Patent Number: 051724030
Section: claims

1. An X-ray exposure apparatus, usable with an X-ray source accommodated in an X-ray source accommodating chamber, for transferring a pattern of a mask to a wafer, said apparatus comprising: a mask chuck for supporting the mask;  a wafer chuck for supporting the wafer;  a stage for moving said wafer chuck;  a stage accommodating chamber for accommodating therein said mask chuck, said wafer chuck and said stage;  a barrel for coupling the X-ray source accommodating chamber with said stage accommodating chamber, to define an X-ray projection passageway;  a blocking window provided in said X-ray projection passageway, for isolating ambience in the X-ray accommodating chamber from ambience in said stage accommodating chamber;  a gas supply port opening into a portion of said X-ray projection passageway between said blocking window and the mask supported by said mask chuck, for introducing gas having low X-ray absorption into the portion to fill said stage accommodating chamber with the gas;  a gas discharging port provided in said stage accommodating chamber; and  discharging means for discharging the gas from said stage accommodating chamber through said gas discharging port.  a mask chuck for supporting the mask;  a wafer chuck for supporting the wafer;  a stage for moving said wafer chuck;  a stage accommodating chamber for accommodating therein said mask chuck, said wafer chuck and said stage;  a barrel for coupling the X-ray source accommodating chamber with said stage accommodating chamber, to define an X-ray projection passageway;  a blocking window provided in a portion of said X-ray projection passageway, for isolating ambience in the X-ray source accommodating chamber from ambience in said stage accommodating chamber;  a gas supply port for introducing gas having low X-ray absorption into said X-ray projection passageway from a portion of said barrel between said blocking window and the mask supported by said mask chuck;  a gas discharging port provided in said stage accommodating chamber; and  a pressure detecting port opening into a portion of said X-ray projection passageway between said blocking window and the mask supported by said mask chuck, for detecting pressure in said stage accommodating chamber.  supplying gas including helium into a portion of the X-ray projection passageway between the blocking window and the mask in the exposure chamber;  introducing the supplied helium gas in the X-ray projection passageway into the exposure chamber;  exposing the mask and the wafer in the exposure chamber with X-rays supplied from the X-ray source and passing along the X-ray projection passageway and through the blocking window; and  discharging the helium gas, which has been supplied into the exposure chamber, out of the exposure chamber through an opening defined in the exposure chamber. 2. An X-ray exposure apparatus, usable with an X-ray source accommodated in an X-ray source accommodating chamber, for printing a pattern of a mask on a wafer, said apparatus comprising: 3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said gas supply port comprises a plurality of supplying openings disposed substantially uniformly around said X-ray projection passageway. 4. An apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising vacuum evacuating means actable on said stage accommodating chamber to maintain the pressure of the gas ambience detected through said pressure detecting port constant. 5. An apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a gas discharging port for introducing, into said stage accommodating chamber, the gas supplied from said gas supply port into said X-ray projection passageway. 6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, along said X-ray projection passageway, said gas supply port is disposed on the blocking window side while said gas discharging port is disposed on the mask chuck side. 7. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, along said X-ray projection passageway, said gas supply port is disposed on the mask chuck side, while said gas discharging port is disposed on the blocking window side. 8. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said gas supply port has a plurality of supplying openings disposed substantially uniformly around said X-ray projection passageway, and wherein said gas discharging port has a plurality of discharging openings disposed substantially uniformly around said X-ray projection passageway. 9. An apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a blocking film disposed in said X-ray projection passageway, at a position between the opening position of said gas discharging port and the mask supported by said mask chuck. 10. An apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a communication port for providing communication between said stage accommodating chamber and a portion of said X-ray projection passageway, between said blocking film and the mask held by said mask chuck. 11. A semiconductor device manufacturing method usable with an X-ray exposure system including an X-ray source for supplying X-rays, an X-ray projection passageway having a blocking window, and an exposure chamber for accommodating therein a mask and a wafer and being coupled to the X-ray projection passageway, said method comprising the steps of: 12. A method according to claim 11, further comprising providing a pressure detecting port which opens into a portion of the X-ray projection passageway between the blocking window and the mask in the exposure chamber, and detecting pressure in the exposure chamber through the pressure detecting port. 13. A method according to claim 12, further comprising vacuum-evacuating the exposure chamber to maintain the pressure detected through the pressure detecting port substantially at a predetermined level. 14. A method according to claim 11, wherein, in said gas supplying step, the helium gas is supplied into the X-ray projection passageway from inlet openings located substantially equiangularly around the X-ray projection passageway.