Patent ID: 7820064
Filing Date: 2010-10-26
Classification: B81C,B82Y,C23C,G03F,G11B,H01F,H01L,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method, comprising: forming a layer to be patterned over a substrate; forming a spinodal alloy layer on the layer to be patterned, wherein the spinodal alloy layer comprises a plurality of alloy elements and, when the spinodal alloy layer is at a temperature within a spinodal decomposition temperature range for the two phases formed by the alloy elements, decomposes into two phases that are spatially separated and spatially interleaved in a spinodally decomposed periodic structure; controlling a temperature of the spinodal alloy layer to be within the spinodal decomposition temperature range to form the spinodally decomposed periodic structure; patterning the spinodal alloy layer in the spinodally decomposed periodic structure to remove one of the two phases and hence to transform the spinodal alloy layer into a patterned mask which exposes the layer to be patterned according to the spinodally decomposed periodic structure; patterning the layer to be patterned through the patterned mask in the spinodal alloy layer to form a patterned layer; wherein: the method further comprising: