Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes a illumination optical system for illuminating a reticle with light from a light source, and a projection optical system for projecting a pattern of the reticle onto an object, said projection optical system includes a lens closest to the object, wherein a surface on the object side of the lens is smaller than an effective area of a surface on the reticle side of the lens, and wherein said exposure apparatus exposes the object via a liquid that is filled in a space between the lens and the object.

Abstract: A projection optical system used for an exposure apparatus to projecting a reduced size of an image of an object onto an image plane includes plural refractive elements that dispense with a reflective element having a substantial optical power, wherein the projection optical system forms an intermediate image.

Abstract: A projection optical system includes an optical element that includes and locally uses a reflective or refractive area that is substantially axially symmetrical around an optical axis, the optical element being rotatable around the optical axis.

Abstract: A projection optical system includes an optical element that includes and locally uses a reflective or refractive area that is substantially axially symmetrical around an optical axis, the optical element being rotatable around the optical axis.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes a illumination optical system for illuminating a reticle with light from a light source, and a projection optical system for projecting a pattern of the reticle onto an object, said projection optical system includes a lens closest to the object, wherein a surface on the object side of the lens is smaller than an effective area of a surface on the reticle side of the lens, and wherein said exposure apparatus exposes the object via a liquid that is filled in a space between the lens and the object.

Abstract: A projection optical system includes an optical element that includes and locally uses a reflective or refractive area that is substantially axially symmetrical around an optical axis, the optical element being rotatable around the optical axis.

Abstract: A projection exposure apparatus having a function for adjusting a projection magnification, a symmetric distortion aberration and another optical characteristic of a projection optical system is disclosed, wherein, when the projection magnification and the symmetric distortion aberration are adjusted, the other optical characteristic of the projection optical system is adjusted so that a change thereof is reduced very small or zero, such that good optical performance of the projection optical system is retained.

Abstract: A projection exposure apparatus usable with a reticle having a pattern and a wafer onto which the pattern of the reticle is transferred. The apparatus includes an illumination system for illuminating the reticle, a projection optical system for projecting the pattern of the reticle onto the wafer, wherein the projection optical system includes two lens groups which are individually movable along an optical axis direction, but are not juxtaposed with each other, and a controller for simultaneously adjusting distortion and projection magnification of the pattern projected onto the wafer. The controller performs the adjustment such that the two lens groups of the projection optical system are moved separately along the optical axis direction.