Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes a substrate stage movable while holding a substrate, a substrate alignment system which detects an alignment mark (1) on the substrate held by the substrate stage and detects a reference mark (PFM) provided on the substrate stage, and a mask alignment system which detects, via a projection optical system, a reference mark (MFM) provided on the substrate stage. The reference mark (PFM) on the substrate stage is detected without a liquid by using the substrate alignment system, and the reference mark (MFM) on the substrate stage is detected using the mask alignment system via the projection optical system and the liquid. Then, a positional relationship between a detection reference position of the substrate alignment system and a projection position of an image of a pattern is obtained, thereby accurately performing alignment processing in the liquid immersion exposure.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing an observation apparatus by which the residual aberration including a high-order aberration component of the wavefront aberration can be corrected favorably. A method for manufacturing an observation apparatus for observing an image of the surface (WH) to be inspected formed by way of an image-forming optical system (7, 6, 10, 11, 12 (14)). The methods include an aberration measuring step of measuring the residual aberration remaining in the image-forming optical system, and an installing step of installing a correction plate (17), at least one of the surfaces of which is processed to be aspheric form, at a predetermined position in the optical path of the image-forming optical system.

Abstract: A is a projection exposure apparatus has a light sending optical system exhibiting a high degree of freedom of light sending. The light sending optical system comprises a light introducing system for introducing light beams from a predetermined light source into a substrate stage, and a light irradiating system for irradiating a predetermined area with the light beams introduced into the substrate stage by the light introducing system. The light introducing system and the light irradiating system are mechanically separated but optically connectable only when the substrate stage is in a specified positional relationship with respect to the projection optical system.

Abstract: The invention relates to a projection exposure apparatus for detecting a light-intensity distribution of a spatial image of a mask pattern formed through a projection optical system. The projection exposure apparatus has a knife-edge member which is disposed on the main surface of a wafer stage such that a plane including an exposure surface of a photosensitive substrate is leveled with a light incidence surface of the knife-edge member. The knife-edge member has a transmission area for transmitting the exposure light passing through the projection optical system, a light shielding area for preventing transmission of the exposure light, and a knife-edge defined as a boundary line between the transmission area and the light shielding area. The projection exposure apparatus detects the light-intensity distribution of light from the spatial image while moving the spatial image of the mask pattern and the knife-edge of the knife-edge member relatively to each other.

Abstract: An illumination optical system and an alignment apparatus suitable for reticle alignment in the projection exposure apparatus. There is provided an illumination optical system having parallel beam supply means For supplying a parallel beam and a light guide for guiding the parallel beam from the parallel beam supply means to a target illumination object, comprising diffusion means, arranged between the parallel beam supply means and the light guide for diffusing the parallel beam, wherein an incident end face of the light guide is arranged to be inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to a plane perpendicular to a direction of incidence of the parallel beam onto the diffusion means.

Abstract: The present invention relates to inspection apparatus and method in which, based on images under a plurality of focus conditions formed by way of an optical system to be inspected, namely, using images under a plurality of defocal conditions, tendency in positional change or change of asymmetry between the images is calculated so as to specify at least one of aberration condition and optical adjustment condition of the optical system to be inspected as well as to exposure apparatuses and overlay accuracy measurement apparatuses provided with the inspection apparatus. In addition, the present invention relates to an image-forming optical system suitable to an alignment apparatus which is applicable to the exposure apparatuses.

Abstract: The present invention relates to inspection apparatus and method in which, based on images under a plurality of focus conditions formed by way of an optical system to be inspected, namely, using images under a plurality of defocal conditions, tendency in positional change or change of asymmetry between the images is calculated so as to specify at least one of aberration condition and optical adjustment condition of the optical system to be inspected as well as to exposure apparatuses and overlay accuracy measurement apparatuses provided with the inspection apparatus. In addition, the present invention relates to an image-forming optical system suitable to an alignment apparatus which is applicable to the exposure apparatuses.

Abstract: An illumination optical system and an alignment apparatus suitable for reticle alignment in the projection exposure apparatus. There is provided an illumination optical system having parallel beam supply means for supplying a parallel beam and a light guide for guiding the parallel beam from the parallel beam supply means to a target illumination object, comprising diffusion means, arranged between the parallel beam supply means and the light guide, for diffusing the parallel beam, wherein an incident end face of the light guide is arranged to be inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to a plane perpendicular to a direction of incidence of the parallel beam onto the diffusion means.