Monomer, polymer, resist composition, and patterning process

1. A monomer having the general formula (1):

wherein R 1 is hydrogen, methyl or trifluoromethyl, R 2 and R 3 are each independently hydrogen or a straight, branched or cyclic, monovalent hydrocarbon group of 1 to 10 carbon atoms, R 2 and R 3 may bond together to form an alicyclic group of 5 to 10 carbon atoms, which may be separated by an oxygen atom or have a carbon chain, with the carbon atom to which they are attached, X 1 is a straight, branched or cyclic, divalent hydrocarbon group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms in which a constituent —CH 2 — may be replaced by —O— or —C(═O)—, k 1 is 0 or 1, and Z forms a 5 or 6-membered alicyclic group, which may contain a heteroatom, with the two carbon atoms to which it is attached.

2. A polymer comprising recurring units having the general formula (2):

wherein R 1 is hydrogen, methyl or trifluoromethyl, R 2 and R 3 are each independently hydrogen or a straight, branched or cyclic, monovalent hydrocarbon group of 1 to 10 carbon atoms, R 2 and R 3 may bond together to form an alicyclic group of 5 to 10 carbon atoms, which may be separated by an oxygen atom or have a carbon chain, with the carbon atom to which they are attached, X 1 is a straight, branched or cyclic, divalent hydrocarbon group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms in which a constituent —CH 2 — may be replaced by —O— or —C(═O)—, k 1 is 0 or 1, and Z forms a 5 or 6-membered alicyclic group, which may contain a heteroatom, with the two carbon atoms to which it is attached.

3. The polymer of claim 2 , further comprising recurring units of at least one type selected from recurring units having the general formulae (A) to (E):

wherein R 1 is hydrogen, methyl or trifluoromethyl, XA is an acid labile group, XB and XC are each independently a single bond or a straight or branched, divalent hydrocarbon group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, XD is a straight, branched or cyclic, di- to pentavalent aliphatic hydrocarbon group of 1 to 16 carbon atoms in which a constituent —CH 2 — may be replaced by —O— or —C(═O)—, XE is an acid labile group, YA is a substituent group of lactone, sultone or carbonate structure, ZA is hydrogen, a fluoroalkyl group of 1 to 30 carbon atoms or a fluoroalcohol-containing group of 1 to 15 carbon atoms, k 1A is an integer of 1 to 3, and k 1B is an integer of 1 to 4.

4. The polymer of claim 2 , further comprising recurring units of at least one type selected from sulfonium salt units (d1) to (d3) represented by the following general formula:

wherein R 20 , R 24 , and R 28 each are hydrogen or methyl; R 21 is a single bond, phenylene, —O—R 33 —, or —C(═O)—Y—R 33 —, wherein Y is oxygen or NH and R 33 is a straight, branched or cyclic C 1 -C 6 alkylene group, alkenylene group or phenylene group, which may contain a carbonyl (—CO—), ester (—COO—), ether (—O—), or hydroxyl moiety; R 22 , R 23 , R 25 , R 26 , R 27 , R 29 , R 30 , and R 31 are each independently a straight, branched or cyclic C 1 -C 12 alkyl group which may contain a carbonyl, ester or ether moiety, a C 6 -C 12 aryl group, a C 7 -C 20 aralkyl group, or a thiophenyl group; Z 0 is a single bond, methylene, ethylene, phenylene, fluorinated phenylene, —O—R 32 —, or —C(═O)—Z 1 —R 32 —, wherein Z 1 is oxygen or NH, and R 32 is a straight, branched or cyclic C 1 -C 6 alkylene group, alkenylene group or phenylene group, which may contain a carbonyl, ester, ether or hydroxyl moiety; and M − is a non-nucleophilic counter ion.

5. A resist composition comprising a base resin containing the polymer of claim 4 , and an organic solvent.

6. A resist composition comprising a base resin containing the polymer of claim 2 , an acid generator, and an organic solvent.

7. A pattern forming process comprising the steps of applying the resist composition of claim 6 onto a substrate, prebaking to form a resist film, exposing the resist film to high-energy radiation, baking, and developing the exposed resist film in a developer.

8. The process of claim 7 wherein an aqueous alkaline solution is used as the developer in the developing step to form a positive pattern wherein the exposed region of resist film is dissolved away and the unexposed region of resist film is not dissolved.

9. The process of claim 7 wherein an organic solvent is used as the developer in the developing step to form a negative pattern wherein the unexposed region of resist film is dissolved away and the exposed region of resist film is not dissolved.

10. The process of claim 9 wherein the developer comprises at least one organic solvent selected from the group consisting of 2-octanone, 2-nonanone, 2-heptanone, 3-heptanone, 4-heptanone, 2-hexanone, 3-hexanone, diisobutyl ketone, methylcyclohexanone, acetophenone, methylacetophenone, propyl acetate, butyl acetate, isobutyl acetate, amyl acetate, isoamyl acetate, butenyl acetate, propyl formate, butyl formate, isobutyl formate, amyl formate, isoamyl formate, methyl valerate, methyl pentenoate, methyl crotonate, ethyl crotonate, methyl propionate, ethyl propionate, ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate, methyl lactate, ethyl lactate, propyl lactate, butyl lactate, isobutyl lactate, amyl lactate, isoamyl lactate, methyl 2-hydroxyisobutyrate, ethyl 2-hydroxyisobutyrate, methyl benzoate, ethyl benzoate, phenyl acetate, benzyl acetate, methyl phenylacetate, benzyl formate, phenylethyl formate, methyl 3-phenylpropionate, benzyl propionate, ethyl phenylacetate, and 2-phenylethyl acetate.

11. The process of claim 7 wherein the step of exposing the resist film to high-energy radiation includes KrF excimer laser lithography of wavelength 248 nm, ArF excimer laser lithography of wavelength 193 nm, EUV lithography of wavelength 13.5 nm or EB lithography.

12. A method for preparing a monomer having the general formula (1), comprising the steps of reacting a compound having the general formula (6) with a base or metal to form a metal enolate reagent, and reacting it with an acyloxyketone having the general formula (5):

wherein R 1 is hydrogen, methyl or trifluoromethyl, R 2 and R 3 are each independently hydrogen or a straight, branched or cyclic, monovalent hydrocarbon group of 1 to 10 carbon atoms, R 2 and R 3 may bond together to form an alicyclic group of 5 to 10 carbon atoms, which may be separated by an oxygen atom or have a carbon chain, with the carbon atom to which they are attached, X 1 is a straight, branched or cyclic, divalent hydrocarbon group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms in which a constituent —CH 2 — may be replaced by —O— or —C(═O)—, k 1 is 0 or 1, Z forms a 5 or 6-membered alicyclic group, which may contain a heteroatom, with the two carbon atoms to which it is attached, X 4 is hydrogen or halogen, and R 4 is a straight, branched or cyclic, monovalent hydrocarbon group of 1 to 10 carbon atoms.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the acyloxyketone having the general formula (5) is obtained by reacting a cycloalkanone compound having the general formula (3) with an esterifying agent having the general formula (4):

wherein R 1 , X 1 , Z and k 1 are as defined above, X 2 is halogen or hydroxyl, X 3 is —OM b , halogen, hydroxyl or —OR 14 , M b is Li, Na, K, Mg 1/2 , Ca 1/2 or substituted or unsubstituted ammonium, and R 14 is methyl, ethyl or a group of the formula (9):

wherein R 1 , X 1 and k 1 are as defined above, and the broken line denotes a valence bond.

14. A method for preparing a monomer having the general formula (1), comprising the steps of reacting a compound having the general formula (6) with a base or metal to form a metal enolate reagent, reacting it with an acyloxyketone having the general formula (5), isolating a hydroxy ester compound having the general formula (7b), and treating it with an acid:

wherein R 1 is hydrogen, methyl or trifluoromethyl, R 2 and R 3 are each independently hydrogen or a straight, branched or cyclic, monovalent hydrocarbon group of 1 to 10 carbon atoms, R 2 and R 3 may bond together to form an alicyclic group of 5 to 10 carbon atoms, which may be separated by an oxygen atom or have a carbon chain, with the carbon atom to which they are attached, X 1 is a straight, branched or cyclic, divalent hydrocarbon group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms in which a constituent —CH 2 — may be replaced by —O— or —C(═O)—, k 1 is 0 or 1, Z forms a 5 or 6-membered alicyclic group, which may contain a heteroatom, with the two carbon atoms to which it is attached, X 4 is hydrogen or halogen, and R 4 is a straight, branched or cyclic, monovalent hydrocarbon group of 1 to 10 carbon atoms.

15. A method for preparing a monomer having the general formula (1), comprising the step of reacting a hydroxylactone compound having the general formula (66) with an esterifying agent having the general formula (88):

wherein R 1 is hydrogen, methyl or trifluoromethyl, R 2 and R 3 are each independently hydrogen or a straight, branched or cyclic, monovalent hydrocarbon group of 1 to 10 carbon atoms, R 2 and R 3 may bond together to form an alicyclic group of 5 to 10 carbon atoms, which may be separated by an oxygen atom or have a carbon chain, with the carbon atom to which they are attached, X 1 is a straight, branched or cyclic, divalent hydrocarbon group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms in which a constituent —CH 2 — may be replaced by —O— or —C(═O)—, k 1 is 0 or 1, Z forms a 5 or 6-membered alicyclic group, which may contain a heteroatom, with the two carbon atoms to which it is attached, X 5 is halogen, hydroxyl or —OR 14 , and R 14 is methyl, ethyl or a group of the formula (9):

wherein R 1 , X 1 and k 1 are as defined above, and the broken line denotes a valence bond.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the hydroxylactone compound having the general formula (66) is obtained from reaction of a ketone compound of the general formula (33) wherein P 1 is a protective group with a compound having the general formula (6) and a base or metal to form a hydroxy ester compound having the general formula (44), deprotection of protective group P 1 , and acid treatment:

wherein R 2 , R 3 and Z are as defined above, P 1 is a protective group, X 4 is hydrogen or halogen, and R 4 is a straight, branched or cyclic, monovalent hydrocarbon group of 1 to 10 carbon atoms.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the hydroxylactone compound having the general formula (66) is obtained from reaction of a ketone compound of the general formula (33) wherein P 1 is hydrogen with a compound having the general formula (6) and a base or metal:

wherein R 2 , R 3 and Z are as defined above, P 1 is hydrogen, X 4 is hydrogen or halogen, and R 4 is a straight, branched or cyclic, monovalent hydrocarbon group of 1 to 10 carbon atoms.