Patent ID: 6473156
Filing Date: 2002-10-29
Classification: G03F

Abstract:
A scanning exposure apparatus, comprising:a first movable stage being movable while carrying a first object thereon; a second movable stage being movable while carrying a second object thereon; a projection optical system for projecting a pattern of the first object onto the second object along an exposure optical axis direction; scanning means for scanningly moving said first and second stages in synchronism with each other and relative to said projection optical system so as to project the pattern of the first object onto the second object through said projection optical system; reference plates provided on said first movable stage and having predetermined patterns, said reference plates being arrayed along a scan direction of said scanning means, and said first movable stage being movable so as to place, sequentially, each of said reference plates at a detection position; detecting means for detecting positions of said reference plates with respect to the exposure optical axis direction of said projection optical system as each of said reference plates is placed, sequentially, at the detection position; measuring means for measuring a position of said first movable stage with respect to the scan direction; storing means for storing therein the positions with respect to the optical axis direction as detected by said detecting means and the position with respect to the scan direction at the corresponding moment; and correcting means for correcting, during the scan of the first and second objects, a positional relation between said projection optical system and a surface of the second object to be exposed, with respect to the optical axis direction, on the basis of the stored positional relation between the reference plates and the projection optical system.