and

the component (D) does not contain a phenolic hydroxyl group or a substituted phenolic hydroxyl group.

2. The positive resist composition according to claim 1 , wherein the component (D) is a compound comprising at least three alcoholic hydroxyl groups and at least one cyclic structure, and at least one group selected from the alcoholic hydroxyl groups and other groups of the component (D) is protected with at least one acid-decomposable group.

3. The positive resist composition according to claim 1 , further comprising a component of: (F) a mixture of a hydroxyl group-containing solvent and a hydroxyl group-free solvent.

4. The positive resist composition according to claim 3 , wherein the hydroxyl group-containing solvent is one of ethylene glycol, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, propylene glycol, propylene glycol monomethyl ether, propylene glycol monoethyl ether, and ethyl lactate.

5. The positive resist composition according to claim 3 , wherein the hydroxyl group-free solvent is one of propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, ethyl ethoxypropionate, 2-heptanone, γ-butyrolactone, cyclohexanone, butyl acetate, N-methylpyrrolidone, N,N-dimethylacetamide, ad dimethyl sulfoxide.

6. The positive resist composition according to claim 3 , wherein the component (F) comprises the hydroxyl group-free solvent in a proportion of 50 weight % or more.

7. The positive resist composition according to claim 1 , wherein the component (D) comprises at least one of a cyclohexane ring and a cyclopentane ring.

8. The positive resist composition according to claim 1 , wherein the component (D) comprises 3 to 10 alcoholic hydroxyl groups or 3 to 10 substituted alcoholic hydroxyl groups.

9. The positive resist composition according to claim 1 , wherein a mount of the component (A) is 0.1% to 20% by weight a amount of the component (B) is 40% to 99.99% by weight a amount of the component (C) is 0.001% to 10% by weight and a amount of the component (D) is 0.1% to 20% by weight based on a solid content of the composition.

10. The positive resist composition according to claim 1 , wherein compound (D) is a cyclic saccharide derivative.

11. The positive resist composition according to claim 1 , wherein compound (D) contains at least one acid-decomposable protective group of the formula:

wherein R 1 and R 2 each independently represent an alkyl, aralkyl or aryl group, or R 1 and R 2 combine with each other to form a ring.