KR102315115B1 - Illumination apparatus and method, exposure apparatus and method, and device manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

An illuminating device for illuminating a mask, comprising: a light source for generating illumination light; a variable magnification optical system for adjusting a maximum inclination angle of the illumination light; A condenser lens for guiding the illumination light with the adjusted numerical aperture to the mask is provided with an input lens which makes the illumination light emitted from the beam a parallel beam, an aperture stop for adjusting the numerical aperture of the illumination light. Depending on the lighting conditions, it is possible to increase the efficiency of use of the illumination light.

Description

Illumination apparatus and method, exposure apparatus and method, and device manufacturing method

The present invention relates to an illumination technique for illuminating an object with illumination light, an exposure technique using the illumination technique, and a device manufacturing technique using the exposure technique.

Conventionally, in a photolithography process for manufacturing electronic devices such as liquid crystal display elements, semiconductor elements, and thin film magnetic heads, a pattern of a mask illuminated by an illuminating device is passed through a projection optical system to a plate coated with a photoresist such as photoresist, etc. In order to transfer to the substrate of the exposure apparatus is used.

As a conventional lighting device, an optical system comprising a plurality of cone- or pyramid-shaped optical members for controlling the cross-sectional shape of an illumination beam from a mercury lamp is provided, and annular lighting is provided. In order to increase the efficiency of use of the illumination light in the case of illuminating light, a lighting device that controls the cross-sectional shape of the illumination beam by using the optical system according to the shape of the annular illumination light source is used (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In the exposure apparatus, an illumination method other than annular illumination is also used. Even in such a case, it is calculated|required to consider improving the utilization efficiency of illumination light.

Patent Document 1: Specification of US Patent No. 5,719,704

According to a first aspect, there is provided an illumination device for illuminating a mask, comprising: a light source for generating illumination light; an optical system for adjusting an inclination angle of the illumination light; a first condensing optical system for condensing the illumination light through the optical system; An optical member that emits the illumination light to the first condensing optical system while maintaining the inclination angle of the illumination light, an aperture stop for adjusting the numerical aperture of the illumination light emitted from the first condensing optical system, and the numerical aperture is adjusted An illumination device including a second condensing optical system for guiding the illuminated illumination light to the mask is provided.

According to a second aspect, there is provided an exposure apparatus for exposing a pattern of a mask to a substrate, comprising: the illumination apparatus of the first aspect; and a projection optical system for forming an image of the pattern of the mask illuminated by the illumination apparatus on a substrate An exposure apparatus is provided.

According to a third aspect, there is provided an illumination method for illuminating a mask, comprising: adjusting an inclination angle of illumination light generated from a light source; , an illumination method comprising condensing the emitted illumination light, adjusting the numerical aperture of the illumination light, and guiding the illumination light whose numerical aperture is adjusted to the mask.

According to a fourth aspect, there is provided an exposure method for exposing a pattern of a mask to a substrate, comprising illuminating the mask using the illumination method of the third aspect, and forming an illuminated image of the pattern of the mask on a substrate An exposure method is provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a perspective view which shows the schematic structure of the exposure apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment.
2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a lighting device according to an embodiment.
3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a partial projection optical system and a stage system according to an embodiment.
4 is a flowchart showing an example of an illumination method and an exposure method.
Fig. 5(A) is a diagram showing the main part of the lighting device when the ? value of the illumination light is large, and Fig. 5(B) is a diagram showing the main part of the lighting device when the ? value of the illumination light is small.
Fig. 6 (A) is a view showing the main part of the lighting device of the comparative example, (B) is a view showing the light intensity distribution at the incident end of the light guide fiber, (C) is a fly-eye lens (fly-eye) It is a diagram showing the light intensity distribution at the incident end of the lens).
Fig. 7(A) is a view showing a partial illumination optical system, and (B) is an enlarged view showing an exit end of the light guide fiber of Fig. 7(A).
Fig. 8 (A) is a diagram showing an example of the aperture stop opening during annular illumination, (B) is a diagram showing an example of the aperture stop opening during large σ illumination, (C) is a small diagram (small) It is a figure which shows an example of the aperture of the aperture stop at the time of sigma illumination.
9A and 9B are conceptual views illustrating an emitting surface of a fly's eye lens.
Fig. 10 (A) is a diagram showing a configuration example of a variable magnification optical system, (B) is a diagram showing a configuration example of a switchable optical system, (C) is an optical member for controlling the inclination angle of the laser beam It is a figure which shows an example.
11 is a flowchart showing an example of an electronic device manufacturing method.

An embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9B. 1 : is a perspective view which shows the exposure apparatus EX which concerns on this embodiment. In the present embodiment, the exposure apparatus EX synchronously moves the mask M and the flat plate P as a substrate to which the photosensitive agent is applied with respect to the projection optical system PL having a plurality of catadioptric partial projection optical systems. It demonstrates as a thing of the exposure apparatus of the step-and-scan system which transcribe|transfers the image of the pattern formed in the mask M to the plate P while making it do it.

Hereinafter, in FIG. 1, the X-axis and the Y-axis are taken so as to be orthogonal to the plane parallel to the plate P, and the Z-axis is taken and perpendicular|vertical to the plane (XY plane), and it demonstrates. As an example, the XY plane is set to a plane parallel to the horizontal plane, and the Z axis is set to be parallel to the vertical line. Moreover, in this embodiment, the scanning direction which is a direction which synchronously moves the mask M and the plate P is set to the direction (X direction) parallel to an X-axis. At this time, the non-scan direction orthogonal to the scanning direction is a direction parallel to the Y-axis (Y direction).

The exposure apparatus EX is an illumination apparatus ILA for illuminating the pattern surface (hereinafter also referred to as a mask surface) of the mask M supported by the mask stage MST (refer to FIG. 3 ) with illumination light having a uniform illuminance distribution. and a control unit 30 comprising a projection optical system PL and a computer for controlling the operation of the entire apparatus. The illumination device ILA includes a plurality of (here, four) illumination areas 21a, 21c, 21e, and 21g in a first row arranged along the Y-direction (non-scan direction) on the mask surface, and an illumination area in the first row ( 21a to 21g), in a state shifted from the scanning direction (X direction), illuminating a plurality of (here, three) illumination areas (not shown) in the second row positioned between the illumination areas 21a to 21g . In this way, the illumination device ILA illuminates the seven illumination areas of the mask surface, but the arrangement and number of illumination areas are arbitrary.

In this embodiment, since the field stop is arrange|positioned in the projection optical system PL as mentioned later, the illumination areas 21a-21g should just have a shape slightly larger than the image in the mask surface of the field stop. Illumination apparatus ILA is equipped with three light sources 2a, 2b, 2c which consists of an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp, as shown in FIG. The illumination lights 3a, 3b, and 3c emitted from the light sources 2a, 2b, and 2c are condensed by the ellipsoidal mirrors 4a, 4b, and 4c, respectively. The light sources 2a to 2c are arranged at the first focal positions of the ellipsoids 4a to 4c, and the light source images of the light sources 2a, 2b, and 2c are located at the second focal positions of the ellipsoids 4a, 4b, and 4c. (5a, 5b, 5c) is formed. In the period in which the mask M is not illuminated, the illumination lights 3a, 3b, and 3c are blocked by a shutter (not shown) arranged near the second focal point of the ellipsoidal mirrors 4a, 4b, 4c. In addition, the number of light sources 2a, 2b, 2c is arbitrary, and one light source (for example, only the light source 2a) may be sufficient.

Illumination light 3a, 3b, 3c emitted as divergent light from light source image 5a, 5b, 5c is incident end 12a, 12b of light guide fiber 10 by variable magnification optical system 8a, 8b, 8c, respectively. , 12c). The variable magnification optical systems 8a, 8b, and 8c connect the light source images 5a, 5b, and 5c with variable magnifications (hereinafter referred to as light source images) 9a, 9b, and 9c to the incident end 12a, respectively. , 12b, 12c) are formed on the incident surface. The variable magnification optical systems 8a to 8c are, as an example, a front lens system 6 movable along an optical axis by a driving unit 6a, and a rear lens system movable along an optical axis by a driving unit 7a, as an example. (7) is a zoom lens (zoom optical system). The control unit 30 controls the positions of the front lens system 6 and the rear lens system 7 through the driving units 6a and 7a to control the magnifications of the variable magnification optical systems 8a to 8c.

Here, the height (image height) of the light source image 9a when the variable magnification optical system 8a is at the minimum magnification is y1, and the maximum of the illumination light 3a forming the light source image 9a at this time with respect to the optical axis. Let the inclination angle of α1 be. In addition, let y2 be the height of the light source image 9a when the magnification of the variable magnification optical system 8a is a maximum magnification higher than the magnification, and ?2 is the maximum angle of inclination of the illumination light 3a with respect to the optical axis at this time. The maximum inclination angle is also 1/2 of the so-called vertebral angle. Incidentally, when the light intensity distribution of the light source image 9a is in a normal distribution (Gauss distribution) shape, the height of the light source image 9a means that the light intensity is, for example, 10% to 50% of the maximum intensity in the light intensity distribution. It is also possible to consider it as an interval of a position that is a degree, or a position that is, for example, about 30%. Assuming that the variable magnification optical system 8a satisfies the sine condition, the following relationship holds.

y1·sinα1=y2·sinα2 … (One)

Here, since the height y2 is higher than the height y1, from equation (1), the inclination angle α2 becomes smaller than the inclination angle α1. From this, the variable magnification optical systems 8a to 8c are also optical systems that can control or adjust the maximum inclination angle of the illumination light incident on the incident ends 12a to 12c by forming the light source images 9a to 9c of variable magnification. In the present embodiment, the variable magnification optical systems 8a to 8c are controlled to have the same magnification.

The light guide fiber 10 as an optical transmission member is a fiber bundle configured by randomly bundling a plurality of optical fiber elements 11 (refer to FIG. 5A), and includes three incident ends 12a, 12b, 12c and , has a plurality of (here, seven) exit ends (only the exit ends 14a and 14B are shown in Fig. 2) corresponding to a plurality of (here, 7) illumination areas, and incident ends 12a to 12c ) and distributes the illumination lights 3a to 3c received from the plurality of emission ends. Thereby, at least a part of each of the illumination lights 3a to 3c is emitted from the plurality of emission ends, respectively, and the illumination device ILA mixes and emits the illumination light respectively emitted from the plurality of light sources 2a to 2c. can Here, it is assumed that the light guide fiber 10 is configured to distribute and emit each illumination light received from the incident ends 12a to 12c to a plurality of emission ends at substantially the same light quantity ratio.

In addition, the optical fiber element wire 11 maintains the inclination angle of the incident light flux so that the maximum inclination angle of the incident light flux and the maximum inclination angle of the emitted light flux are approximately equal to each other. For this reason, the maximum inclination angle of the illumination lights 3a to 3c incident on the incident ends 12a to 12c of the light guide fiber 10 is approximately equal to the maximum inclination angle of the illumination light emitted from the plurality of exit ends. In addition, as an example, the illumination light emitted from the variable magnification optical systems 8a to 8c is incident on the corresponding incident ends 12a to 12c in a state in which the chief ray is parallel to the optical axis, that is, in a so-called telecentric state. . Thereby, the illumination light can be uniformly made incident within the range of the transmittable incident angle of each optical fiber element 11 of the light guide fiber 10 . Further, the maximum inclination angle of the illumination light emitted from the variable magnification optical systems 8a to 8c is controlled in a range smaller than the maximum transmittable incident angle (inclination angle) of the optical fiber element 11 .

Each of the illumination lights 20a, 20c, etc. emitted from the plurality of emission ends 14a, 14B, etc. of the light guide fiber 10 illuminates the partial illumination areas 21a, 21c of the mask M, etc. It enters into partial illumination optical systems IL1-IL7 (however, partial illumination optical systems IL2, IL4-IL7 are not shown in figure) of mutually similar structure (7 pieces here). The partial illumination optical systems IL1-IL7 are respectively corresponded to the partial projection optical systems PL1-PL7 mentioned later, and are arrange|positioned in a zigzag grid|lattice pattern along the non-scan direction (Y direction) orthogonal to a scanning direction.

In the partial illumination optical systems IL1 and IL3, the illumination lights 20a and 20c emitted from the exit ends 14a and 14B of the light guide fiber 10 are condensed by the input lens 15 which is a collimating lens, respectively, and are parallel. After being converted into a light beam, it is incident on the fly's eye lens 16, which is an optical integrator. Illumination lights 20a and 20c incident on the fly's eye lens 16 are wavefront split by a plurality of lens elements constituting the fly's eye lens 16, and the rear focal plane near the exit plane (the exit pupil plane of the illumination optical system) A secondary light source (surface light source) composed of a plurality of light source images is formed in (瞳面). An aperture stop 17 is arranged on the rear focal plane. The control unit 30 controls the size and shape of the opening of the aperture stop 17 through the driving unit 17a. Thereby, the numerical aperture NA of the illumination light which illuminates the mask M by partial illumination optical system IL1, IL3 is controllable. Hereinafter, it is assumed that the numerical aperture NA of the illumination light is expressed using a ? value that is a coherence factor (a value obtained by dividing the numerical aperture of the illumination light illuminating the mask by the numerical aperture on the mask side of the projection optical system). For this reason, the aperture stop 17 may be called a sigma stop. Incidentally, when performing annular illumination, the aperture stop 17 may be replaced with an aperture stop for annular illumination (not shown) having an annular size-variable aperture.

Illumination lights 20a and 20c emitted from the opening of the aperture stop 17 illuminate the corresponding illumination areas 21a and 21c on the mask M through the condenser lens 18 with a substantially uniform illuminance distribution. Incidentally, the configuration of the partial illumination optical systems IL2 and IL4 to IL7 (not shown) is the same as that of the partial illumination optical system IL1, and the partial illumination optical systems IL2, IL4 to IL7 also similarly to the partial illumination optical system IL1, the mask ( Each corresponding illumination area on M) is illuminated with an almost uniform illuminance distribution.

The illumination light from illumination area|region 21a-21g on the mask M corresponding to each of partial illumination optical systems IL1-IL7 respectively injects into partial projection optical system PL1-PL7. 3 : is a figure which shows the structure of partial projection optical system PL1. As shown in FIG. 3 , the partial projection optical system PL1 includes a first catadioptric optical system PL11 for forming an intermediate image of a pattern provided in the corresponding illumination region 21a of the mask surface in the opening of the field stop 22 and , cooperating with this first catadioptric optical system PL11 to form an equal magnification upright image of the pattern of the mask M in the exposure area 23a of the plate P supported by the plate stage PST and a second catadioptric optical system PL12 that forms an image as Moreover, partial projection optical systems PL2 - PL7 have the same structure as partial projection optical system PL1, and image the image of the pattern formed in the illumination area|region corresponding to each of the mask surface on the plate P. FIG. Incidentally, the partial projection optical systems PL1 to PL7 are arranged in a zigzag grid pattern along the non-scan direction.

In FIG. 2 , a power supply device 32 that supplies electric power to the light sources 2a to 2c is connected to the control unit 30 . The control unit 30 turns on the light sources 2a to 2c via the power supply device 32 when the plate P is exposed or the illumination device ILA is calibrated. Incidentally, when the required exposure amount is small, it is also possible to light only at least one of the light sources 2a to 2c.

As a basic operation during exposure, the control unit 30 sets illumination conditions including the σ value of the illumination light and the like and the magnification of the variable magnification optical systems 8a to 8c (described later in detail), and turns on the light sources 2a to 2c. And the mask M is illuminated by the illumination device ILA, and the mask stage MST which supports the mask M and the plate stage PST which supports the plate P are driven, the mask M and By repeating the synchronous movement of the plate P in the scanning direction with respect to the partial projection optical systems PL1 to PL7 (scanning exposure) and the movement of the plate P in the non-scan direction or the scanning direction (step movement) , the image of the pattern formed on the mask M by a step-and-scan method is exposed to a plurality of to-be-exposed areas of the plate P.

Moreover, when calibrating illumination apparatus ILA, an illumination intensity sensor (not shown) is arrange|positioned at each several position of illumination area|region 21a-21g as an example. Then, when the light sources 2a to 2c are turned on and the σ value is changed, and when the magnification of the variable magnification optical systems 8a to 8c is changed, the illuminance distribution measured by such an illuminance sensor is the target distribution. By adjusting the variable magnification optical systems 8a to 8c and the partial illumination optical systems IL1 to IL7 so as to fall within a predetermined allowable range, the illuminance distribution becomes uniform.

Hereinafter, an example of the operation|movement of the illumination method including the setting of the illumination condition of the illumination apparatus ILA of this embodiment, and the exposure method using the exposure apparatus EX is demonstrated with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Its operation is controlled by the control unit 30 .

First, in a state in which the light sources 2a to 2c are not turned on, in step 102 of FIG. 4 , the partial illumination optical system of the illumination device ILA according to the type and fineness of the pattern of the mask M to be exposed. The ? value of the illumination light is controlled using the aperture stop 17 of (IL1 to IL7). In addition, when performing annular illumination, you may replace the aperture stop 17 with an aperture stop (not shown) for annular illumination. Here, as shown in Fig. 5A, the diameter of, for example, a circular opening of the aperture stop 17 is set to the maximum value, and the σ value is set to the maximum value NA1 (for example, about 0.8 to 0.9), It is assumed that large σ illumination is performed. In the case of performing large σ illumination, the illumination light emitted from the exit end 14a of the light guide fiber 10 becomes a parallel beam through the input lens 15, and the widest range ( It is necessary to illuminate the area slightly wider than the area|region which opposes the largest opening of the aperture stop 17). For this reason, it is necessary to set the maximum inclination angle of the illumination light emitted from the emission end 14a to the maximum value within the adjustable range.

Then, in step 104, according to the ? value set by the aperture stop 17, the magnification of the variable magnification optical systems 8a to 8c, and further, the light source formed at the incident ends 12a to 12c of the light guide fiber 10. The maximum inclination angle of the illumination lights 3a to 3c forming the images 9a to 9c is adjusted. When an aperture stop for annular illumination is used as the aperture stop 17, as the sigma value, the sigma value determined by the outer diameter of the annular opening may be used. Here, since the value of sigma is set to the maximum value NA1, the magnifications of the variable magnification optical systems 8a to 8c are set to the minimum values within the variable magnification range, and the maximum inclination angles of the illumination lights 3a to 3c are the maximum values within the adjustable range. set to α1. In Fig. 5A, the focal length of the variable magnification optical system 8a is set to f1, and the height of the light source image 9a is set to the minimum value y1 within the adjustable range.

In each optical fiber element wire 11 constituting the light guide fiber 10, the maximum inclination angle of the incident light flux and the maximum inclination angle of the exiting light flux are substantially the same. For this reason, when the diameter of the aperture of the aperture stop 17 is maximized, the illumination light 20a emitted from the exit end 14a of the light guide fiber 10 passes through the input lens 15 and has the maximum aperture. It is incident on the region of the incident surface of the illuminable fly's eye lens 16 . In addition, the light intensity distribution (illuminance distribution) D1 of the light source image 9a formed at the incident end 12a has a substantially axially symmetric normal distribution shape, with a strong central portion and abruptly weakening toward the peripheral portion. When the height of the light source image 9a is the minimum value y1, in the light intensity distribution D1, a portion of about 10% or less of the maximum value spreads to the outside of the incident surface of the incident end 12a, but most of the incident illumination light 3a (More precisely, a light beam obtained by randomly synthesizing the incident illumination lights 3a to 3c) is emitted from the emitting end 14a or the like.

The light intensity distribution C31 on the incident surface of the fly's eye lens 16 of the illumination light 20a emitted from the exit end 14a is slightly stronger as it moves away from the optical axis, and is asymmetrically almost axisymmetric. is the distribution The light intensity distribution C31 can be regarded as a substantially uniform value in the region opposite to the opening of the aperture stop 17, and the maximum inclination angle from the exit end 14a is emitted into the aperture of the aperture stop 17 at approximately α1. Most of the used illumination light 20a is incident. For this reason, the ratio of the illumination light 20a passing through the aperture of the aperture stop 17 and incident to the mask M through the condenser lens 18 to the illumination light 3a entering the light guide fiber 10 is The utilization efficiency of illumination light (hereinafter also referred to as illumination efficiency) is high.

Then, in step 106, the light sources 2a to 2c are turned on, and the illuminating light 3a to 3c from the light sources 2a to 2c by the lighting device ILA, the variable magnification optical systems 8a to 8c, and the light guide fiber (10), the mask M is illuminated through the input lens 15, the fly's eye lens 16, the aperture stop 17, and the condenser lens 18 of the partial illumination optical systems IL1-IL8. And in step 108, the mask M and the plate P are synchronously moved with respect to the projection optical system PL while exposing the plate P to the image of the pattern of the mask M by the projection optical system PL. , the plate P is exposed. At this time, since the mask M can be illuminated with high illumination efficiency using the illumination light of the maximum σ value, the pattern formed on the mask M can be accurately applied to the plate P with high throughput (productivity). can be exposed.

Next, for example, when the pattern of the mask M to be exposed includes a fine isolated pattern such as a pattern of a contact hole, in step 102, in order to perform so-called small σ illumination, As shown in (B), the diameter of, for example, a circular opening of the aperture stop 17 is made into a minimum value, and sigma value is set to the minimum value NA2 (for example, about 0.05-0.1). In this case, the illumination light emitted from the emitting end 14a becomes a parallel beam through the input lens 15, and is opposite to the smallest area of the incident surface of the fly's eye lens 16 (the smallest opening of the aperture stop 17). Since it is sufficient to illuminate an area that is slightly wider than the area to be used), the maximum inclination angle of the illumination light emitted from the emitting end 14a may be set to the minimum value α2 within the adjustable range. Accordingly, in step 104, the magnifications of the variable magnification optical systems 8a to 8c are set to the maximum value within the variable magnification range, and the maximum inclination angle of the illumination lights 3a to 3c is set to the minimum value α2. In Fig. 5B, the focal length of the variable magnification optical system 8a is set to f2, and the height of the light source image 9a is set to the maximum value y2.

At this time, the light intensity distribution D2 of the light source image 9a formed on the incident end 12a has a substantially axially symmetrical normal distribution shape obtained by expanding the light intensity distribution D1 of FIG. 5A by a magnification ratio y2/y1. . In the light intensity distribution D2, a portion of about 35% or less of the maximum value spreads outside the incident surface of the incident end 12a, and about 60% of the incident illumination light 3a to 3c is, for example, the exit end. (14a) and the like. If the height y2 of the light source image 9a is an interval at which the light intensity is approximately 30% of the maximum value, the light source image 9a of the height y2 becomes slightly larger than the width of the incident end 12a.

However, in this case, the maximum inclination angle of the illumination light 20a emitted from the exit end 14a is almost the minimum value α2, and most of the illumination light 20a passes through the input lens 15, and the fly's eye lens 16 . is incident on the area opposite to the smallest opening of the aperture stop 17 on the incident surface of . In this case, the light intensity distribution C11 at the incident surface of the fly's eye lens 16 of the illumination light 20a emitted from the exit end 14a is obtained by radially compressing the light intensity distribution C31 of FIG. 5A. It is an almost axisymmetric distribution. The light intensity distribution C11 can be regarded as a substantially uniform value in the region opposite to the minimum opening of the aperture stop 17, and in the aperture of the aperture stop 17, the maximum inclination angle from the exit end 14a is approximately α2 Most of the illumination light 20a emitted to the For this reason, even if the amount of light loss of the illumination light 3a incident on the incident end 12a occurs to some extent, the illumination light which passes through the smallest opening of the aperture stop 17 and is incident on the mask M through the condenser lens 18 . The utilization efficiency with respect to the illumination light 3a of (20a) is high. Then, by performing steps 106 and 108, for example, a pattern including an isolated pattern can be exposed to the plate P with high throughput and high precision.

Here, as a comparative example, as shown in Fig. 6A, the magnification of the variable magnification optical system 8a is set to the minimum as in the case of Fig. 5A (the maximum inclination angle of the illumination light 3a is set to the maximum value α1) ) and setting the ? value to the minimum value NA2 in the aperture stop 17 is assumed. In this comparative example, the light intensity distribution C31 on the incident surface of the fly's eye lens 16 of the illumination light 20a emitted from the emitting end 14a is the region opposite to the smallest opening of the aperture stop 17 . The outer area 16Aa is also considerably stronger. For this reason, the amount of the illumination light 20a emitted from the emission end 14a that can pass through the aperture of the aperture stop 17 is, for example, about 45%.

For this reason, the illumination efficiency of the illumination light 20a incident on the mask M when the magnification of the variable magnification optical system 8a is made high as shown in FIG. 5B of this embodiment is shown in FIG. 6(A) About 30% (=(60/45-1)*100) is improved with respect to the comparative example. In the present embodiment, three light sources 2a to 2c are used, but when the lighting efficiency is improved by, for example, 30%, it is also possible to perform exposure by lighting only the two light sources 2a and 2b, It is also possible to extend the lifetime of the light sources 2a to 2c.

6(B) shows the light intensity distributions D1 and D2 of the illumination light 3a at the incident end 12a of FIGS. 5(A) and (B) as relative light intensities. The horizontal axis of (B) represents the distance from the center as a relative value with the central position of the incident end 12a being 0. The position where the value of the horizontal axis is 50 is, for example, the position of the edge portion of the incident end 12a. In addition, the light intensity distribution D3 of FIG. 6B is the illumination light passing through the aperture of the aperture stop 17 and the illumination light incident on the fly's eye lens 16 in the case of the comparative example of FIG. 6A. It is a distribution obtained by compressing the light intensity distribution D1 with a light intensity ratio of . The light quantity obtained by integrating the light intensity distribution D2 inside the position ±50 is the light quantity obtained in this embodiment, and the light quantity obtained by integrating the light intensity distribution D3 is the light quantity obtained in the comparative example, and from this result also according to this embodiment It can be seen that the lighting efficiency is improved.

6(C) shows the light intensity distributions C31 and C11 of the illumination light 20a on the incident surface of the fly's eye lens 16 of FIGS. 5(A) and (B) as relative light intensities, The horizontal axis of FIG. 6C represents the distance from the center as σ value with the central position of the incident surface being zero. The relative intensities of the light intensity distributions C31 and C11 are adjusted so that the σ value becomes the same at 0.88 and 0.65. In this case, if the values of the light intensity distributions C31 and C11 at the position where the sigma value is 0.5 are referred to as average light intensity or average illuminance, the average illuminances of the light intensity distributions C31 and C11 are substantially equal.

Next, in step 102, when the σ value is set to an arbitrary value NA3 between the maximum value NA1 and the minimum value NA2 using the aperture stop 17, in step 104, the magnifications of the variable magnification optical systems 8a to 8c may be set as a value β3 between the minimum value (referred to as β1) in the case of FIG. 5A and the maximum value (referred to as β2) in the case of FIG. 5B. As an example, ?3 is gradually set larger as the ? value NA3 gradually becomes smaller, and the maximum inclination angle of the illumination light incident on the light guide fiber 10 is set gradually smaller, as expressed by the following equation.

β3 = β1+(NA1-NA3)(β2-β1)/(NA1-NA2) . . . (2)

This makes it possible to illuminate the mask M with high illumination efficiency according to the σ value (illumination condition) even when illuminating with any σ value, so that the pattern of the mask M can be printed with high precision and high throughput. P) can be exposed.

Fig. 7A is an enlarged view showing the partial illumination optical system IL1 of Fig. 5A, and Fig. 7B is the injection of the light guide fiber 10 of Fig. 7A. It is an enlarged view of the stage 14a viewed from the front, and in FIG. 7A , some lens elements 16a of the same shape constituting the fly's eye lens 16 are enlarged and shown. As shown in Fig. 7B, the emitting end 14a is constituted by regularly bundling a large number of optical fiber elements 11. As shown in Figs. In Fig. 7(A), the exit end 14a is formed by the input lens 15 and the lens element 16a, and the exit surface of the lens element 16a (so-called hibernation surface, which is the arrangement surface of the aperture stop 17). is imaged on In addition, since the incident surface of the lens element 16a is imaged on the illumination area 21a of the mask M by the lens element 16a and the condenser lens 18, the illumination area 21a is an exposure field of view (Fig. 3, the shape of each lens element 16a of the fly's eye lens 16 is determined so as to be slightly larger than the area that is conjugated to the opening of the field stop 22).

The light intensity distribution of the incident end 12a of the light guide fiber 10 is changed by the variable magnification optical system 8a. Here, as an example, the input lens 15 and the fly's eye lens ( The light source image formed on the arrangement surface of the aperture stop 17 through 16) is regarded as an effective light source image contributing to illumination. In addition, when the light emitted from the optical fiber element 11 of all the emitting end 14a forms an effective light source image, the lens element 16a of the fly's eye lens 16 is in the incident range. The number n1 of effective light source images formed on the emitting surface of is equal to the number n2 of the optical fiber elements 11 constituting the emitting end 14a.

Hereinafter, the ratio (=n1/n2) of the number n1 of effective light source images formed on the emitting surface of the lens element 16a to the number n2 of the optical fiber elements 11 constituting the emitting end 14a is defined as a lens The filling factor γ of the illumination light from the optical fiber element 11 in the element 16a is called. In the present embodiment, as an example, the magnification of the variable magnification optical system 8a (the maximum inclination angle of the illumination light incident on the incident end 12a) is adjusted so that the filling factor γ is maintained at 1 (100%).

At this time, in the case of performing annular illumination, large sigma illumination, or small sigma illumination, on the emitting surface of the lens element 16a of the fly's eye lens 16 within the aperture of the aperture stop 17, respectively, ( As shown in A), FIG. 8(B), or FIG. 8(C), the same maximum density distribution (distribution corresponding to the density distribution of the optical fiber element 11 in FIG. 7(B)) is obtained. An effective light source image 24 is formed. In addition, in Fig.8 (A), the opening of the aperture stop 17 is set to the annular aperture 17c. In the case of performing annular illumination or large sigma illumination, the maximum inclination angle of the illumination light incident from the variable magnification optical systems 8a to 8c to the incident ends 12a to 12c of the light guide fiber 10 is higher than that in the case of performing small sigma illumination. set large.

In addition, for convenience of explanation, each lens element 16a of the fly's eye lens 16 has an opening (A) to (C) in Figs. 17b and 17c) are shown to be larger than in reality.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the filling factor γ of the illumination light from the optical fiber element 11 in the case of performing annular illumination, large sigma illumination, or small sigma illumination is in the range of 1 in common. The magnification is adjusted. In this case, since the number of the effective light source images 14 in the opening of the aperture stop 17 is the largest, the uniformity of the illuminance distribution in the mask M is favorable. In addition, the filling factor gamma may be substantially 1 (for example, 0.9-1).

However, the light intensity of the illumination light incident on the incident ends 12a to 12c of the light guide fiber 10 is maximum at the central portion, and decreases toward the periphery. Therefore, among the plurality of optical fiber elements 11 constituting the incident end 12a, for example, about 70% or more, 70 to 40%, and about 40 to 10% of the maximum value at the time of large sigma illumination. The light source images formed by the illumination light from the optical fiber element 11 on which the illumination light 3a of the intensity is incident are set as light source images 24A, 24B, and 24C, respectively. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5A , when the σ value is set large, the lens element 16a in the opening 17b of the aperture stop 17 on the emitting surface of the fly's eye lens 16 . As shown in FIG. 9A, light source images 24A, 24B, and 24C are formed in random arrangement on the emission surface of .

In addition, the illumination light emitted from the exit end 14a of the light guide fiber 10 is a portion within the entrance (large opening 17b) of the plurality of lens elements 16a (optical elements) of the fly's eye lens 16 . is distributed over a larger area than the size of the incident surface of the plurality of lens elements 16a).

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B , when the σ value is set small, the lens element 16a in the opening 17b of the aperture stop 17 on the emitting surface of the fly's eye lens 16 . ), as shown in Fig. 9B, a light source image 24B having an almost intermediate light intensity is formed in a regular arrangement. In addition, the illumination light emitted from the exit end 14a of the light guide fiber 10 is larger than the size of the entrance opening of the plurality of lens elements 16a of the fly's eye lens 16 in the portion within the small opening 17b. are distributed in For this reason, in the case of small sigma illumination, since the light intensity of the light source image 24B formed on the emitting surface of each lens element 16a of the fly's eye lens 16 is more uniform than in the case of FIG. 9A, the illuminance distribution becomes more uniform.

Further, as in the comparative example, when the small σ illumination with the numerical aperture NA2 is performed, as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 9A, when the opening 17b of the aperture stop 17 is simply made small, the light guide fiber Since most of the illumination light incident from (10) to the outside of the opening 17b is blocked, the efficiency of use of the illumination light is lowered.

As described above, the illumination device ILA for illuminating the mask M of the present embodiment includes a light source 2a that generates illumination light and a variable magnification optical system 8a that adjusts the maximum inclination angle of the illumination light in step 104 . and an input lens 15 (hereinafter also referred to as a first condensing optical system) for condensing the illumination light through the variable magnification optical system 8a in step 106 to form a collimated beam, and in step 106 through the variable magnification optical system 8a A light guide fiber 10 (hereinafter also referred to as an optical member) that emits the illumination light to the input lens 15 while maintaining the maximum inclination angle of the illumination light, and in step 102, the numerical aperture (σ value) of the illumination light An aperture stop 17 for adjusting , and a condenser lens 18 (hereinafter also referred to as a second condensing optical system) for guiding the illumination light whose numerical aperture is controlled in step 106 to the mask M are provided.

According to the illumination device ILA of the present embodiment, when small σ illumination with a small numerical aperture of the illumination light is performed, the maximum inclination angle of the illumination light is decreased by the variable magnification optical system 8a, so that the aperture stop 17 is The ratio of the illumination light incident on the opening can be increased, and the efficiency of use of the illumination light can be increased. For this reason, the mask M can be illuminated with a larger illuminance. Moreover, when illuminating the mask M with the same illuminance, while being able to lengthen the lifetime of the light source 2a, when using the some light source 2a-2c, the number of the light sources to be used is reduced It is possible to achieve downsizing and cost reduction of the lighting device ILA. Moreover, since the light guide fiber 10 is used, the light source 2a and the mask M can be isolate|separated, and the thermal expansion of the mask M can be suppressed.

Moreover, the exposure apparatus EX which exposes the pattern of the mask M of this embodiment to the plate P is the illumination apparatus ILA which illuminates the mask M in steps 102-106, and step 108 WHEREIN: The projection optical system PL which forms the image of the pattern of the mask M illuminated with the illumination device ILA on the plate P is provided. According to the exposure apparatus EX, since the utilization efficiency of the illumination light in the illumination apparatus ILA is high, the pattern of the mask M can be exposed to the plate P with high throughput and high precision by increasing the illuminance of the illumination light. can Moreover, when the illuminance of the illumination light is the same as that of the prior art, since the illumination apparatus ILA can be downsized and cost-reduced, the exposure apparatus EX can be further reduced in size and cost.

Further, since the light guide fiber 10 includes a plurality of incident ends 12a to 12c and a plurality of exit ends 14a and 14B, etc., the illumination light from the plurality of light sources 2a to 2c is randomly mixed. Therefore, it can branch easily into the light flux for several partial illumination optical systems IL1-IL7.

Moreover, since the fly's eye lens 16 containing the some lens element 16a is provided, the illuminance distribution of the illumination light in the illumination area|region of the mask M can be made more uniform.

Incidentally, in the above-described embodiment, the following modifications are possible.

As the variable magnification optical system 8a of the above-described embodiment, as shown in Fig. 10A, a front lens system 6A composed of three lenses and a rear lens system 7A composed of three lenses have a magnification. At the time of adjustment, for example, a variable magnification optical system 8Aa for adjusting the position of the rear lens group 7A can be used.

Further, as the variable magnification optical system 8a, an optical system of a type that forms an intermediate image of the light source image on the optical path between the light source image 5a and the light source image 9a may be used.

Moreover, in the above-described embodiment, the variable magnification optical system 8a is used in order to control the maximum inclination angle of the illumination light, but instead of the variable magnification optical system 8a, as shown in Fig. 10B, the optical system is partially exchanged. You may use the relay optical system 8Ba of the system of switching a magnification. The relay optical system 8Ba includes a first rear lens system 7B composed of a front lens system 6A, a lens 7Ba and a lens group 7Bb having two lenses, and a second lens system 7B composed of lenses 7Ca and 7Cb. It has a rear lens system 7C. Then, when the magnification is low, the light source image 9a is formed using the front lens system 6A and the first rear lens system 7B. When the magnification is high, the second rear lens system is replaced with the first rear lens system 7B. (7C) is used to form the light source image 9a. In this way, when the interchangeable relay optical system 8Ba is used, the optical system for controlling the inclination angle can be manufactured at low cost.

Further, as disclosed in the specification of U.S. Patent No. 5,719,704, between the front lens group 6 and the rear lens group 7, for example, in the variable magnification optical system 8a of the above-described embodiment, in Fig. 10(A) ), an optical system (axicon system) comprising two conical prismatic optical members 7B1 and 7B2 may be provided. At this time, when performing normal illumination, the two optical members 7B1 and 7B2 are brought into close contact, and when performing annular illumination, the distance between the two optical members 7B1 and 7B2 is adjusted, and the whole lens system ( 6), the cross-sectional shape of the illumination light 3a passing between the rear lens groups 7 may be an annular shape of variable size. In this case, the illumination light 20a emitted from the exit end 14a of the light guide fiber 10 is incident on the annular region of the incident surface of the fly's eye lens 16 through the input lens 15 . And in the case of performing annular illumination, by adjusting the distance between the two optical members 7B1 and 7B2 according to the size of the annular opening of the aperture stop, the efficiency of use of illumination light in the case of performing annular illumination can be further improved. can

Moreover, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although the fly's eye lens 16 is used as an optical integrator, you may use a microlens array, a rod integrator, etc. instead of the fly's eye lens 16. As shown in FIG.

In embodiment mentioned above, although the ultrahigh pressure mercury lamp is used as light source 2a-2c, lamps, such as another arbitrary discharge lamp, can be used as light source 2a-2c. In addition, as the light sources 2a to 2c, it is also possible to use a light emitting diode (LED) or the like. Moreover, you may use laser light sources, such as a solid-state laser, a gas laser, or a semiconductor laser, as light source 2a - 2c. Moreover, it is also possible to use the harmonics of a laser beam etc. as illumination light.

And when a laser light source is used as the light source and the maximum inclination angle of the illumination light is set to be large, as an example, as shown in FIG. On the optical path of LB, the diffraction grating 8C in which the phase-type unevenness|corrugation of the concentric circle shape (zone plate shape) whose pitch gradually becomes small is formed is arrange|positioned. The minimum pitch of the diffraction grating 8C is defined according to the maximum inclination angle.

And when the maximum inclination angle of the illumination light is set to be small using a laser light source, concentric phase-type irregularities like the diffraction grating 8C are formed on the optical path of the laser beam LB, and the minimum pitch is A diffraction grating 8D larger than the diffraction grating 8C is disposed. In this modification, when the diffraction grating 8C is used, illumination light having a large maximum inclination angle can be generated, and when the diffraction grating 8D is used, illumination light having a small maximum inclination angle can be generated. For this reason, the same effect as the above-mentioned embodiment can be acquired.

Moreover, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although the multi-lens type|mold scanning exposure apparatus was demonstrated as an example, in addition to the scanning type exposure apparatus, the pattern of the mask M is performed in the state in which the mask M and the plate P are stopped. The embodiment described above can also be applied to a step-and-repeat type exposure apparatus that exposes and moves the plate P stepwise in sequence. Moreover, although three light sources are used as a light source of a lighting apparatus, the lighting apparatus may be equipped with one, two, or four or more light sources. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the light guide fiber has seven exit ends, but as long as the number of exit ends of the light guide fiber is one or more, the number may be any number.

Moreover, in the above-described embodiment, the illumination light from the plurality of light sources 2a to 2c is branched into the light beams for the plurality of partial illumination optical systems IL1 to IL7, but one illumination light from one light source 2a is Even if the mask M is illuminated through the partial illumination optical system IL1 and the pattern of the mask M is transferred to the plate P through one imaging optical system (for example, an optical system such as the partial projection optical system PL1). do. In this case, the illumination light 3a from the variable magnification optical system 8a may be directly incident on the fly's eye lens 16 through the input lens 15 without providing the light guide fiber 10 .

Next, an exposure apparatus or a device manufacturing method using the exposure method according to the above-described embodiment will be described. It is a flowchart which shows the manufacturing process of liquid crystal devices, such as a liquid crystal display element. 11 , in the manufacturing process of the liquid crystal device, the pattern forming process (step 200), the color filter forming process (step 202), the cell assembling process (step 204), and the module assembling process (step 206) are sequentially performed.

In the pattern forming process of step 200, a predetermined pattern such as a circuit pattern and an electrode pattern is formed on a glass substrate coated with a photoresist as a plate by using the above-described exposure apparatus or exposure method. In this pattern formation step, an exposure step of transferring a pattern to the photoresist layer using the exposure apparatus or exposure method of the above-described embodiment, and development of the plate onto which the pattern has been transferred, a photoresist layer having a shape corresponding to the pattern It includes a developing process of generating the ? as a mask layer, and a processing process of processing the surface of the glass substrate through the developed photoresist layer.

In the color filter forming process of step 202, a large number of sets of three dots corresponding to R (red), G (green), and B (blue) are arranged in a matrix form, or three stripes of R, G, and B are formed. A color filter in which a plurality of sets of filters are arranged in the horizontal scanning direction is formed.

In the cell assembly process of step 204, a liquid crystal panel (liquid crystal cell) is assembled using the glass substrate in which the predetermined pattern was formed in step 200, and the color filter formed in step 202. Specifically, for example, a liquid crystal panel is formed by injecting a liquid crystal between a glass substrate and a color filter.

In the module assembling process of step 206, various components such as an electric circuit and backlight for performing a display operation of the liquid crystal panel are mounted on the liquid crystal panel assembled in step 204. Thus, in the device manufacturing method of this embodiment, using the exposure apparatus EX or the exposure method of the above-mentioned embodiment, forming a predetermined pattern on a glass substrate, and forming the glass substrate through the predetermined pattern includes processing. According to the exposure apparatus EX or the exposure method of this embodiment, since exposure can be performed with high illumination efficiency, an electronic device can be manufactured with high precision with high throughput.

In addition, the exposure apparatus EX or the exposure method of the above-mentioned embodiment can be applied also when manufacturing a semiconductor device. In addition, the above-mentioned embodiment is not limited to application to the exposure apparatus for semiconductor device manufacture or liquid crystal device manufacture, For example, exposure apparatus for display apparatuses, such as a plasma display, an imaging element (CCD etc.), It can also be widely applied to exposure apparatuses for manufacturing various devices such as micromachines, thin-film magnetic heads, and DNA chips. In addition, the above-mentioned embodiment is applicable also to the exposure apparatus at the time of manufacturing the mask (photomask, a reticle, etc.) used for manufacture of various devices using a photolithography process.

2a, 2b, 2c... Light sources 4a, 4b, 4c... ellipsoid,
8a~8c … Variable-magnification optical system 10 ... light guide fiber
12a, 12b, 12c... Incident stage 14a, 14b . . . ejection end
15 … input lens 16 … fly eye lens
17 … Aperture Aperture 18 … condenser lens
30 … Control unit 32 … power unit
EX … Exposure apparatus ILA … lighting device
IL1, IL3... Partial illumination optics PL … projection optics
PL1 to PL7 … Partial projection optical system M … Mask
P... plate

Claims (29)

A lighting device for illuminating a mask, comprising:
a light source for generating illumination light; and
an optical system for adjusting the inclination angle of the illumination light;
a first condensing optical system for condensing the illumination light through the optical system;
an optical member for emitting the illumination light passing through the optical system to the first condensing optical system while maintaining the inclination angle of the illumination light;
an aperture stop for adjusting the numerical aperture of the illumination light emitted from the first condensing optical system;
a second condensing optical system for guiding the illumination light whose numerical aperture is adjusted to the mask;
The optical member branches the illumination light passing through the optical system into a plurality of light fluxes while maintaining the inclination angle of the illumination light,
a plurality of sets of the first condensing optical system, the aperture stop, and the second condensing optical system, corresponding to the plurality of light beams branched from the optical member;
An illumination device for illuminating a plurality of illumination areas of the mask. The method according to claim 1,
The first condensing optical system has an optical element group including a plurality of optical elements for equalizing the illuminance distribution of the illumination light,
The illumination light passing through the optical member is distributed over an area wider than the size of the entrance openings of the plurality of optical elements of the first condensing optical system. The method according to claim 1,
and the optical system adjusts the inclination angle of the illumination light based on the numerical aperture of the aperture stop. 4. The method according to claim 3,
When the numerical aperture is decreased by the aperture stop, the optical system decreases the inclination angle of the illumination light. 4. The method according to claim 3,
The optical system increases the inclination angle of the illumination light when the numerical aperture of the aperture stop is increased or the aperture of the aperture stop is annular. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
and the optical system is a variable magnification optical system for forming an image of variable magnification of the light source. 7. The method of claim 6,
When the numerical aperture is reduced with the aperture stop, the variable magnification optical system increases the magnification of the image of the light source. 7. The method of claim 6,
The illuminating device in which the variable magnification optical system reduces the magnification of the image of the light source when the numerical aperture is increased by the aperture stop or when the aperture of the aperture stop is made into an annular shape. delete The method according to claim 1,
The optical member has a plurality of incident ends,
A lighting device comprising a plurality of sets of the light source and the optical system corresponding to the plurality of incident ends of the optical member. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The illumination device in which the illuminance distribution of the image of the light source has a normal distribution shape. 3. The method according to claim 2,
The optical member is configured by bundling a plurality of optical fiber strands,
The number of optical fiber elements constituting the exit end of the optical member and the number of light source images formed at each exit end of the plurality of optical elements in the optical element group are substantially equal to the aperture of the illumination light at the aperture stop A lighting device that adjusts the number. An exposure apparatus for exposing a pattern of a mask to a substrate, comprising:
The lighting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5;
and a projection optical system for forming an image of the pattern of the mask illuminated by the illumination device on a substrate. 14. The method of claim 13,
the illumination device illuminates a plurality of illumination areas of the mask;
A plurality of the projection optical systems are provided corresponding to the plurality of illumination areas;
and a stage device for relatively scanning the mask and the substrate in a direction crossing the arrangement direction of the plurality of illumination regions. A method of illuminating a mask, comprising:
adjusting the inclination angle of the illumination light generated from the light source;
and emitting the illumination light whose inclination angle is adjusted through an optical member that maintains the inclination angle of the illumination light;
Condensing the emitted illumination light;
adjusting the numerical aperture of the illumination light;
guiding the illumination light with the adjusted numerical aperture to the mask;
using the optical member to branch the illumination light whose inclination angle is adjusted into a plurality of light beams,
An illumination method for illuminating a plurality of illumination areas of the mask by using the plurality of light beams. 16. The method of claim 15,
Condensing the illumination light includes homogenizing the illuminance distribution of the illumination light by using an optical element group including a plurality of optical elements,
An illumination method in which the illumination light passing through the optical member is distributed over an area wider than the sizes of the entrance openings of the plurality of optical elements. 16. The method of claim 15,
and adjusting the inclination angle of the illumination light includes adjusting the inclination angle of the illumination light based on a numerical aperture of the illumination light. 18. The method of claim 17,
An illumination method for reducing the inclination angle of the illumination light when the numerical aperture of the illumination light is made small. 18. The method of claim 17,
adjusting the numerical aperture of the illumination light includes performing annular illumination using the illumination light;
An illumination method for increasing the numerical aperture of the illumination light or increasing the inclination angle of the illumination light when performing annular illumination using the illumination light. 20. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 19,
and adjusting the inclination angle of the illumination light includes forming a variable magnification image of the light source. 21. The method of claim 20,
An illumination method for increasing a magnification of an image of the light source when the numerical aperture of the illumination light is decreased. 21. The method of claim 20,
adjusting the numerical aperture of the illumination light includes performing annular illumination using the illumination light;
An illumination method for increasing the numerical aperture of the illumination light or reducing the magnification of the image of the light source when performing annular illumination using the illumination light. delete 16. The method of claim 15,
The optical member has a plurality of incident ends,
The illumination method comprising: adjusting the inclination angle of the illumination light from a plurality of the light sources, respectively, to enter the plurality of incident ends. 17. The method of claim 16,
The optical member is configured by bundling a plurality of optical fiber strands,
adjusting the numerical aperture of the illumination light within a range that the number of the optical fiber elements constituting the exit end of the optical member and the number of light source images formed at each exit end of the plurality of optical elements in the optical element group are substantially the same lighting method. An exposure method of exposing a pattern of a mask to a substrate, comprising:
Illuminating the mask using the illumination method according to any one of claims 15 to 19;
and forming an image of the illuminated pattern of the mask on a substrate. 27. The method of claim 26,
The illumination method comprises illuminating a plurality of illumination regions of the mask;
forming an image of the pattern of the mask of the plurality of illumination areas on the substrate, respectively;
and relatively scanning the mask and the substrate in a direction crossing the arrangement direction of the plurality of illumination areas. Forming a predetermined pattern on a substrate using the exposure apparatus according to claim 13;
and processing the substrate through the predetermined pattern. Forming a predetermined pattern on a substrate using the exposure method according to claim 26;
and processing the substrate through the predetermined pattern.

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