Resist composition and patterning process

1. A resist composition comprising

a metal salt of a mono- to tetrafunctional carboxylic acid of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and

at least one solvent selected from the group consisting of water, methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropyl alcohol, 1-butyl alcohol, 2-butyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol, tert-butyl alcohol, 1-pentanol, 2-pentanol, 3-pentanol, tert-amyl alcohol, neopentyl alcohol, 2-methyl-1-butanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, 3-methyl-2-butanol, 3-methyl-3-pentanol, cyclopentanol, 1-hexanol, 2-hexanol, 3-hexanol, 2,3-dimethyl-2-butanol, 3,3-dimethyl-1-butanol, 3,3-dimethyl-2-butanol, 2-ethyl-1-butanol, 2-methyl-1-pentanol, 2-methyl-2-pentanol, 2-methyl-3-pentanol, 3-methyl-1-pentanol, 3-methyl-2-pentanol, 3-methyl-3-pentanol, 4-methyl-1-pentanol, 4-methyl-2-pentanol, 4-methyl-3-pentanol, 1-heptanol, cyclohexanol, octanol, methyl lactate, ethyl lactate, propyl lactate, butyl lactate, propylene glycol, butanediol monomethyl ether, propylene glycol monomethyl ether, butanediol monoethyl ether, propylene glycol monoethyl ether, butanediol monopropyl ether, propylene glycol monopropyl ether, propylene glycol monomethoxymethyl ether, propylene glycol monoacetate, diacetone alcohol, allyl alcohol, propargyl alcohol, 3-methyl-1-pentyn-3-ol, 3-methyl-1-butyn-3-ol, furfuryl alcohol, tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol, and glycidol,

wherein the metal salt of a mono- to tetrafunctional carboxylic acid of 1 to 20 carbon atoms is selected from salts of the following general compounds:

chromium cyclohexanecarboxylate, iron oxocyclohexanecarboxylate, cobalt cyclopentylacetate, silver 1-pyrrolecarboxylate, cadmium crotonate, tin 4-fluorobenzeneacetate, indium ethylbutyrate, and antimony carboxyethylacrylate.

2. The resist composition of claim 1 , further comprising a resin having a weight-average molecular weight of 200 to 20,000 by GPC versus polystyrene standard and selected from the group consisting of phenolic resins, silsesquioxane resins, silicon oxide base resins, zirconium oxide base resins, zinc oxide base resins, titanium oxide base resins, and hafnium oxide base resins.

3. The resist composition of claim 2 wherein the resin having a weight-average molecular weight of 200 to 20,000 is selected from the group consisting of copolymers of one of the polymers selected from the group consisting of polyhydroxystyrene, polyhydroxynaphthalene, poly(hydroxyphenyl methacrylate) and poly(hydxoxynaphthyl methacrylate) with vinylnaphthalene, vinylanthracene, vinylbiphenyl, vinylcarbazole, indene, acenaphthylene, nortricyclene derivatives, norbornene derivatives, maleic anhydride or maleimide derivatives, novolak resins obtained from condensation of phenols with aldehydes, silsesquioxane resins, silicon oxide base resins, zirconium oxide base resins, zinc oxide base resins, titanium oxide base resins, and hafnium oxide base resins.

4. A pattern forming process comprising the steps of coating the resist composition of claim 1 onto a substrate, baking, exposing to high-energy radiation, and developing with a developer.

5. The process of claim 4 wherein the developer is alkaline water.

6. The process of claim 4 wherein the developer is an aqueous solution of at least one hydroxide selected from the group consisting of tetramethylammonium hydroxide, tetraethylammonium hydroxide, tetrapropylammonium hydroxide, tetrabutylammonium hydroxide, choline hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, and potassium hydroxide.

7. The process of claim 4 wherein the high-energy radiation is EUV radiation having a wavelength of 3 to 15 nm.

8. The process of claim 4 wherein the high-energy radiation is EB at an accelerating voltage of 1 to 150 keV.