Abstract: An exposure apparatus is arranged to project one unit of a circuit pattern onto the surface of a resist on a substrate to be manufactured and to expose it over the surface of this resist. The exposure apparatus includes a processing unit that enables forming a high-resolution circuit pattern image on the substrate by the use of an image display which is able to ensure a wide display region without deteriorating the resolution, and that when dividing the one unit of circuit pattern into a plurality of regions in order to ensure an inexpensive, reliable exposure operation, divides it so that adjacent ones of the divided regions may partly overlap each other. An exposure device includes a plurality of optical systems each of that projects one of a plurality of the divided regions onto the surface of the resist on the substrate.

Abstract: A microscope system has an objective unit including an objective lens, an objective holding device for holding the objective lens so that the objective lens can be spatially moved, at least one actuator for driving the objective lens, and an outer frame member for integrally supporting the objective lens, the objective holding device, and the actuator. Thus, an optical apparatus which is small in size, low in cost, and high in resolution can be obtained.

Abstract: A laser beam from a light source is reflected by a beam splitter and two galvanomirrors, and enters a pupil projection lens. The beam passing through the lens forms a spot on an image plane of an objective. This spot is two-dimensionally scanned by shaking the galvanomirrors with respect to their axes perpendicular to each other. Reflected light or fluorescence from a sample is returned to the beam splitter through the same path, passes through it, and is then reflected by a mirror. This optical system includes an optical unit which can be inserted/removed therein/therefrom. When the optical unit is removed, the optical system serves as a confocal optical system. When the optical unit is inserted, the optical system serves as a nonconfocal optical system. In the confocal optical system, the beam from the mirror enters a condenser, converges, passes through an iris and enters a photomultiplier tuber. The condenser includes a convex lens and a concave lens.

Abstract: A laser beam emitted from a light source is transformed into a parallel beam by a collimator lens, and then reflected by a polarization beam splitter. Thereafter, the beam passes through a .lambda./4 plate, and is converged onto a sample plane by an objective lens. The light beam from the sample plane passes through the objective lens, the .lambda./4 plate and the polarization beam splitter, and entering into an image-forming lens. The image-forming lens comprises a convex lens and a concave lens. The focal length of the image-forming lens is long. Thus, the diameter of the airy disk of the beam converged by the image-forming lens is larger than that of a beam converged at a common focal point by a single convex lens. The converged beam passes through an aperture and enters into a photoelectric detector element which outputs a signal indicative of the intensity of the received beam.