Computer architecture for and method of high-resolution imaging using a low-resolution image transducer

A method of forming an image having edge placement accuracy to a small fraction of a pixel using an image transducer having coarse pixels, the method comprising the steps of:

• a) defining a fine grid pattern comprising a plurality of fine-grid pixels corresponding to the desired image;
• b) overlaying the coarse grid pixel array on the fine grid pattern and determining a proportion p of the number of exposed fine grid pixels making up the portion of the fine grid pattern formed in each coarse grid pixel;
• c) applying the proportion p to a number of pulse-exposures (2n−1) to be combined to obtain an n-digit binary integer number N corresponding to each coarse-grid pixel;
• d) creating n different binary patterns based on the binary numbers N, wherein the pattern number is based on the order of the digit starting from the right and whether or not the pixel is exposed depends on whether the digit is a one or a zero;
• and
• e) imaging the n patterns in sequence by pulse-exposing the mth pattern 2m−1 times for a total of 2n−1 pulse-exposures, thereby forming a set of superimposed images having an edge placement resolution substantially equal to the width of a coarse grid pixel divided by (2n−1).

In a scanning imaging system employing a pulsed radiation source and a digitally programmable image transducer having an array of microelements capable of being irradiated by the radiation source, and an image transducer memory array in electrical communication with the microelements, a method of transferring pattern data stored in pattern memory arrays in communication with the image transducer memory array between pulse-exposures of the radiation source, the method comprising the steps of:

• a) dividing the image transducer memory array into 2n−1 equally sized columns;
• b) dividing the pattern data stored in the pattern memory arrays into corresponding sized pattern memory array columns and adding to the start and finish of each memory pattern 2n−2 columns of ones or zeros, and numbering the pattern memory array columns consecutively from one through x;
• c) defining a pattern index start number and setting it equal to 1;
• d) transferring 2n−1 columns of pattern data in increasing numerical sequence from the pattern memory array to the image transducer memory array, with the first of the pattern data columns in the image transducer memory array corresponding to the first column in the first pattern memory array, the next two columns in the image transducer memory array corresponding to the second and third columns in the second memory array, the next 4 columns in the image transducer memory array corresponding to the fourth through seventh columns of the third pattern memory array, and so on, until 2n−1 columns in the image transducer memory array are filled with data columns from all n patterns stored in the pattern memory arrays;
• e) pulse-exposing the pattern on the image transducer and imaging the pattern onto a photo-sensitive substrate and incrementing the pattern start number by one unit, to move the pattern by one column, corresponding to the substrate motion between pulse-exposures;
• and
• f) repeating said step d) and said step e) until the all patterns stored in the pattern memory arrays have been transferred onto the image transducer and pulse-exposed.

A highly parallel data bus architecture for operating a digitally programmable image transducer having an array of microelements that can be divided into in 2n−1 columns and an associated image transducer memory array comprised of memory cells corresponding to respective microelements for storing a bit of pattern data that determines the microelement state, the architecture comprising:

• a) n memory arrays, where n is an integer greater than or equal to 2, with each memory array capable of storing a low-resolution pattern to be formed onto the microelement array;
• b) a parallel data bus electrically connecting the memory arrays to the image transducer memory array;
• c) one or more data bus switches within the data bus allowing the data transfer from any one of the n memory arrays to be switched to the image transducer memory array;
• and
• d) a memory control unit electrically connected to the n memory arrays and the one or more data bus switches, programmed such that 2m−1 columns of pattern data stored in the mth memory array are sequentially transferred to 2m−1 memory cell columns of the image transducer memory array, wherein m is an integer that starts at 1 and increments by 1 until it reaches the value n.

A method of patterning a substrate with a high-resolution image having an edge placement resolution finer than that afforded by the individual microelements from which the high-resolution image is formed, comprising the steps of:

• a) storing n=2 predetermined patterns in n corresponding memory arrays in electrical communication with an image transducer memory array in electrical communication with the image transducer microelements;
• b) irradiating the image transducer with pulses of radiation so that after moving completely across the image transducer in 2n−1 steps and being partially exposed at each step, each pattern element is completely exposed on the substrate;
• and
• c) continuously scanning the substrate so that the partial exposures of the patterns remain spatially synchronized on the substrate.