In the quest for a high performance 193 nm photoresist with robust plasma etching resistance equivalent to or better than the DUV resists of today, we have focused on the use of cyclic olefin polymers. In this paper, we will discuss monomer synthesis, polymerization approaches, polymer properties and early lithographic results of 193 nm photoresists formulated from cyclic olefin polymeric materials made from a metal-catalyzed addition polymerization process. The goal of this work is to produce a 193 nm photoresist with excellent imaging performance and etch resistance exceeding DUV resists, and in fact approaching novolak-based photoresists.