Jul.  18,  2019  US 2019/0219920 Al  37  [0331]  <<Acid-Generator Component (B)>>  [0332]  The resist composition of the present embodiment  may include, in addition to the components (A), an acid› generator component (hereafter, sometimes referred to as  "component (B)").  [0333]  As the component (B), there is no particular limi› tation, and any of the known acid generators used in  conventional chemically amplified resist compositions can  be used.  [0334]  Examples of these acid generators are numerous,  and include onium salt acid generators such as iodonium  salts and sulfonium salts; oxime sulfonate acid generators;  diazomethane acid generators such as bisalkyl or bisaryl  sulfonyl diazomethanes and poly(bis-sulfonyl)diazometh› anes; nitrobenzylsulfonate acid generators; iminosulfonate  acid generators; and disulfone acid generators. Among these,  it is preferable to use an onium salt acid generator.  [0335]  As the onium salt acid generator, a compound  represented by general formula (b-1) below (hereafter,  sometimes referred to as "component (b-1 )"), a compound  represented by general formula (b-2) below (hereafter,  sometimes referred to as "component (b-2)") or a compound  represented by general formula (b-3) below (hereafter,  sometimes referred to as "component (b-3)") may be used.  [0336]  In the formulae, R$^{101 }$and R$^{104 }$to R$^{108 }$each inde› pendently represents a cyclic group which may have a  substituent, a chain-like alkyl group which may have a  substituent or a chain-like alkenyl group which may have a  substituent, provided that R $^{104 }$and R $^{105 }$may be mutually  bonded to form a ring;  [0337]  R 102  represents a fluorine atom or a fluorinated  alkyl group of 1 to 5 carbon atoms; Y$^{101 }$represents a single  bond or a divalent linking group containing an oxygen atom;  V$^{101 }$to V$^{103 }$each independently represents a single bond, an  alkylene group or a fluorinated alkylene group; L 101  and  L  102  each independently represents a single bond or an  oxygen atom; L $^{103 }$to L $^{105 }$each independently represents a  single bond, -CO- or -SO$_{2}$ -;  m represents an integer  of 1 or more; and  M’m+  represents an m-valent onium cation.  [0338]  {Anion Moiety}  [0339]  -Anion Moiety of Component (b-1)  [0340]  In the formula (b-1), R$^{101 }$represents a cyclic group  which may have a substituent, a chain-like alkyl group  which may have a substituent or a chain-like alkenyl group  which may have a substituent.  [0349]  The alicyclic hydrocarbon group may be either a  polycyclic group or a monocyclic group. As the monocyclic  alicyclic hydrocarbon group, a group in which one or more  hydrogen atoms have been removed from a monocycloal› kane is preferable. The monocycloalkane preferably has 3 to  6 carbon atoms, and specific examples thereof include  cyclopentane and cyclohexane. As the polycyclic alicyclic  hydrocarbon group, a group in which one or more hydrogen  atoms have been removed from a polycycloalkane is pref› erable, and the polycyclic group preferably has 7 to 30  carbon atoms. Among polycycloalkanes, a polycycloalkane  [0348]  The alicyclic hydrocarbon group preferably has 3  to 20 carbon atoms, and more preferably 3 to 12 carbon  atoms.  [0347]  As examples of the hydrocarbon group containing  a ring in the structure thereof, an alicyclic hydrocarbon  group (a group in which one hydrogen atom has been  removed from an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring), a group in  which the alicyclic hydrocarbon group is bonded to the  terminal of the aforementioned chain-like aliphatic hydro› carbon group, and a group in which the alicyclic group is  interposed within the aforementioned linear or branched  aliphatic hydrocarbon group, can be given.  [0346]  Examples of the cyclic aliphatic hydrocarbon  group for R 101  include aliphatic hydrocarbon groups con› taining a ring in the structure thereof.  [0345]  Specific examples of the aromatic hydrocarbon  group represented by R  101  include a group in which one  hydrogen atom has been removed from the aforementioned  aromatic ring (i.e., an aryl group, such as a phenyl group or  a naphthyl group), and a group in which one hydrogen of the  aforementioned aromatic ring has been substituted with an  alkylene group (e.g., an arylalkyl group such as a benzyl  group, a phenethyl group, a 1-naphthylmethyl group, a  2-naphthylmethyl group, a 1-naphthylethyl group or a  2-naphthylethyl group). The alkylene group (alkyl chain  within the arylalkyl group) preferably has 1 to 4 carbon  atom, more preferably 1 or 2, and most preferably 1.  [0344]  Examples of the aromatic ring contained in the  aromatic hydrocarbon group represented by R  101  include  benzene, fluorene, naphthalene, anthracene, phenanthrene  and biphenyl; and aromatic hetero rings in which part of the  carbon atoms constituting the aforementioned aromatic  rings has been substituted with a hetero atom. Examples of  the hetero atom within the aromatic hetero rings include an  oxygen atom, a sulfur atom and a nitrogen atom.  [0343]  The aromatic hydrocarbon group for R 101  is a  hydrocarbon group having an aromatic ring. The aromatic  hydrocarbon group preferably has 3 to 30 carbon atoms,  more preferably 5 to 30 carbon atoms, still more preferably  5 to 20 carbon atoms, still more preferably 6 to 15 carbon  atoms, and most preferably 6 to 10 carbon atoms. Here, the  number of carbon atoms within a substituent(s) is not  included in the number of carbon atoms of the aromatic  hydrocarbon group.  [0342]  The cyclic group is preferably a cyclic hydrocarbon  group, and the cyclic hydrocarbon group may be either an  aromatic hydrocarbon group or an aliphatic hydrocarbon  group. An "aliphatic hydrocarbon group" refers to a hydro› carbon group that has no aromaticity. The aliphatic hydro› carbon group may be either saturated or unsaturated, but in  general, the aliphatic hydrocarbon group is preferably satu› rated.  [0341]  Cyclic group which may have a substituent:  [Chemical Formula 38]  (b-1)  (b-2)  (b-3) 