Nikon Corporation

Kazuhiko Hori

Kei Nara

Toshio Matsuura

Seiji Miyazaki

Tsuyoshi Naraki

Akinori Shirato

Manabu Toguchi

Katsuya Machino

Masahiro Iguchi

In the exposure method of the invention, a first pattern and a second pattern are joined and exposed on a substrate using a mask having a pattern. The pattern on the mask has a common pattern for the first pattern and the second pattern, and a non-common pattern different from the common pattern and formed continuously with the common pattern. The common pattern and at least a part of the non-common pattern are selected to effect the joining and exposing. According to this method, the number of masks required for exposure processing accompanying screen synthesis can be reduced.

Exposure method and exposure apparatus and mask

An illumination device emits detection light toward the surface of a substrate from an oblique direction with respect to the substrate. The detection light is shaped into a slit beam by an optical shaper. An alteration device changes the width of the slit beam by controlling the optical shaper. The slit beam strikes the surface of the substrate through an optical element. The slit beam reflected from the surface of the substrate is oscillated along the width direction of the slit by a controlled oscillation mirror. A detector detects the surface height of the substrate based on the oscillating slit beam.

Surface height detecting apparatus and exposure apparatus using the same

At the time of transferring the pattern image of a mask onto a substrate, an exposure apparatus overlays peripheral portions of exposure areas with respect to a pattern image, which has previously been transferred onto the substrate, with each other, and transfers a predetermined pattern onto the substrate. This exposure apparatus comprises a dose adjusting device capable of adjusting the dose of exposure light at the overlying portion, a shape measuring unit for measuring the shape of the pattern image of the overlying portion formed on the substrate, and a control section for controlling the dose adjusting device based on the result of measurement by the shape measuring unit in such a way that the shape of the pattern image of the overlying portion formed on the substrate becomes an intended shape.

Exposure method and exposure apparatus

Alignment between a mask and a photosensitive substrate is performed using a first reference mark formed on the mask and a second reference mark formed on the photosensitive substrate. After that, the mask and the photosensitive substrate are relatively moved, so that an image of one of a light-shielding pattern and a light-transmitting pattern formed at a position different from the first reference mark on the mask is formed on the second reference mark on the photosensitive substrate. Then, a circuit pattern formed on the mask is transferred onto the photosensitive substrate, and a partial region including the second reference mark is exposed with the image of one of the light-shielding pattern and the light-transmitting pattern.

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Chiyoda-ku, Japan

Kazuhiko Hori