acid are preferred since these acids are less likely to vaporize from the resist film surface to contaminate the inside of a lithography chamber. 

[0208] The blending amount of the organic carboxylic acid is preferably in the range of 0.01 parts by mass to 10 parts by mass, more preferably 0.01 parts by mass to 5 parts by mass, and still more preferably 0.01 parts by mass to 3 parts by mass, based on 100 parts by mass of the polymer compound (A). 

[0209] The composition of the present invention, as nec› essary, may further contain a dye, a plasticizer, a photo› decomposable base compound, a photobase generator, and the like. Examples of these compounds include the com› pounds described in JP2002-6500A. 

[0210] Preferred examples of the organic solvent used for the composition of the present invention include ethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate, cyclohexanone, 2-hep› tanone, propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME, another name: l-methoxy-2-propanol), propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate (PGMEA, another name: l-methoxy-2-acetoxypropane ), propylene glycol monom› ethyl ether propionate, propylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate, methyl 3-methoxypropionate, ethyl 3-ethoxypropi› onate, methyl ~-methoxyisobutyrate, ethyl butyrate, propyl butyrate, methyl isobutyl ketone, ethyl acetate, isoamyl acetate, ethyl lactate, toluene, xylene, cyclohexyl acetate, diacetone alcohol, N-methylpyrrolidone, N,N-dimethylfor› mamide, y-butyrolactone, N,N-dimethylacetamide, propyl› ene carbonate, and ethylene carbonate. These solvents may be used alone or in combination thereof. 

[0211] The solid component of the composition of the present invention is dissolved in the solvent, and is dissolved at a solid content concentration preferably in the range of 1 mass % to 40 mass %, more preferably 1 mass % to 30 mass %, and still more preferably 3 mass % to 20 mass %. With a solid content concentration in this range, the above› described film thickness can be achieved. 

[0212] The present invention also relates to a resist film formed by the composition of the present invention. Such a resist film is formed, for example, by coating the composi› tion of the present invention having the solid content con› centration as described above on a support such as a sub› strate. The composition of the present invention is applied on a substrate using an appropriate coating method such as spin coating, roll coating, flow coating, dip coating, spray coating, or doctor coating. The coating film is pre-baked at 60° C. to 150° C. for 1 minute to 20 minutes, and preferably at 80° C. to 120° C. for 1 minute to 10 minutes to form a resist film. The film thickness of the resist film formed is preferably 10 nm to 200 nm, more preferably 10 nm to 150 nm, and still more preferably 20 nm to 150 nm. 

[0213] The substrate suitable for the present invention is a silicon substrate or a substrate having provided thereon a metal deposited film or a metal-containing film, and a substrate having provided on the surface thereof a deposited film by Cr, Mo Si, TaSi, or an oxide or nitride thereof is more suited. 

[0214] The present invention also relates to a resist-coated mask blank coated with the thus-obtained resist film. In order to obtain such a resist-coated mask blank, in the case of forming a resist pattern on a photomask blank for the production of a photomask, the transparent substrate to be used is a transparent substrate such as quartz and calcium fluoride. In general, a light-shielding film, an antireflection 

film, further a phase shift film, and additionally a required functional film such as etching stopper film and etching mask film are stacked on the substrate. As for the material of the functional film, a film containing silicon or a transition metal such as chromium, molybdenum, zirconium, tanta› lum, tungsten, titanium, and niobium is stacked. Examples of the material used for the outermost layer include a silicon compound material where the main constituent material is a material containing silicon or containing silicon and oxygen and/or nitrogen, a silicon compound material where the main constituent material is the material above which further contains a transition metal, and a transition metal compound material where the main constituent material is a material containing a transition metal, particularly, one or more transition metals selected from chromium, molybdenum, zirconium, tantalum, tungsten, titanium, and niobium, or further containing one or more elements selected from oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon. 

[0215] The light-shielding film may have a single-layer structure but more preferably has a multilayer structure where a plurality of materials are applied one on another. In the case of a multilayer structure, the film thickness per layer is not particularly limited but is preferably 5 nm to 100 nm, and more preferably 10 nm to 80 nm. The thickness of the entire light-shielding film is not particularly limited but is preferably 5 nm to 200 nm, and more preferably 10 nm to 150 nm 

[0216] In the case where the pattern formation is carried out using an actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition on the photomask blank having the material containing chromium and oxygen or nitrogen in the outer› most layer thereof among the materials described above, a so-called undercut shape having a waisted shape near the substrate is likely to be formed in general. However, in the case of using the composition of the present invention, the undercut problem may be improved as compared with the conventional composition. 

[0217] Subsequently, this resist film is irradiated with actinic rays or radiation (for example, electron beam), then preferably baked (usually at 80° C. to 150° C., more preferably 90° C. to 130° C.), and subsequently developed. In this manner, a good pattern may be obtained. Etching, ion implantation, or the like is appropriately performed by using this pattern as the mask to produce, for example, a semi› conductor fine circuit or an imprint mold structure. 

[0218] Meanwhile, the process for preparing an imprint mold by using the composition of the present invention is described, for example, in JP4109085B, and JP2008- 162101A. 

[0219] The present invention also relates to a resist pattern forming method including exposing the above-described resist film or resist-coated mask blank and developing the exposed resist film or resist-coated mask blank. In the present invention, the exposure is preferably performed using an electron beam or extreme-ultraviolet rays. 

[0220] Further, the present invention also relates to a photomask obtained by exposing and developing the resist› coated mask blank. 

[0221] In the production or the like of a precision inte› grated circuit element, at the exposure on the resist film (a pattern forming step), first, it is preferred to perform pat› ternwise irradiation of an electron beam or extreme ultra› violet (EUV) light on the resist film of the present invention. The exposure is carried out at an exposure dose ranging from 

