The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 18, 2001
Filed:
Oct. 12, 1999
Masaharu Kawakubo, Kanagawa-ken, JP;
Ryoichi Kaneko, Kanagawa-ken, JP;
Nikon Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An exposure method in which mask patterns are overlaid on one another on a substrate, which is an object to be exposed, by using a first and second exposure apparatuses having respective exposure fields of different sizes. The exposure method includes the steps of: sequentially transferring a first mask pattern onto the substrate in the form of a first array in units of a shot area of a predetermined size by using the first exposure apparatus; detecting at least either one of a perpendicularity error of the first array from a design value and a mean value of rotation angles of the shot areas in the first array when a second mask pattern is to be sequentially transferred onto the substrate in the form of a second array in units of a shot area different in size from the unit shot area of a predetermined size by using the second exposure apparatus; and rotating the second mask pattern and the substrate relative to each other through an angle corresponding to a result of the detection, and thereafter, sequentially transferring the second mask pattern onto the substrate.