Abstract: Two stages WS1, WS2 holding wafers can independently move between a positional information measuring section PIS under an alignment system 24a and an exposing section EPS under a projection optical system PL. The wafer exchange and alignment are performed on the stage WS1, during which wafer W2 is exposed on the stage WS2. A position of each shot area of wafer WS1 is obtained as a relative position with respect to a reference mark formed on the stage WS1 in the section PIS. Relative positional information can be used for the alignment with respect to an exposure pattern when the wafer WS1 is moved to the section EPS to be exposed. Therefore, it is not necessary that a stage position is observed continuously in moving the stage. Exposure operations are performed in parallel by the two wafer stages WS1 and WS2 so as to improve the throughput.

Abstract: In order to produce an exposure apparatus, a frame mechanism is assembled with a base plate, a column, and a support plate. After that, a sub-chamber provided with an illumination system is installed, and a projection optical system PL is placed on the support plate. Concurrently with this operation, a reticle chamber and a reticle stage system are assembled and adjusted, and a wafer chamber and a wafer stage system are assembled and adjusted. The reticle chamber and the wafer chamber are incorporated into the frame mechanism on which the projection optical system is carried. Piping and other components for supplying the purge gas for transmitting an exposure light beam therethrough are arranged at the inside of the reticle chamber and the wafer chamber. The space between the projection optical system and the wafer chamber is tightly closed with a film-shaped soft shield member having flexibility.

Abstract: In order to remove vibration or improve a vibration control effect, and achieve device size reduction, an adjusting device is provided in which a weight of a support target object is supported by a pressure of an internal gas of a first chamber gas via a holding member and which adjusts a position in a gravity direction of the holding member by driving a movable member which changes an internal volume of the first gas chamber by changing an internal volume of a second gas chamber based on a state change of at least one of first and second gas chambers. Because of this, when the holding member is displaced in the gravity direction because of the vibration or the like, as the movable member is driven by the adjusting device, the holding member is maintained at an original position.

Abstract: A pattern of a reticle is irradiated with excimer laser light to expose an image of the pattern of the reticle onto a wafer through a projection optical system. Driving elements for driving optical elements in the projection optical system and a transfer mechanism for transferring a pupil filter into the projection optical system are covered by covers to isolate the inside of the projection optical system from its outside. During exposure, helium gas is supplied to the inside of the projection optical system with a purity and a temperature of the helium gas being continuously monitored and the purity and the temperature of the helium gas in the projection optical system being maintained within a predetermined tolerance range based upon the monitored results.

Abstract: Provided is a position detector for use in a projection exposure apparatus to detect a position of a focused image plane at which a focused image of a mask pattern is formed by a radiation flux through a projection optical system having an optical axis.

Abstract: The apparatus comprises the first air conditioning room which includes the edge surface of the image plane side of the projection optical system and the substrate stage and its driving unit, the second air conditioning room which includes the edge surface of the object surface side of the projection optical system and the mask stage and its driving unit, the third air conditioning room which includes the projection optical system, and the fourth air conditioning room which includes the illumination optical system. It also comprises the first air conditioning control unit, which supplies helium gas of a moderate level to the first and second air conditioning rooms, and the second air conditioning control unit, which supplies helium gas with a high purity level to the third and fourth air conditioning rooms.

Abstract: A pattern region of a working reticle is divided into existing pattern portions and newly-forming pattern portions. With respect to the existing pattern portions, already-formed master reticle patterns are reduction-projected while stitching screens using an optical-type projection exposure apparatus. With respect to the newly-forming portions, enlarged patterns are formed by an electron beam drawing apparatus to form new master reticles, and reduced images of the newly formed master reticles are exposed while stitching screens using an optical-type projection exposure apparatus.

Abstract: A positioning method and apparatus for positioning a substrate on a substrate stage which is movable in a predetermined direction (Y direction). In the positioning method, a relationship between a longitudinal direction (X′ direction) of a band-shaped light beam irradiated onto the substrate and the predetermined direction (Y direction) for determining the position of the substrate and the predetermined direction is measured and the substrate is positioned on the substrate stage based on the relationship between said longitudinal direction of the band-shaped light beam and the predetermined direction.

Abstract: A stage is driven along guide surfaces of a supporting member with a stator that is provided independent from the support member vibration-wise and a mover connected to the stage. In addition, when a drive amount of the supporting member exceeds a predetermined amount in, for example, the vertical direction, a connection between the stage and the mover by a connection mechanism is released. That is, the connection between the stage and the mover is released before the mover connected to the stage on the supporting member comes into contact with the stator and both parts are put under a large stress, which can prevent the mover and stator from being damaged. Furthermore, since the stator is provided independent from the support member vibration-wise, position control of the stage can be preformed with high precision. Accordingly, the stage can be driven stably, for over a long period of time.

Abstract: A projection exposure apparatus wherein a pattern formed on a mask is projected onto a substrate through a projection optical system. The apparatus has an illumination optical system for illuminating the mask by exposure light, and a first adjusting member which is disposed in the illumination optical system to change telecentricity on the substrate. The apparatus further has a second adjusting member for adjusting at least one of the position of the substrate in the direction of an optical axis of the projection optical system and the tilt of the substrate, and a control system for controlling the first and second adjusting members. The control system locally corrects the position of a spatial image formed by the projection optical system.

Abstract: The stage apparatus has a movable stage structure body which holds a substrate plate to be processed and is movable on a base structure body. This stage apparatus comprises a receipt edge orifice disposed at least at a portion of a fluid path which is disposed at said stage structure body; and a feed edge orifice being detachably engageable with said receipt edge orifice at a predetermined position on a base structure body and providing or discharging a predetermined fluid to the receipt edge orifice during said engagement of said feed edge orifice with said receipt edge orifice.

Abstract: In a projection exposure apparatus for transferring a pattern formed in a transfer area on a mask onto a photosensitive substrate by a scanning exposure system, provision is made of an illuminating optical system for applying illuminating light to the transfer area of the mask through a rectangular aperture in a field stop disposed apart from a plane conjugate with the pattern surface of the mask, and a light intercepting member having an aperture of which the width is variable in the direction of the relative scanning of the mask and the photosensitive substrate for shielding at least a part of an illumination area on the mask which is defined by the rectangular aperture in the field stop from the light, and provision is further made of a member for driving the light intercepting member so as to change the width of the aperture therein in operative association with a change in the position of the illumination area on the transfer area of the mask which is changed by the relative scanning.

Abstract: An apparatus for exposing a pattern, formed on a mask, on each of a plurality of partitioned areas on a photosensitive substrate by a step-and-repeat scheme includes a projection optical system for projecting the pattern of the mask on the photosensitive substrate, a substrate stage for holding the photosensitive substrate and two-dimensionally moving the photosensitive substrate within a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the projection optical system, a detection unit for projecting a pattern image having a predetermined shape on the photosensitive substrate and photoelectrically detecting light reflected by the photosensitive substrate to detect a position at each of a plurality of points on the photosensitive substrate along the optical axis of the projection optical system, and a measurement unit for, when each of a plurality of measurement points in a partitioned area on which a pattern of the mask is to be exposed next coincides with or approaches the pattern image, detecting an offset amount b

Abstract: A projection optical system includes a first objective portion and an optical axis turn portion, each having an optical axis perpendicular to a reticle; an optical axis deflecting portion having an optical axis perpendicularly intersecting the above optical axis; and a second objective portion having an optical axis parallel to the above optical axis. An image-forming light beam from the reticle is returned toward the reticle by the first objective portion and a concave mirror provided in the optical axis turn portion to form a one-to-one image of the reticle. The returned image-forming light beam is led to the second objective portion through the optical axis deflecting portion to form a demagnified image on a wafer. During exposure, nitrogen gas is supplied through a gas changeover device to an illumination system unit, a reticle stage system unit, and a wafer stage system unit. During maintenance, air having ozone removed therefrom is supplied to these units through the gas changeover device.

Abstract: A high exposure accuracy is obtained while mitigating the influence of vibration by using an exposure method and an exposure apparatus. Columns (59A, 59B) are installed on a base plate (12), a reticle base (62) is supported at the inside of the columns (59A, 59B) by the aid of variable mount sections (61A, 61B) having high rigidity, a finely movable stage (63) is movably placed on the reticle base (62) by the aid of air bearings, and a reticle (R1) as an exposure objective is placed on the finely movable stage (63). A coarsely movable stage (64) is hung on a bottom surface of a support plate (66) arranged over the reticle base (62) in a state capable of being driven in a scanning direction. The finely movable stage (63) is driven by the coarsely movable stage (64) in the scanning direction in a non-contact state with respect to the reticle base (62).

Abstract: An exposure method is provided, in which a speckle pattern (interference fringe) formed on a pattern of a transfer objective can be reduced without complicating an illumination optical system so much, without increasing the size of the illumination optical system so much, and without prolonging the exposure time, even when an exposure light beam having high coherence is used. A laser beam (LB) as an exposure light beam from an exposure light source (9) is introduced into a ring-shaped delay optical system (22), for example, via a modified illumination mechanism (19) and a light-collecting lens (21). A plurality of light fluxes, which have passed through the interior of the delay optical system (22) a variety of numbers of times depending on angular apertures in accordance with internal reflection, are superimposed and extracted as a laser beam (LB3). The laser beam (LB3) illuminates a reticle (R), for example, via a fly's eye lens (25) and a condenser lens (7).

Abstract: An exposure apparatus has a triangular shaped stage which is movable in a two-dimensional plane while holding a substrate. The stage has a reflecting surface provided on a side face of the stage so that the surface extends in a specific direction intersecting Y axis and X axis. An interferometer radiates a beam onto the reflecting surface to measure a position of the stage in a direction perpendicular to the specific direction. Using the measured position and an angle of the specific direction, a calculator can calculate the position of the stage on rectangular coordinate system defined by X and Y axes. The size and weight of the stage can be reduced, and the throughput of the exposure apparatus is improved.

Abstract: Attention is paid to the phenomenon that a static image distortion characteristic is averaged in the width of a projection area in a scanning direction and becomes a dynamic image distortion characteristic, when a mask pattern is scan-exposed onto a photosensitized substrate by a projection exposure apparatus. At least a random component included in the dynamic image distortion characteristic is corrected by arranging an image correction plate obtained by locally polishing the surface of a transparent parallel plate. Correction plates which minimize other aberrations beforehand are manufactured and installed within a projection optical path, considering that also the other aberrations are averaged and become dynamic aberration characteristics at the time of scan-exposure.

Abstract: Two stages (WS1, WS2) holding wafers can independently move between a positional information measuring section (PIS) under an alignment system (24a) and an exposing section (EPS) under a projection optical system (PI). The wafer exchange and alignment are performed on the stage (WS1), during which wafer (W2) is exposed on the stage (WS2). A position of each shot area of wafer (WS1) is obtained as a relative position with respect to a reference mark formed on the stage WS1 in the section (PIS). Relative positional information can be used for the alignment with respect to an exposure pattern when the wafer (WS1) is moved to the section (EPS) to be exposed. Therefore, it is not necessary that a stage position is observed continuously in moving the stage. Exposure operations are performed in parallel by the two wafer stages (WS1) and (WS2) so as to improve the throughput.

Abstract: A projection optical system of a projection exposure apparatus according to the present invention has a plurality of optical members made of glass materials at least one of which has a temperature characteristic of index of refraction different from that of the other glass material. Further, a temperature control device for controlling a temperature of at least one of the optical members is provided. An imaging characteristic of the projection optical system is controlled. The imaging characteristic to be controlled is a non-linear magnification or curvature of field. The temperature control device sets the temperature to be controlled to a variable target temperature determined in accordance with the imaging characteristic of the projection optical system. An exposing operation for transferring a mask pattern to a photosensitive substrate is started after the temperature of the optical member to be controlled reaches a predetermined allowable range of the target temperature.