The present invention relates to an antireflective coating composition comprising an admixture of:a) a polymer defined by the following structure: ##STR1## where, R.sub.1 & R.sub.2 are independently hydrogen, or C.sub.1 to C.sub.5 alkylR.sub.3 is a methyl, ethyl, propyl or butyl groupR.sub.4 -R.sub.7 are independently hydrogen, or C.sub.1 to C.sub.5 alkyln=10 to 50,000(b) a fluorine-containing, sparingly water-soluble (0.1%-10% by weight in water) organic C.sub.3 -C.sub.13 aliphatic carboxylic acid;(c) a non-metallic hydroxide; and(d) a solvent.The invention also relates to a method for producing such an antireflective coating composition and to a method for producing a microelectronic device using such an antireflective coating composition in conjunction with a photoresist composition.