Apparatus and method of direct writing with photons beyond the diffraction limit

An apparatus for performing direct-write lithography in a photoresist layer supported by a substrate, comprising:

• means for forming on the photoresist layer two or three interference fringe patterns oriented symmetrically about an axis normal to the photoresist resist layer and having an inhibition wavelength that acts on the photoresist layer to inhibit exposure of the photoresist by an exposure wavelength different from the inhibition wavelength, wherein the interference fringe patterns form an interference image that defines an array of dark spots;
• means for superimposing on the interference image an image of a transducer having an array of transducer pixels with a select orientation that matches that of the dark spots, the transducer image having the exposure wavelength and comprising an array of bright spots that are images of activated transducer pixels in the array of transducer pixels, wherein the transducer image is formed after or simultaneously with the interference image, and wherein the bright spots are larger than the dark spots;
• and
• means for moving the interference image and the substrate in synchrony while flash exposing the transducer image to scan the dark spots across the bright spots during each flash exposure, wherein each bright spot is trimmed by the corresponding dark spot to form a sub-resolution photoresist pixel having a size smaller than if the dark spot were absent.

An apparatus for performing direct-write lithography in a photoresist layer supported by a substrate to form sub-resolution photoresist pixels, comprising:

• a movable stage system that movably support the substrate;
• an objective lens arranged adjacent the substrate;
• an illuminator system configured to generate flashes of illumination light;
• an interference pattern generator arranged relative to the objective lens opposite the substrate and that generates in combination with the objective lens at least two movable interference fringe patterns at the photoresist layer, the at least two interference fringe patterns having an inhibition wavelength that acts on the photoresist layer to inhibit exposure of the photoresist at an exposure wavelength different from the inhibition wavelength, the at least two interference fringe patterns defining a movable interference image having an array of dark spots;
• an image transducer having an array of configurable transducer pixels arranged to receive and selectively modulate the illumination light incident thereon from the illuminator system and to form in combination with the objective lens a transducer image at the photoresist layer, the transducer image having the exposure wavelength and comprising an array of bright spots that are larger than the dark spots of the interference image, wherein the transducer image is formed after or simultaneously with the interference image;
• and
• wherein the movable stage system and the interference pattern generator respectively cause the substrate and interference image to move in synchrony while the illuminator system illuminates the transducer with the flashes of illumination light to effectuate scanning of the dark spots relative to the bright spots to expose the photoresist layer to form the sub-resolution photoresist pixels in the photoresist without smearing.