Method for fine-line interferometric lithography

In microelectronic processing, the method of producing complex, two-dimensional patterns on a photosensitive layer with dimensions in the extreme submicron range. A photosensitive layer is first exposed to two beams of coherent radiation to form an image of a first interference pattern on the surface of the layer. The layer is subsequently exposed to one or more interference pattern(s) that differ from the first interference pattern in some way, such as by varying the incident angle of the beams, the optical intensity, the periodicity, rotational orientation, translational position, by using complex amplitude or phase masks in one or both of the coherent beams, or a combination of the above. Desired regions of the complex pattern thus produced are isolated with a further exposure of the photosensitive layer using any conventional lithography.