A mask pattern may be decomposed into two or more masks, each having a pitch
greater
than that of the original mask pattern. New, "partial-pattern" masks may be created
for each of the new mask patterns. The original mask pattern is transferred to
the photoresist for the corresponding layer using a multiple exposure technique
in which the photoresist is exposed with each of the partial-pattern masks individually,
e.g., back-to-back in a pass through a scanner, to define all of the features in
the original pattern.