Patent ID: 7189498

Claim:
A method of forming a pattern on a substrate, the method comprising: providing a substrate having formed thereon a photosensitive layer; providing a mirror array comprising a plurality of mirrors capable of operating as at least one of piston mirrors or tilt mirrors; configuring the mirrors such that the arrangement of the mirrors of the mirror array comprises operating the mirrors as piston mirrors and arranging the plurality of mirrors such that the displacement of the mirrors from a neutral plane of the mirror array enables the mirror array to generate a resultant image pattern comprising a strong phase shift interference pattern wherein the plurality of piston mirrors are arranged in a graduated mirror displacement pattern such that the graduated mirror displacement pattern of the mirrors from a neutral plane of the mirror array generates less than the maximum interference in an illuminating light thereby shifting the resultant image pattern enabling a desired phase interference pattern to be created in light directed onto the mirror array and enabling gray scaling in a resultant image pattern thereby moving at least a portion of a feature on the photo sensitive layer; illuminating the mirror array with light to form the resultant image pattern having the desired phase interference pattern; and exposing the photosensitive layer of the substrate with the resultant image pattern.