Patent ID: 7097781

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a porous structure, comprising: forming a molded product consisting of a pattern forming material comprising a copolymer selected from the group consisting of a block copolymer and a graft copolymer; the block copolymer and the graft copolymer each having: a first polymer chain whose main chain may be cut by irradiation with an energy beam selected from the group consisting of an electron beam, a γ-ray beam, and an X-ray beam, and a second polymer chain which does not decompose upon irradiation with the energy beam; forming a microphase-separated structure in the molded product; the structure comprising: an energy-beam-decomposable polymer phase comprising the first polymer, and a remaining polymer phase comprising the second polymer; cutting the main chain of the first polymer in the microphase-separated structure by irradiating the molded product with the energy beam; and forming a porous structure comprised of the remaining polymer phase by etching and selectively removing the energy-beam-decomposable polymer phase; wherein the copolymer is made self-supporting prior to the etching and selectively removing the energy-beam-decomposable polymer phase.