Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes a sensor for detecting light arriving from a projection optical system via a liquid provided on an image plane side of the projection optical system. The sensor includes a light transmissive member provided on a stage and a light receiving element for receiving light arriving from the projection optical system via the light transmissive member. The light transmissive member includes a first surface and a second surface. The first surface is arranged on the stage, comes into contact with the liquid, and is a surface on which the light arriving from the projection optical system is incident via the liquid. At least one of the first and second surfaces diffuses or diffracts the light having arrived from the projection optical system. The light receiving element receives the light that has been diffused or diffracted.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes an optical member that can be provided on a stage. The optical member has a first surface contacting a liquid when moved to face a projection system, and a second surface contacting a gas and transmitting light having come from the projection system via the liquid and the first surface. The optical member is configured such that at least a large-angle ray of the light, which has an angle with an optical axis of the projection system sufficiently large to undergo total reflection at an end surface of the projection system when the liquid is absent, travels from the projection system to the second surface without passing through gas. The second surface transmits the large-angle ray, which is received by the light-receiving surface.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes an optical member that can be provided on a stage. The optical member has a first surface contacting a liquid when moved to face a projection system, and a second surface contacting a gas and transmitting light having come from the projection system via the liquid and the first surface. The optical member is configured such that at least a large-angle ray of the light, which has an angle with an optical axis of the projection system sufficiently large to undergo total reflection at an end surface of the projection system when the liquid is absent, travels from the projection system to the second surface without passing through gas. The second surface transmits the large-angle ray, which is received by the light-receiving surface.

Abstract: Improvement of pupil luminance distribution includes: a fifth process in which an index value obtained from the illumination pupil, using evaluation method of a first process to fourth process; a sixth process wherein a unit change amount of the index value in the discrete data acquired in the previous process is acquired for each unit pupil area; a seventh process wherein discrete data modulated by an improving technique using the unit change amount so that the index value nears a target index value is acquired; and an eighth process wherein an index value obtained corresponding to the modulated discrete data in the seventh process is acquired, using the evaluation method of the first process to the fourth process, and by repeatedly performing the sixth process to eighth process so an error of the index value obtained corresponding to the modulated discrete data falls within permissible range.

Abstract: Disclosed is a light source optimizing method wherein: a light source shape obtained as the result of SMO is set as a target, the SMO being an optimizing calculation method for optimizing a mask pattern and illumination light source, a spatial light modulator is controlled such that a deviation from the target is within an acceptable range, and the shape of the illumination light source is set; the image of the pattern obtained as the results of the SMO is formed on a wafer, using illumination light emitted from the illumination light source having the set light source shape, an OPE is evaluated as image-forming performance using the detection results obtained by detecting the image of the pattern thus formed; and the light source shape is optimized.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus irradiates a substrate with light via a projection system and liquid, and includes a stage that moves below the projection system, and a light-receiving element having a light-receiving surface. An optical member provided on the stage has a first surface contacting the liquid when moved to face the projection system, and a second surface contacting a gas and transmitting light having come from the projection system via the liquid and the first surface. The optical member is configured such that at least a large-angle ray of the light, which has an angle with an optical axis of the projection system sufficiently large to undergo total reflection at an end surface of the projection system when the liquid is absent, travels from the projection system to the second surface without passing through gas. The second surface transmits the large-angle ray, which is received by the light-receiving surface.

Abstract: A measuring apparatus for measuring a pupil transmittance distribution of an optical system to be examined has a diffraction grating mounted on a first surface in an optical Fourier transform relation with a pupil of the optical system, an illumination optical system which makes a beam inclined relative to the optical axis, incident to a predetermined position on the first surface so that a +first-order diffracted beam, generated through the diffraction grating, passes through a first pupil partial region in an effective region of the pupil and so that a ?first-order diffracted beam, generated through the diffraction grating, passes through a second pupil partial region, and a measuring unit which measures an intensity of the +first-order diffracted beam, and an intensity of the ?first-order diffracted beam, and determines a ratio of a pupil transmittance in the first and second pupil partial region regions.

Abstract: Improvement of pupil luminance distribution includes: a fifth process in which an index value obtained from the illumination pupil, using evaluation method of a first process to fourth process; a sixth process wherein a unit change amount of the index value in the discrete data acquired in the previous process is acquired for each unit pupil area; a seventh process wherein discrete data modulated by an improving technique using the unit change amount so that the index value nears a target index value is acquired; and an eighth process wherein an index value obtained corresponding to the modulated discrete data in the seventh process is acquired, using the evaluation method of the first process to the fourth process, and by repeatedly performing the sixth process to eighth process so an error of the index value obtained corresponding to the modulated discrete data falls within permissible range.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a transmission optical system which guides light in a nearly parallel beam state emitted from an optical outlet port of a light source, to an optical inlet port of an exposure apparatus body and which injects the light in the nearly parallel beam state into the optical inlet port is provided with a condensing optical system which keeps the optical outlet port and the optical inlet port in an optical Fourier transform relation, and an angle distribution providing element which is arranged in an optical path between the optical outlet port and the condensing optical system and which provides an emergent beam with an angle distribution in a range larger than a range of an angle distribution of an incident beam.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus irradiates a substrate with light via a projection system and liquid, and includes a stage that moves below the projection system, and a light-receiving element having a light-receiving surface. An optical member provided on the stage has a first surface contacting the liquid when moved to face the projection system, and a second surface contacting a gas and transmitting light having come from the projection system via the liquid and the first surface. The optical member is configured such that at least a large-angle ray of the light, which has an angle with an optical axis of the projection system sufficiently large to undergo total reflection at an end surface of the projection system when the liquid is absent, travels from the projection system to the second surface without passing through gas. The second surface transmits the large-angle ray, which is received by the light-receiving surface.

Abstract: A part of exposure beam through a liquid via a projection optical system enters a light-transmitting section, enters an optical member without passing through gas, and is focused. The exposure apparatus receives the exposure light from the projection optical system to perform various measurements even if the numerical aperture of the projection optical system increases.

Abstract: An optical integrator has a plurality of wavefront dividing elements two-dimensionally arrayed, and is so configured that a ray group obliquely incident to an optical-axis center of an entrance face of each wavefront dividing element is emitted in parallel with the optical axis from the wavefront dividing element. In each of a required number of wavefront dividing elements out of the plurality of wavefront dividing elements, at least one curved optical face of the wavefront dividing element is formed as inclined around an axis along a predetermined direction passing an optical-axis center of an entrance face of the wavefront dividing element and being perpendicular to the optical axis AXe.

Abstract: An optical integrator system comprises a first optical integrator including a plurality of first wavefront dividing elements two-dimensionally juxtaposed, and a second optical integrator including a plurality of second wavefront dividing elements two-dimensionally juxtaposed. Each of the first wavefront dividing elements is so constructed that rays obliquely incident to a center on an optical axis of an entrance surface are emitted in parallel with the optical axis. Each of the second wavefront dividing elements is also so constructed that rays obliquely incident to a center on an optical axis of an entrance surface are emitted in parallel with the optical axis. The system satisfies the condition of P2/(2×tan ?)<L12.

Abstract: Disclosed is a light source optimizing method wherein: a light source shape obtained as the result of SMO is set as a target, the SMO being an optimizing calculation method for optimizing a mask pattern and illumination light source, a spatial light modulator is controlled such that a deviation from the target is within an acceptable range, and the shape of the illumination light source is set; the image of the pattern obtained as the results of the SMO is formed on a wafer, using illumination light emitted from the illumination light source having the set light source shape, an OPE is evaluated as image-forming performance using the detection results obtained by detecting the image of the pattern thus formed; and the light source shape is optimized.

Abstract: A part of exposure beam through a liquid via a projection optical system enters a light-transmitting section, enters an optical member without passing through gas, and is focused. The exposure apparatus receives the exposure light from the projection optical system to perform various measurements even if the numerical aperture of the projection optical system increases.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a transmission optical system which guides light in a nearly parallel beam state emitted from an optical outlet port of a light source, to an optical inlet port of an exposure apparatus body and which injects the light in the nearly parallel beam state into the optical inlet port is provided with a condensing optical system which keeps the optical outlet port and the optical inlet port in an optical Fourier transform relation, and an angle distribution providing element which is arranged in an optical path between the optical outlet port and the condensing optical system and which provides an emergent beam with an angle distribution in a range larger than a range of an angle distribution of an incident beam.

Abstract: A measuring apparatus for measuring a pupil transmittance distribution of an optical system to be examined has a diffraction grating mounted on a first surface in an optical Fourier transform relation with a pupil of the optical system, an illumination optical system which makes a beam inclined relative to the optical axis, incident to a predetermined position on the first surface so that a +first-order diffracted beam, generated through the diffraction grating, passes through a first pupil partial region in an effective region of the pupil and so that a ?first-order diffracted beam, generated through the diffraction grating, passes through a second pupil partial region, and a measuring unit which measures an intensity of the +first-order diffracted beam, and an intensity of the ?first-order diffracted beam, and the measuring apparatus determines a ratio of a pupil transmittance in the first and second pupil partial regions.

Abstract: There is disclosed an illumination optical system which illuminates an illumination target surface on the basis of light from a light source, said illumination optical system comprising, a spatial light modulator having a plurality of optical elements arrayed two-dimensionally and being individually controllable, a distribution forming optical system which forms a predetermined light intensity distribution on an illumination pupil of the illumination optical system on the basis of light having traveled via the spatial light modulator, and a control unit which integrally controls postures of a group of optical elements according to a shape of the predetermined light intensity distribution formed on the illumination pupil, out of the plurality of optical elements.

Abstract: An optical integrator has a plurality of wavefront dividing elements two-dimensionally arrayed, and is so configured that a ray group obliquely incident to an optical-axis center of an entrance face of each wavefront dividing element is emitted in parallel with the optical axis from the wavefront dividing element. In each of a required number of wavefront dividing elements out of the plurality of wavefront dividing elements, at least one curved optical face of the wavefront dividing element is formed as inclined around an axis along a predetermined direction passing an optical-axis center of an entrance face of the wavefront dividing element and being perpendicular to the optical axis AXe.

Abstract: An optical integrator has characteristics to suppress influence of relative positioning error of a pair of optical members on an illuminance distribution and on a shape of an illumination field. The optical integrator is a wavefront splitting type optical integrator having a first optical member and a second optical member in order from the entrance side of light. The first optical member has first entrance surfaces having a refractive power in a first direction and substantially no refractive power in a second direction, and first exit surfaces having a refractive power in the first direction and substantially no refractive power in the second direction. The second optical member has second entrance surfaces having a refractive power in the second direction and substantially no refractive power in the first direction, and second exit surfaces having a refractive power in the second direction and substantially no refractive power in the first direction.