Nikon Corporation

Kenichiro Kaneko

Naomasa Shiraishi

Masahiro Nei

Jiro Inoue

Hiroki Tateno

When a material support is moved along with a stage, coordinates of the position of the material support are measured by a measuring device. Displacement of the material support in the Z-direction as caused by the movement of the stage is stored in the storage in association with coordinates of corresponding position of the material support. When the flatness measurement is performed on a material piece placed on the material support while the stage is moved, the amount of such displacement of the material support in the Z-direction that is indicated by the displacement data in the storage and corresponds to the current position of the material support at each measurement point, may be read out from the storage and used as correction amount for correcting the position of the material support in the Z-direction. In this manner, the flatness measurement may be performed with the correction thus effected. Further, in the exposure method of the present invention, prior to loading of a photosensitive substrate on a movable stage, an amount of tilt relative to an image plane with respect to a projection optical system is measured at each of a plurality of positions on the movable stage. The measured amount of tilt is stored as data. After loading of the photosensitive substrate at a predetermined position on the movable stage for exposure, the position of the photosensitive substrate along an optical axis of the projection optical system is detected. Thereafter, a pattern on a mask is transferred to the photosensitive substrate, based on the detected position of the photosensitive substrate and the stored data on the amount of tilt of the movable stage.

Stage apparatus, projection optical apparatus and exposure method

A method and apparatus for exposing an image of a pattern formed in a mask onto a sensitive substrate. The mask is irradiated with an irradiation light. Data is computed relating to the thermal expansion saturation point of the mask due to absorption of the irradiation light. The mask is expanded to the thermal expansion saturation point based on the computed data, and the image of the mask pattern is exposed onto the sensitive substrate.

Exposure apparatus and method preheating a mask before exposing; a conveyance method preheating a mask before exposing; and a device manufacturing system and method manufacturing a device according to the exposure apparatus and method

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Kanagawa-ken, Japan

Kenichiro Kaneko