Abstract: A proximity exposure method and apparatus therefor. Replications of mask patterns are carried out, wherein as a mask closely approaches a substrate, the displacement of the mask is detected, and the atmospheric pressure between the mask and the substrate, or around the side of the mask opposite the substrate is controlled so as to cancel the displacement of the mask. The apparatus includes positioning apparatus, a light source for exposing the mask pattern, displacement measuring means, and atmospheric pressure controlling means.

Abstract: In accordance with a proposed resist pattern forming method, contact angles between the surface of a resist and a rinse is adjusted within a predetermined range, a volatil surfactant which does not remain by drying is mixed in the rinse so as to reduce a surface tension, the rinse is dried under a critical condition of the rinse in order not to cause the surface tension to exert. The occurrence of an attractive force between the resist patterns may be thereby weakened or nullified, so that falling of the patterns can be effectively prevented which very often happened at forming fine resist patterns or resist patterns of high aspect. On the other hand, depending upon structure of said resist pattern, it is possible to effectively prevent outermost main patterns of gathering resist patterns from falling down. By providing such effects, yieldings of products are increased. Further, the present invention may be also applied to a lithography illumination sources of which are light, electron, X-ray, ion beam, etc.

Abstract: In accordance with a proposed resist pattern forming method, contact angles between the surface of a resist and a rinse is adjusted within a predetermined range, a volatil surfactant which does not remain by drying is mixed in the rinse so as to reduce a surface tension, the rinse is dried under a critical condition of the rinse in order not to cause the surface tension to exert. The occurrence of an attractive force between the resist patterns may be thereby weakened or nullified, so that falling of the patterns can be effectively prevented which very often happened at forming fine resist patterns or resist patterns of high aspect. On the other hand, depending upon structure of said resist pattern, it is possible to effectively prevent outermost main patterns of gathering resist patterns from falling down. By providing such effects, yielding of products are increased. Further, the present invention may be also applied to a lithography illumination sources of which are light, electron, X-ray, ion beam, etc.

Abstract: X-ray alignment method and apparatus therefor characterized by separately irradiating alignment light to alignment patterns of an X-ray mask and detecting reflected light therefrom, and directly irradiating alignment light to alignment patterns of a wafer and detecting the reflected light therefrom, and aligning the X-ray mask and the wafer in accordance with the detecting data of the reflected light. The apparatus includes a position alignment mechanism for the mask stage and the wafer stage, which moves the X-ray mask and/or the wafer and provides the alignment therebetween. The apparatus includes independent light sources for irradiating the alignment patterns of the X-ray mask side and the wafer side, independent detectors for detecting the reflected light of the alignment patterns of the X-ray mask and the wafer, and a controller for analyzing the respective positions of the X-ray mask and the wafer in accordance with the detection data and issuing control signals to the position alignment mechanism.

Abstract: The present invention relates to position detection, and aligning structure utilizing optical heterodyne method in semiconductor ultra fine processing or ultra accurate measuring. This is to provide a structure which contains pitches of not less than two kinds with respect to grating pitches of diffraction gratings which directly give influences to signal detecting range and detecting resolution, or which contains different values of not less than two kinds with respect to absolute values n of an order of .+-.n-th order injecting directions (or .+-.n-th order diffraction directions) to be determined by said grating pitches, so as to enable to enlarge a detecting range as maintaining a required detecting resolution (or a structure which can take out diffracted lights in different diffraction directions of not less than two).