Patent ID: 7527917
Filing Date: 2009-05-05
Classification: G03F

Abstract:
1. An exposure method for exposing a substrate based on a pattern by sequentially projecting the pattern formed in a mask onto a plurality of pattern projection regions each of which has at least a portion laid over a portion of the substrate, the method comprising the steps of: exposing each of the pattern projection regions based on the pattern in such a manner that, for each of the pattern projection regions, the mask and the substrate are moved in synchronization with each other while projecting a portion of the pattern through an optical projection system onto a portion of the pattern projection region, and that an exposure region onto which the portion of the pattern is projected to perform exposure is thereby shifted from one of first and second ends of the pattern projection region toward the other end; and adjusting a location of the substrate along a direction of optical axis of the optical projection system before the step of exposing each of the pattern projection regions, in such a manner that, in each of the pattern projection regions, a location of a surface of the substrate along the direction of optical axis of the optical projection system is detected, and the location of the substrate is adjusted based on a result of the detection so that an image of the portion of the pattern is focused on the surface of the substrate, wherein, in the step of exposing each of the pattern projection regions, in some of the pattern projection regions in each of which a portion thereof is located outside an edge of the substrate and in each of which the first and second ends have different lengths of portions laid over the substrate, the exposure region is shifted from one of the first and second ends that is greater in length of the portion laid over the substrate toward the other end.