Patent ID: 9146474
Filing Date: 2015-09-29
Classification: G03B,G03F

Abstract:
1. An exposure method for illuminating a pattern with an illumination system to expose a substrate through a projection system, comprising: illuminating the pattern with illumination light having a light amount distribution, which is set such that an amount of light on a pupil plane of the illumination system is larger in an on-axis area substantially including an optical axis and in a plurality of off-axis areas arranged away from the optical axis than in an area other than the on-axis area and the plurality of off-axis areas, polarization states of the illumination light in the plurality of off-axis areas on the pupil plane being substantially linear polarization; and projecting an image of the pattern illuminated with the illumination light onto the substrate by the projection system, wherein the light amount distribution on the pupil plane is generated by a formation optical system arranged in the illumination system and at an incident side of an optical integrator, and a polarization direction of the illumination light which passes through at least one of the plurality of off-axis areas is changed by a polarization setting member so that the polarization direction at any off-axis area on the pupil plane is substantially perpendicular to a radial direction extending from the optical axis to that off-axis area the polarization setting member being arranged in the illumination system and at the incident side of the optical integrator.