Large area high resolution feature reduction lithography technique

A method, comprising:

• projecting at least one incident beam to a mask in a propagation direction of the at least one incident beam, the mask having at least one period of a dispersive element is disposed over a reflector, wherein:
• the at least one period of the dispersive element of the mask diffracts the incident beam into a plurality of order mode beams having diffraction orders, the diffraction orders of the order mode beams having a total of:
• a highest order N greater than 1;
• a negative highest order −N less than −1;
• and
• order modes m between −N and N, the highest order N and negative highest order −N of the order mode beams each include a greater diffracted power than each of order mode beams with the orders m;
• the reflector reflects the order mode beams to a beam splitter that redirects the diffraction orders;
• the diffraction orders provide an intensity pattern in a space between the beam splitter and a substrate, the order mode beams in the space including the highest order N, the negative highest order −N, and each of the order modes m, the substrate having a photoresist layer disposed thereon;
• the intensity pattern includes a plurality of intensity peaks defined by sub-periodic patterns of the at least one period;
• and
• the intensity peaks of the sub-periodic patterns write a plurality of portions in the photoresist layer such that a number of the portions in the photoresist layer corresponding to the at least one period is greater than N.

A method, comprising:

• projecting at least one incident beam to a mask in a propagation direction of the at least one incident beam, the mask having at least one period of a dispersive element, wherein:
• the at least one period of the dispersive element of the mask diffracts the incident beam into a plurality of order mode beams having diffraction orders, the diffraction orders of the order mode beams having a total of:
• a highest order N greater than 1;
• a negative highest order −N less than −1;
• and
• order modes m between N and N, the highest order N and negative highest order −N of the order mode beams each include a greater diffracted power than each of order mode beams with the orders m;
• the mask reflects the order mode beams to a beam splitter that redirects the diffraction orders;
• the diffraction orders provide an intensity pattern in a space between the beam splitter and a substrate, the order mode beams in the space including the highest order N, the negative highest order −N, and each of the order modes m, the substrate having a photoresist layer disposed thereon;
• the intensity pattern includes a plurality of intensity peaks defined by sub-periodic patterns of the at least one period;
• and
• the intensity peaks of the sub-periodic patterns write a plurality of portions in the photoresist layer such that a number of the portions in the photoresist layer corresponding to the at least one period is greater than N.