Patent ID: 7932997

Claim:
A method for illuminating an object for selectively patterning a photosensitive material overlying the object using an array of mirror devices, the method comprising: retrieving information associated with a pattern to be exposed onto the photosensitive material; determining outputs associated with one or more mirrors in an array of mirror devices to be actuated based on the information; applying electromagnetic radiation using a flood beam onto the array of mirror devices, each of the mirror devices being associated with a pixel for the pattern to be exposed onto the photosensitive material; selectively actuating one or more mirrors on the array to deflect corresponding portions of the beam onto corresponding portions of the photosensitive material to expose the portions of the photosensitive material on the object; maintaining one or more other mirrors in a selected position(s) to maintain corresponding other portions of the photosensitive material free from exposure by reflecting other portions of the beam to a region outside the surface of the photosensitive material, and adjusting a relative spatial distance between the array of mirrors and the photosensitive material for a predetermined period of time to shift a phase associated with at least one of the mirrors.