Abstract: The present invention provides a method of measuring a shape of a surface of an object, the method including obtaining shape data for each of a plurality of regions on the surface by a surface measurement for each of the plurality of regions, each of the plurality of regions having a region overlapping another of the plurality of regions, obtaining an error of the surface measurements so as to minimize a difference in shape with respect to the overlapping regions based on the obtained shape data, and obtaining the shape of the surface based on the obtained shape data and the obtained error, wherein the shape data is obtained so as not to include a component having a spatial frequency higher than a threshold determined based on a required precision.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of calculating a surface shape of a target surface, including the steps of defining, as a measurement target region, each of a plurality of regions on the target surface in which adjacent regions overlap each other, and obtaining data that give the heights at the plurality of positions in each of the plurality of regions, and removing, for each of the plurality of regions, an average data from the data that are obtained in the step of obtaining the data and give the heights at the plurality of positions in each of the plurality of regions, thereby generating correction data for each of the plurality of regions.

Abstract: A shape measurement apparatus includes a distance measurement meter configured to emit and receive the beam in relation to the object; a beam deflection mechanism configured to deflect the beam from the distance measurement meter; and a control unit configured to determine at least one of a maximum beam deflection angle due to the beam deflection mechanism and the distance between a detected surface and the beam deflection mechanism when the beam is incident perpendicularly to the detected surface of the object, so that an error of a first measurement error that depends on a change in a spot diameter of the beam on the detected surface and a second measurement error that depends on an incidence angle on the detected surface of the beam is no more than a threshold value of a permitted error.

Abstract: The present invention provides a measurement apparatus for measuring a shape of an object to be measured, comprising a measuring head configured to perform measurement in a first measurement mode and perform measurement in a second measurement mode having measurement accuracy higher than that of the first measurement mode, a detection unit configured to detect an occupancy region of the object to be measured, and a control unit configured to control the measuring head, wherein in the first measurement mode, the control unit moves, based on a detection result of the detection unit, the measuring head not to touch the object to be measured, and in the second measurement mode, the control unit moves, based on a measurement result in the first measurement mode, the measuring head to satisfy an allowable condition in the second measurement mode.

Abstract: A shape measurement apparatus includes a distance measurement meter configured to emit and receive the beam in relation to the object; a beam deflection mechanism configured to deflect the beam from the distance measurement meter; and a control unit configured to determine at least one of a maximum beam deflection angle due to the beam deflection mechanism and the distance between a detected surface and the beam deflection mechanism when the beam is incident perpendicularly to the detected surface of the object, so that an error of a first measurement error that depends on a change in a spot diameter of the beam on the detected surface and a second measurement error that depends on an incidence angle on the detected surface of the beam is no more than a threshold value of a permitted error.

Abstract: The present invention provides a measurement apparatus that illuminates a surface to be tested having an aspheric surface using light beams that form spherical waves to measure a figure of the surface to be tested, including a detection unit configured to detect interference patterns between light beams from the surface to be tested and light beams from a reference surface, and a controller configured to control processing for obtaining a figure of the surface to be tested based on the interference patterns detected by the detection unit.

Abstract: The present invention provides a measurement apparatus that illuminates a surface to be tested having an aspheric surface using light beams that form spherical waves to measure a figure of the surface to be tested, including a detection unit configured to detect interference patterns between light beams from the surface to be tested and light beams from a reference surface, and a controller configured to control processing for obtaining a figure of the surface to be tested based on the interference patterns detected by the detection unit.

Abstract: A measurement apparatus comprises a measurement head including a detector which detects an interference light between test light and reference light and a processing unit. The processing unit calculates an optical path length difference between the reference light and the test light from the detected interference light, calculates a test wavefront and a reference wavefront based on a nominal value of a shape of the surface to be measured and optical information of an optical component in the measurement head, calculates a wavefront difference, calculates a phase error, corrects the calculated optical path length difference based on the calculated phase error, calculates a distance between the reference point and the surface to be measured, and calculates the shape of the surface to be measured, based on the calculated distance between the reference point and the surface to be measured, and coordinates of the reference point.

Abstract: A measuring apparatus includes a pinhole mask, located on an object plane of an optical system to be measured, and having a plurality of pinholes for generating a spherical wave from a measuring light beam, and a diffraction grating for splitting the measuring light beam that has passed the pinhole mask and the optical system, in which Lg=m·Pg2/? is met, where Pg is a grating pitch of the diffraction grating, ? is a wavelength of the measuring light beam, m is an integer other than zero, and Lg is a distance between the diffraction grating and an image plane of the optical system. The measuring apparatus detects an interferogram formed by interference between a plurality of the measuring light beams split by the diffraction grating. The plurality of measuring light beams includes an aberration of the optical system.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of measuring a shape of a surface of an object, the method including obtaining shape data for each of a plurality of regions on the surface by a surface measurement for each of the plurality of regions, each of the plurality of regions having a region overlapping another of the plurality of regions, obtaining an error of the surface measurements so as to minimize a difference in shape with respect to the overlapping regions based on the obtained shape data, and obtaining the shape of the surface based on the obtained shape data and the obtained error, wherein the shape data is obtained so as not to include a component having a spatial frequency higher than a threshold determined based on a required precision.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of calculating a surface shape of a target surface, including the steps of defining, as a measurement target region, each of a plurality of regions on the target surface in which adjacent regions overlap each other, and obtaining data that give the heights at the plurality of positions in each of the plurality of regions, and removing, for each of the plurality of regions, an average data from the data that are obtained in the step of obtaining the data and give the heights at the plurality of positions in each of the plurality of regions, thereby generating correction data for each of the plurality of regions.

Abstract: The present invention provides a measurement apparatus that illuminates a surface to be tested having an aspheric surface using light beams that form spherical waves to measure a figure of the surface to be tested, including a detection unit configured to detect interference patterns between light beams from the surface to be tested and light beams from a reference surface, and a controller configured to control processing for obtaining a figure of the surface to be tested based on the interference patterns detected by the detection unit.

Abstract: The present invention provides a measurement apparatus that illuminates a surface to be tested having an aspheric surface using light beams that form spherical waves to measure a figure of the surface to be tested, including a detection unit configured to detect interference patterns between light beams from the surface to be tested and light beams from a reference surface, and a controller configured to control processing for obtaining a figure of the surface to be tested based on the interference patterns detected by the detection unit.

Abstract: A measuring apparatus includes a pinhole mask, located at an object plane of an optical system to be measured, and having a plurality of pinholes for generating a spherical wave from a measuring light beam, and a diffraction grating for splitting the measuring light beam that has passed the pinhole mask and the optical system, wherein Lg=m·Pg2/? is met, where Pg is a grating pitch of the diffraction grating, ? is a wavelength of the measuring light beam, m is an integer other than zero, and Lg is a distance between the diffraction grating and an image plane of the optical system. The measuring apparatus calculates a wavefront aberration of the optical system from an interferogram formed by causing interference of the measuring light beams split by the diffraction grating.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus for exposing a pattern of a mask onto an object using light from a light source, includes a projection optical system for projecting the pattern onto the object, and a measuring apparatus for measuring, as an interference fringe, optical performance of the projection optical system using the light, wherein the measuring apparatus is a point diffraction interferometer that has a pinhole to form an ideal spherical wave, a line diffraction interferometer that has a slit to form an ideal cylindrical wave or an ideal elliptical wave, or a shearing interferometer that utilizes a shearing interferometry.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes an illumination optical system adapted to illuminate a reflection mask with light from an exposure light source, and a projection optical system adapted to project a pattern image of the reflection mask disposed in an object plane onto a substrate disposed in an image plane. The illumination optical system includes a reflection integrator adapted to form a plurality of secondary light sources with the light from the exposure light source, a condenser unit adapted to superimpose beams of light from the secondary light sources with one another on the reflection mask, and a mirror capable of being disposed in an optical path instead of the reflection integrator. When the mirror is disposed in the optical path, an illuminated area formed in the object plane of the projection optical system is reduced in comparison with that formed when the reflection integrator is disposed in the optical path.

Abstract: An adjusting method measures a wavefront aberration in a first direction of a target optical system and a wavefront aberration in a second direction different from the first direction of the target optical system, and calculates a first correction value and a second correction value based on a determinant assuming that a matrix that is made by adding a first correction value to each column of the first matrix is equal to a matrix that is made by adding a second correction value to each row of the second matrix. The first correction value is different every column, and the second correction value is different every row. The first matrix represents the wavefront aberration in the first direction, and the second matrix represents the wavefront aberration in the second direction.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus comprises an illumination optical system adapted to illuminate a reflection mask with light from an exposure light source, and a projection optical system adapted to project a pattern image of the reflection mask disposed in an object plane onto a substrate disposed in an image plane. The illumination optical system includes a reflection integrator adapted to form a plurality of secondary light sources with the light from the exposure light source, a condenser unit adapted to superimpose beams of light from the secondary light sources with one another on the reflection mask, and a mirror capable of being disposed in an optical path instead of the reflection integrator. When the mirror is disposed in the optical path, an illuminated area formed in the object plane of the projection optical system is reduced in comparison with that formed when the reflection integrator is disposed in the optical path.

Abstract: This specification discloses a measuring apparatus for measuring the wavefront aberration of an optical system for a soft X-ray which can highly accurately measure the wavefront aberration of the optical system without using the soft X-ray. This measuring apparatus has a light source for supplying light of a predetermined wavelength, and a detector disposed at a location whereat an interference fringe is formed by the light of the predetermined wavelength passed through the optical system, and measures the wavefront aberration of the optical system on the basis of the result of the detection by this detector. The predetermined wavelength is a wavelength within a wavelength range of 150 nm to 300 nm.

Abstract: A method for obtaining information relating to two-dimensional optical performance of a target optical system includes the steps of calculating a first correction value and/or a second correction value used to synthesize first and second measurement data with each other, the first measurement data representing optical performance of the target optical system in a first direction and providing a correct relative relationship in the first direction, the second measurement data representing optical performance of the target optical system in a second direction different from the first direction and providing a correct relative relationship in the second direction, and synthesizing the first and second measurement data with each other using the first and/or second correction values calculated by the calculating step.