System and method for projection lithography with immersed image-aligned diffractive element

A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for designing a mask implemented for fabricating a hologram structure in a photosensitive layer of a semiconductor stack and for generating an optimized wavefield for illuminating said hologram structure to achieve a specified image target comprising alternating bright and dark pattern region in a photosensitive material layer of said stack, said method steps comprising:

• a) selecting a preliminary wave field and hologram diffractive properties using a scalar model at an artificially reduced spatial frequency wavelength;
• implementing wavefront engineering method to generate a physical structure for said hologram in a preliminary solution and a 1st stage wave field for modulating said hologram;
• implementing local optimization to provide an optimized design for said hologram and a wavefront at the artificially decreased wavelength;
• incrementing the wavelength in a small upward increment;
• refining, at said incremented wavelength, said local optimization to tune in a solution for the current incremented wavelength by adjusting variables of a hologram profile, an index of the hologram features and a film stack beneath the hologram;
• and,
• iterating between said wavelength incrementing and refining to arrive at a solution which is valid at an operating wavelength, said solution including a 2nd stage wave field for modulating said hologram, wherein a spatial frequency modulation in a resulting image includes the same bright and dark regions as the image target;
• and,
• generating a pair of lithographic masks suitable to generate 1st stage and 2nd stage wave fields at respective first and second sets of spatial frequencies using said wavefront engineering method.