Abstract: A projection exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system for projecting a pattern on a substrate, a holding portion for holding an optical element which propagates light toward the projection optical system, a mask which is arranged on or near a plane of an image of the optical element formed by the projection optical system and has a transmission portion, an actuator for driving the optical element along one of focal planes of the projection optical system, and a measurement device for measuring an intensity of light which emerges from the optical element, and passes through the projection optical system and the transmission portion of the mask, while the optical element is driven. The measurement device is disposed at a point in a plane conjugate to a pupil plane of the projection optical system or a point in a plane spaced apart from the mask enough to separately detect respective rays emerging from plural points of the plane.

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: A projection exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system arranged to project a pattern onto a substrate, a holding portion arranged to hold an optical element which propagates light toward the projection optical system, a mask having a transmission portion and being disposed on or near an image plane or object plane of the projection optical system or a plane conjugate to the image plane and the object plane, an actuator arranged to drive the mask along a plane of an image of the optical element formed by the projection optical system, and a measurement device arranged to measure an intensity of light while the mask is driven. The light emerges from the optical element, and passes through the projection optical system and the transmission portion of the mask.

Abstract: An aberration measuring apparatus capable of measuring wavefront aberration at a high degree of accuracy regardless of the magnitude of aberration of an optical system is disclosed. This aberration measuring apparatus includes a first mask which generates a wavefront including wavefront aberration of the optical system and a reference wavefront not including wavefront aberration of the optical system with respect to a predetermined direction, a second mask which generates two wavefronts, both of which include wavefront aberration of the optical system and a detector placed at a position where the two wavefronts generated by the first mask or the two wavefronts generated by the second mask form an interference pattern. Wavefront aberration of the optical system is calculated based on the interference pattern detected by this detector.

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: An apparatus for measuring the surface shape of the surface to be measured of an optical system to be measured includes a rotary stage holding the optical system to be measured thereon and rotatable about the optical axis of the optical system to be measured, a device for detecting the rotation azimuth of the rotary stage, an irradiating optical system for sequentially applying a coherent light beam to the plurality of measuring diameter positions of the surface to be measured of the optical system to be measured held on the rotary stage, a light receiving element for detecting the reflected light of the coherent light beam from the surface to be measured as an interference signal, and a calculating system for effecting the measurement of the surface shape of the surface to be measured on the basis of the result of the detection of the interference signal at each of the plurality of measuring diameter positions of the surface to be measured and the result of the detection by the rotation azimuth detecting dev

Abstract: A measurement method of measuring wavefront aberration of a projection optical system in a projection exposure apparatus for projecting a reticle pattern onto a substrate via the projection optical system. The method includes a measurement step of measuring intensity of a light beam having passed through the projection optical system and a phase shift pattern at a plane conjugate to a pupil plane of the projection optical system or a plane spaced apart from the phase shift pattern enough to separately detect respective rays emerging from plural points of the pupil plane, when the phase shift pattern set near an image plane or object plane of the projection optical system for forming an image of a pattern is scanned in one or a plurality of directions perpendicular to an optical axis of the projection optical system. The method also includes a signal processing step of calculating the wavefront aberration of the projection optical system on the basis of a measurement result of the measurement step.

Abstract: This invention enables measurement of the imaging performance (e.g., wavefront aberration) of a projection optical system in a projection exposure apparatus. A light intensity distribution detection device measures light which emerges from a transmission portion (11) and passes through a projection optical system (10) and a transmission portion (17T) formed-in a mask (17M) while a mask (12) having the transmission portion (11) is moved along the object-side focal plane of the projection optical system (10), thereby obtaining the imaging performance of the projection optical system (10) on the basis of the measurement result.

Abstract: The vicinity of an imaging position where the image of a pattern is formed via a projection optical system has another pattern. A projection exposure apparatus uses a light intensity distribution measurement unit for measuring the light intensity distribution of an image formed by a beam having passed through a phase shift pattern different from the pattern. The wavefront aberration of the projection optical system is calculated from changes in light intensity distribution obtained by the light intensity distribution measurement unit in synchronism with scan when the phase shift pattern is scanned in one or a plurality of directions perpendicular to the optical axis of the projection optical system.

Abstract: A projection exposure apparatus includes an illumination system, a projection optical system for projecting a pattern on a substrate, a holding portion for holding a first mask having a first transmission portion between the illumination system and the projection optical system, a second mask which is arranged near the image-side focal position of the projection optical system and has a second transmission portion, and an actuator for driving the second mask in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the projection optical system.